Emma is a third-year UC Davis student majoring in Community and Regional Development, with a focus on environmental policy and planning, and Asian American Studies. Her interest in sustainability began in San Jose, where growing up near an airport made her aware of how environmental factors impact community health. At UC Davis, she works at the Student Farm gleaning produce for local distribution, and she gets around town by bike. Since joining Cool Davis as an intern, Emma has deepened her understanding of local sustainability efforts, from home energy to micro mobility, and she’s found new ways to connect with the Davis community beyond campus. For her, sustainability is less about perfection and more about being part of a collective effort to create change through everyday actions.

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m currently a third-year undergraduate student here at UC Davis! I’m interested in studying a lot of topics related to our environment, plants, and how we interact with them. So, I major in Community and Regional Development (Environmental Policy and Regional Planning track) and Asian American Studies. Alongside being here at Cool Davis, I work at the UC Davis Student Farm gleaning produce to distribute across the UC Davis campus and Yolo County. I think a lot about Community and Regional Development as a major is finding out where you fit in these communities and where you can contribute. I’m also really interested in the intersections of sustainability, our food system, and our built environment. 

 

What is your sustainability story?

My sustainability story starts with my experiences growing up in San Jose, California! In elementary school, I learned a lot about air quality and water resources, which I think is because the school was in relative proximity to an airport. There are a lot of studies I read now about children’s development and health outcomes when they do live in proximity to airports and various environmental factors. These exposures made me start thinking about sustainability since I was young- because of the factors of health we see in our communities. 

 

How do you get around town? 

It actually has been really easy for me to get around with my bike everywhere in Davis, which honestly has a little bit of a learning curve coming from places where no one really bikes at all. When I started going to school at UC Davis, many people told me that I wouldn’t need to have a car to get around. I think that’s true! There was a period of time where I did bring my car up to Davis, and it took longer to park on campus than to just bike to my classes. 

 

What are your future goals and how do you see sustainability playing a role?

I’m kind of stuck between pursuing public health or going into agriculture. Either way, I see sustainability playing a role in both of these fields through the environmental factors affecting our daily lives. I’ve been really excited and inspired to see the best ways to go about sustainable practice in agriculture. 

 

Why did you want to intern with Cool Davis? What have you enjoyed most in your time with Cool Davis so far?

I wanted to intern with Cool Davis, since I saw Cool Davis around the farmer’s market a lot. I would really often go like, “what even is that? Cool Davis?” It wasn’t until my department sent out a message regarding internships with Cool Davis that I realized that this was something you could intern for. So far, I’ve really enjoyed learning more about Davis in a position that’s outside of the university. 

 

How do you approach making environmentally conscious decisions when it comes to eating, commuting, shopping, etc?

When it comes to eating I get a lot of my vegetables from the Student Farm! I don’t expect my actions to single-handedly stop climate change or something, but I believe that it is a collective build-up of all of our actions. So, in that way, I try to be conscious of my own actions just as much as the systemic factors that build into climate change. 

 

What knowledge have you gained in your time so far with Cool Davis?

So far with Cool Davis I’ve actually learned a lot more about home energy. I’ve also learned more about modes of transportation and the push for micro-mobility, which is something that I think Davis can uniquely achieve. With Cool Davis, I’ve been learning how to navigate my way through this community, and seeing how I fit in it. As much as Cool Davis is about sustainable living, it’s also about being in community. 

 

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