Where are they now: Andrew Collins
This article is the first in a series about sustainability grads. We hope you enjoy it!
Andrew Collins (’10) joined the Office of Sustainability intern team during the spring semester of his senior year, after a study abroad internship with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Inspired by a course with Biology Professor Miles Silman, Collins worked alongside Landscaping Services Staff to kick-start the Campus Tree Care Plan, a key component of Tree Campus USA certification.
After graduation, he joined the New York City Teaching Fellows program and was hired as a middle school science teacher at a 6-12 public school while simultaneously pursuing a Masters in Science Education degree at Pace University. This fall, he will begin the MA in Conservation Biology program at Columbia University, to build on his undergraduate experiences at home and abroad.
“Conservation is not simply about saving obscure species and working in faraway places,” he said. “But rather is central to improving human wellbeing.” After he completes his degree, he plans to work for an organization that helps communities and governments better manage and restore their ecosystems in order to achieve sustainable development.
What inspires you to be sustainable?
An appreciation of the enormous amount of diversity present on our planet and an understanding of the value of conserving it. We depend on the natural world not only for our health and happiness, but for the cultural and economic value its services provide.
What is the biggest issue facing our generation?
The impacts humans have had on the environment in the last century have been intensely felt all across the planet. We now understand the economic and social costs of non-sustainable ecosystem use. If we continue to see ourselves as dominators of nature, we are further dissociating ourselves from it. Our generation has been given an opportunity to begin to reverse this trend of devaluing the world’s ecosystems. The biggest issue we face is enacting this change, which can only happen through recognition that we are inherently dependent on the services the natural world provides. With 10.5 billion people by 2050, we must fully embrace this new perspective and make smart decisions based upon it.
What is your number one tip for living sustainably?
Live in a city. If you’re in the United States, live in New York City. High-density city living is an environmentally responsible choice.
By Caitlin Edwards, Wake Forest Fellow
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