Employee Spotlight

April 2024

Brynn MillerA young woman in graduation robes holding her diploma and a bouquet of flowers smiles at the camera

  • What is your position here at ECU and what are your responsibilities?

I am an intern for the Sustainability Office here at ECU. I am currently digitalizing fleet records from the ECU Automotive Shop to determine which departments would benefit from using an electric vehicle. I also attend events to promote sustainability and our office here on campus.

 

  • What does sustainability mean to you?

Sustainability is the active pursuit of preserving our earth and its resources. Reducing our waste and consumption to aid and protect the environment.

 

  • What initially got you interested in sustainability?

Growing up, I was always interested in nature and the world around me. My favorite book growing up was called Life in a Pond, a nonfiction book about life forms in a pond ecosystem. My family always reduced, reused, and recycled whatever we could. When I was in middle school, I started to see videos about a brand called Lush that made interesting bath bombs, after researching the brand more, I fell into a global warming, climate change, and sustainability rabbit hole. After that I was obsessed. I followed sustainable creators and brands, read books about the environment and human’s effect on it, watched as many documentaries as I could, and now chose a degree in Environmental Studies.

 

  • What are some of your favorite things you do to make your life more sustainable?

Some of my favorite sustainable things are using wool dryer balls, refillable, powdered laundry detergent, and cloths instead of paper towels. We save most of our food scraps to feed our friend’s chickens, we support charities committed to cleaning the environment, and we donate any unwanted items, clothes, towels, etc. to local businesses like the animal shelter and My Sister’s Closet. Minimizing waste has been the focus of my household on our sustainability journey.

 

  • Do you have any advice for someone who is new to sustainability?

Sustainability is an extremely personal journey and what works for others may not work for you, it can be incredibly overwhelming and it’s easy to get flustered by the mass of information out there. However, if you want to start living sustainably, focus on one thing at a time. Find what works for you and once you feel that you are ready, move on to a different area that needs some improvement. For me, it was my laundry routine, then my kitchen, and now my bathroom. I focused on one aspect of my life that I could change and then I moved to the next. No one was magically sustainable overnight, and no one is perfect, just do what you can and know that you are trying your best to make a difference.

 

  • Do you have any resources you recommend for learning about sustainability?

The first place I would go is ECU’s Sustainability Office website. There is so much information on how to live sustainably, specifically as a student of ECU or a citizen of Pitt County. For additional information, I would recommend looking at a combination of websites, published papers, and social media, to get a well-rounded understanding of the topic.

 

  • What do you think is the most important thing people can do to help with sustainability efforts on campus and in our community?

Educate yourself about sustainability and what it means to you. Do research, talk to people, read, whatever it is, just try to learn. The more you learn, the more you will care.

March 2024

Avian White
A professional headshot of Avian White

  • What is your position here at ECU and what are your responsibilities? 

Teaching Instructor and Environmental Health Lab Manager

  • What does sustainability mean to you?

 To me, sustainability means using our resources wisely and trying to recycle and re-use.  

  • What initially got you interested in sustainability? 

Environmental Health is what got me interested in sustainability. As I teach, I learn along with my students. Discussion of multiple topics in EH has shown me the effects of waste and how it impacts human health and the planet.

  • What are some of your favorite things you do to make your life more sustainable?

 Instead of throwing away old, gently used items, I try to donate them. This not only helps the environment but may also help others. Another thing I do is, while  I love meat, I try to have a meatless day at least once a week.

  • Do you have any advice for someone who is new to sustainability? 

Do one thing at a time. Sustainability is a journey, it’s okay to start small and keep building up. That leads to success. 

  • Do you have any resources you recommend for learning about sustainability? 

Honestly, our sustainability webpage is great. I would recommend people visit that site. Also, speaking with ECU Sustainability, Kim Fox and Chad Carwein. They are a great resource and with imagination, some portion of sustainability can be incorporated into our classes.

