As AUC's sustainability committee, you can be sure we all care about preserving our planet. The way we know it, though, is limited by the places, cultures and information we have come in contact with throughout our lives. This year, we would like to pass the mic to others in our community, and create a more comprehensive overview of what sustainability entails, what our planet has to offer and what it needs from us, humans. Welcome to Our Earth, an interview series exploring the relationship of AUC's community with our natural environment. This week, we're kicking it off with Ines Oort Alonso, a 3rd year AUC student focusing on environmental sciences.
What does sustainability mean to you?
To me, sustainability means curiosity, wanting to learn and be aware of the consequences of our choices and consumption patterns, not just on a personal level but also on a societal level. I try to live sustainably by not just informing myself about how I can improve my personal lifestyle to fit our planet’s needs, but also by wondering about how our society could be organised better on a large scale.
Where did your passion for sustainability come from?
I grew up in the very polluted city center of Barcelona and had always been an exceptionally restless child. I’d even throw rage fits sometimes. However, when I was around 11, my parents moved to a small town in the countryside called Orrios, which means ‘Golden rivers’ in Catalan. The village is surrounded by mountains and forests. And without any additional treatment, all my problems just naturally disappeared. Obviously, I am in no way saying that spending time in more natural environments is a cure to all mental and/or physical issues, but for me, it definitely made me much calmer. Around the same time that we moved there, I also went to a theatre summer camp in the Pyrenees with wild horses. I spent two weeks sleeping outside in tents, doing theatre and taking care of the horses, and when I came back my mother told me my presence had completely changed: I’d become calmer, I breathed differently. And I felt the same way. So, from a very young age, I learned to appreciate nature’s aspects of silence, calmness and greenery as a bit of a healer. And still, whenever I’m not around natural environments, a feeling of slight restlessness overcomes me.
I feel like in Europe, especially in the cities, we don’t see the effects of climate change on nature as much, but it does have a great impact on many communities already, from the Amazon to the coal mines in Germany. It’s important to remind yourself of the urgency of the issue, even if you’re not directly confronted with it.
Do you have a favorite ‘natural’ place, one where you feel most connected to nature?
One would definitely be the area of the Pyrenees where my summer camp took place. I actually adopted one of the wild horses there, but I don’t ride it. My second option would be the top of the mountain of my village, where you have a view over both the ocean and the whole town. I also really love diving and seeing all the things the ocean has to offer, although I must say that the experience of diving has been ruined a little by all the plastic waste in our oceans. Diving and being able to see so far ahead through
clear turquoise water, with so many fish around, is just a very peaceful state of mind. These are some places I feel a lot of personal attachment to, but I’m not picky with my nature. I can definitely also appreciate Flevopark.
What aspect of climate change do you find most troublesome?
What mostly frustrates me is that the concept of sustainability has increasingly become an identity and a label that individuals, business and even political parties sometimes claim. Sustainability shouldn’t be a golden plaque that we put on things, but something that concerns all of us and that everyone should strive for. It’s not about doing something extra when you have the time and resources for it or about being a good person, it’s something we need for all of humanity and the planet. The elitism around sustainability is also very annoying to me, with many plastic free shops for instance being relatively expensive and mainly appropriated by the middle to higher class, rather than the working class. Even though wealthy people generally have a larger ecological footprint, they are the ones with most access to ‘sustainable’ tools. The label of sustainability has now become slightly elitist, even though the movement is not.
What’s one change you would like to see regarding about our global response to climate change in the next couple of years?
I don’t think you can change environmental policy without changing the very basis of our democracy. In that regard, I think having citizens be politically active in designing and deciding on environmental policy is very important. I would definitely want to see a citizen’s assembly, as is included in Extinction Rebellion’s demands. These decisions shouldn’t only come from a small group of powerful people, but instead from bottom-up. A share the power type of thing. Also, right now, sustainability has become a very politicised issue, but surveys have shown that different people, across various political parties, are in fact concerned with sustainability. But on the ground, people are concerned with preserving the earth and nature, but the option to make sustainable choices must be facilitated. Of course, those choices can be tough, and there will be sacrifices, but I believe there’s actually more will to become sustainable at general citizens than there is at the top, since the top profits from the current unsustainable practices most.
Do you have a sustainable tip?
I don’t really feel like I’m in the position to give others tips on how to be more sustainable, especially not to AUC students, since many students here are already so aware of what they can personally do to reduce their footprint. But whatever your major is, I encourage you to involve yourself with how your field relates to issues of climate change and climate justice, because I am sure there is a relevant connection for all.
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