Category: Profiles

My Eco-Sheroes: A Profile on Black and Brown Eco-Feminists

 

by Sophia Gumbs

Wangari Maathai

In her 2004 acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, Professor Maathai commented that “protecting and restoring the environment contributes to peace; it is peace work. . .  . I always felt that our work was not simply about planting trees. It was about inspiring people to take charge of their environment, the system that governed them, their lives, and their future.” 

Professor Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) was a well-known enviromental activist, professor, author, and feminist from Nyeri, Kenya. She was a professor of Veterinary Anatomy and was the chair of the department at the University of Nairobi. She wrote several books, including The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience, Unbowed: A Memoir, The Challenge for Africa, and Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World. She was chair of the National Council of Women of Kenya (1981-1987), at which point the seed was planted– pun intended ;)– which would lead to the founding of her eco-feminist organization for community-based planting of trees to combat poverty and promote environmental health: the Green Belt Movement.  Read more

#GreenGraduates: Featuring Yvonne Cuaresma

The Green Graduate series is a collective of interviews and conversations with environmentally-minded and eco-conscious NYU graduates. As these students move on to the workforce, graduate programs, and other opportunities, we are struck with how different the world seems today than it did a few months ago. Our hope with this series is to inspire, motivate and most importantly, honor our recent graduates.

In the mood for tips on greening the mind, body, and spirit? Look to Yvonne Cuaresma. As a Master’s student in Steinhart’s Food Studies department, Yvonne’s eco-consciousness is a driving force behind her daily choices.

Identifying as Filipina American, Yvonne has many rich childhood memories spent in the natural world. At seven years old, Yvonne’s family packed their bags to move to California, where her days were filled with adventures like camping, fishing, and trips to the lake or beach. While her love for these scenic landscapes grew, her parents made sure that love for the outdoors was coupled with something else. 

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#GreenGraduates – An Interview with BennuAube Amen

The Green Graduate series is a collective of interviews and conversations with environmentally-minded and eco-conscious NYU graduates. As these students move on to the workforce, graduate programs, and other opportunities, we are struck with how different the world seems today than it did a few months ago. Our hope with this series is to inspire, motivate and most importantly, honor the class of 2020. 

Bennu on Capitol HillAs a Brooklyn native, it would have been easy for BennuAube Amen to fall into a familiar routine at NYU. When she started college in 2016, her experience with both the city and environmentalism were well beyond many of her peers. Bennu had the opportunity to get her feet wet in high school, volunteering  at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. She thinks back to her time in the Botanical Garden often, learning about horticulture and botany, teaching young kids,  “that’s where I really learned to be a student,” she said. 

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#GreenGraduates – An interview with Chu Jia Sing 

The Green Graduate series is a collective of interviews and conversations with environmentally-minded and eco-conscious NYU graduates. As these students move on to the workforce, graduate programs, and other opportunities, we are struck with how different the world seems today than it did a few months ago. Our hope with this series is to inspire, motivate and most importantly, honor the class of 2020. 

This is Chu Jia Sing. Like many graduating students, she’s finishing her senior year back home. For her, that’s Singapore. She moved to New York four years ago to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies – disciplines that couldn’t seem more relevant with everything going on in the world. I asked her if this pandemic has transformed how she’s thinking about sustainability and environmental justice? Her mind goes to the localization of supply chains, “Will we cut down on emissions, are we going to minimize the environmental harms we inflict on small indigenous communities?” Read more

Lessons My Mother Taught Me

by Eni Owoeye


To “live sustainably” in the United States is to participate in an ever evolving campaign. Images of the stereotypical “greenie” – bike riders, DIY fanatics, and the quintessential vegan – have always existed in this landscape, and as technological advancements make our lives easier, we often find innovative ways to replace the status quo. Every year our cars get sleeker, and smaller, and ever more “green”.

But for many individuals, the status quo IS sustainable. Stewardship is a cultural norm. I’ve asked students and administrators across our campus to share lessons from their mother – knowledge preserved through space and time, a testament to the ingenuity and simplicity that can exist beyond contemporary eco-friendliness. Read more