  • What do you think is the most important thing people can do to help with sustainability efforts on campus and in our community?

 I think simple things will make a big impact. Reducing food waste is a big one and conscientious recycling. If people really pay attention to what they are putting into recycling bins and make sure they are using the correct bins for the correct items, that will make a huge difference.

February 2024

Liz MizelleLiz Mizell stands with her husband and daughter at a ECU football game

  • What is your position here at ECU and what are your responsibilities?

I am an Assistant Professor within ECU’s College of Nursing, teaching pre-licensure nursing students in clinical, the classroom, and in the lab for the last 9 years. I also conduct research. I am building a research program focused on the negative health effects of extreme weather on coastal, rural, and agricultural communities.

  • What does sustainability mean to you?

To me, sustainability is meeting the needs of current generations without compromising Earth’s resources for our future generations. Sustainability involves practices that consider and promote planetary health.

  • What initially got you interested in sustainability?

I’ve always appreciated nature, even from a young age. I have become more and more aware of the interconnectedness between humans, animals, plants, and the environment, both nearby and across the globe. Practicing as a nurse in America, I have used thousands of single-use and plastic products and have seen a considerable amount of products and other resources wasted that served little to no purpose. While many healthcare products are intended to control infection, pain, etc., some are also in place due to convenience and price. As a holistic approach is central to being a nurse, I feel it is my duty to promote sustainability in my current role at ECU and within the nursing profession.

  • What are some of your favorite things you do to make your life more sustainable?

Finding solutions that are both good for both my family’s health as well as the health of the planet! Like gardening, compositing, switching food, and health/beauty products.

  • Do you have any advice for someone who is new to sustainability?

It may not be very innovative advice but start by taking small steps. Switch out your shampoo, bike to the grocery store, avoid printing, turn your computer power settings down. After a year, you can truly become a sustainability champion. Then you could help others or join a local group that aims to make your community more sustainable.

  • Do you have any resources you recommend for learning about sustainability?

For learning about sustainability in healthcare, and even in your personal life, check out resources on the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments website, https://envirn.org/resources/ and the Carolina Advocates for Climate, Health, and Equity website, https://www.nccliniciansforclimate.org/resources

  • What do you think is the most important thing people can do to help with sustainability efforts on campus and in our community?

Tie to something important in your life. Whether it be health and wellbeing, saving money, social equity, resilience….there are lots of benefits. Be willing to share these stories at your staff or fac org meetings, with administrators and local decision-makers.

 

January 2024

Chad CarweinHeadshot of Chad Carwein

  • What is your position here at ECU and what are your responsibilities?

I am the University Sustainability Manager for ECU.  I am the first person to hold this position and I’ve been building the program from the ground up since starting at ECU nearly 8 years ago in Spring 2016.

  • What does sustainability mean to you?

In general, sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  However, there are so many more nuances to sustainability at an institution of higher education.  The truth of the matter is that, given unlimited resources, we could power our campus with 100% renewable energy, capture and reuse all the rainwater that falls on campus, and make our campus zero waste through improved recycling and composting as well as green purchasing practices.  However, ECU’s efforts alone will not make a difference in terms of global climate change and human impacts on the planet.  The best way to truly have a global impact is to educate our students about sustainability and give them more opportunities to utilize the campus as a living, learning laboratory for sustainable practices.

  • What initially got you interested in sustainability?

I studied psychology and Spanish in undergrad and had the opportunity to study abroad in Granada, Spain the summer of 2008.  While I was living in southern Spain that summer, the city experienced a severe drought.  It was so hot and dry that there were teens skateboarding in the bone-dry canal that ran through the city.  The cost of utilities had also skyrocketed and my host mother was a widow so she relied on hosting international students for income.  We would eat dinner by candlelight, she would watch a limited amount of TV in the dark each night, and she would pound on my bathroom door if the shower water ran for more than 90 seconds!  That experience opened my eyes to what it would be like living in a world with limited resources.

