As an environmental activist, particularly in the area of campus sustainability, my job is my dream job. The position was created right as I finished my Master's at Michigan State University in the department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation, and Resource Studies. I studied how best to communicate recycling to the campus audiences. In my job, I use the knowledge I learned during my graduate work and apply it to a wide variety of sustainability topics including energy, water, and transportation. In general, environmental work can get frustrating because the problems are wicked, but it's the people at MSU that I work with that keep me going. I created and manage a program called Environmental Stewards, where key persons in every department are trained on actions they can take and act as the resource person on what can be done to make their unit more sustainable. These people are amazing and inspire me every day. Additionally, I created and manage the Green Certification program, which gives science laboratories, offices, IT, kitchens, and living areas the ability to certify they are following the best practices. This coming year I'll be leading the effort for MSU energy transition outreach to get campus and public involvement in energy decisions. MSU has taken great strides to become more sustainable and I'm happy to have been there at those key moments and continue to help MSU. I think the greatest lesson I have learned from working on the outside to working on the inside is how difficult and multifaceted change is to operationalize because of the number of players and stakeholders involved.
Follow me on Twitter
@lolokramer
| Job Title: |
Project Coordinator |
| Company: |
MSU Office of Campus Sustainability |
| College: |
Michigan State University, Master of Science, Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies, East Lansing, MI
|
| High School: |
Rochester Adams High School, Rochester, MI
|