  • What are some of your favorite things you do to make your life more sustainable?

I try to reduce single-use plastics as much as possible.  Obviously, I bring reusable bags to the store and a reusable water bottle is always within reach along with a set of reusable utensils; however, there are so many other ways to cut back on plastic.  Refilling household cleaners and hygiene products, buying in bulk to cut down on packaging, and looking for other reusable alternatives to all sorts of household products like dryer sheets, air filters, ziplock bags, disposable napkins and paper towels, etc.  I also ride an e-bike to campus when I don’t have to go back and forth between Main and HSC and the weather is nice.  Cycling is fun and active transportation is way better for your health!

  • Do you have any advice for someone new to sustainability?

Individual changes in your habits and routine can add up to big impacts over time and, if you can convince friends and family to come along for the sustainability journey, you’ll have an even bigger impact.  Start small by bringing reusable bags and bottles with you then start to think about your daily commute and diet.  Active transportation can actually be quite enjoyable.  Riding your bike to and from campus is healthier and gives you some time to plan your goals for the day and debrief from a busy work schedule and free your mind on your ride home.  Eating a plant-based meal for lunch every day or taking meat out of meals a few nights each week will really add up over the course of an entire year.  Take your sustainability efforts to the next level by attending and bringing a friend to a Sustainability Film Screening or volunteer opportunity this spring semester!

  • Do you have any resources you recommend for learning about sustainability?

There are some great newsletters and social media profiles to follow and keep up with all things sustainability-related.  First, ECU is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and AASHE puts out a weekly bulletin that you can sign up for here:  https://bulletin.aashe.org/.  The AASHE Bulletin also includes a weekly list of green jobs in Higher Ed for those seniors about to graduate!  For energy-related news, I subscribe to receive weekly digests from the Energy News Network: https://energynews.us/digest/?utm_medium=email.  As far as sustainability influencers go, I recommend following:  Intersectional Environmentalist Leah Thomas @GreenGirlLeah, Bea Johnson Founder of @ZeroWasteHome on Instagram, and Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt on LinkedIn.  If you want to incorporate more sustainability practices into your workplace here at ECU, please consider learning more and signing up your department for the Green Office Program:  https://campusoperations.ecu.edu/sustainability/green-office-program/.

  • What do you think is the most important thing people can do to help with sustainability efforts on campus and in our community?

I get this question a lot and the area where we each carry the heaviest carbon footprint, if you will, is our diet.  Eating a plant-forward diet is a must for anyone concerned about climate change.  You don’t have to become a vegan overnight, but the old saying of “all things in moderation” applies here too. The next best opportunity is reducing your overall personal consumption of goods that require raw materials and energy-intensive manufacturing.  It’s so easy with the world at our fingertips to order pretty much anything you can imagine online and have it delivered to your house within just a few days.  However, more stuff in our lives is not the key to happiness.  In fact, it can have quite the opposite effect as we try to keep up with the latest trends and styles.  We should all also try to reduce the impacts of our transportation habits by having more remote meetings or incorporating more active transportation into our daily routines.

 

July 2023

Kim Fox Introduction

Article written by Kim Fox, ECU Sustainability Outreach Specialist

I’m very excited to get to work here at ECU as the new Sustainability Outreach Specialist! My main goal is to help with sustainability programs and to help get the word out about the wonderful work we’re doing. If you have any new ideas for sustainability activities or want to connect with clubs, faculty, or staff and need a helping hand, I’m here for you.

I’ve been passionate about the outdoors and nature for as long as I can remember, always playing in the woods as a kid and going hiking whenever I got the chance. In 2016, I took this hobby to a new level and spent just over 5 months hiking the Appalachian Trail. Spending time in nature has always given me peace of mind and I am very passionate about preserving the nature I love for future generations to enjoy.

I also love reading everything from non-fiction to fantasy and science fiction and enjoy chatting about books. When you see me around, let me know what you’ve been reading!