In Search of Renewable Energy

Despite meaningful campus strides towards sustainability, these efforts have not reached the eyes or ears of some students

Santa Clara faculty and students came together for tUrn week to encourage climate action and discussion. This mirrored California, the Pacific Coast and British Columbia's own re-commitment to climate action with the signing of a new Statement of Cooperation. 

Kicking off tUrn week, Director of tUrn Kristin Kusanovich held an interactive talk for students to reflect on seven ways to meet the climate crisis productively. According to Kusanovich, renewable energy isn’t just about sustainability – it is also about human will power.

“If we don't have human renewable energy, we're going to get tired or stressed or anxious or overworked,” Kusanovich said. “Maybe even just give up on social issues [and] work that we're doing.”

Human renewable energy, at times, can be difficult to sustain. As such, Kusanovich advises students to follow seven ideas for collectivism. Included in these ideas are innovating while shattering complacency, discussing the issue and translating emotions into action.

Developing a healthy mentality in response to complex climate change topics resonates with sophomore marketing major Chloe Abioli. She notes, however, that these messages and Santa Clara’s overall shift to renewable energy are not clearly visible or accessible.

“I feel like I've seen it [but] I feel like I haven't learned enough about it as I should be learning about it,” Abioli said. “There should be more sources of information that are trying to reach out to the student body and trying to get the message across about how Santa Clara could be doing more to add new sources of renewable energy.”

Furthermore, Kusanovich encourages students to re-center themselves and their communities around the tenets and proponents of sustainability.

“It's these unique, sometimes individual contributions, but it's also the groundswell of taking that to scale,” Kusanovich said. “Then looking at systems and systemic problems and looking at the big picture of how activism and involvement in the political process, involvement in civic life, involvement in educational efforts can also help change things.”

According to junior finance major Jordan Kobayashi, these discussions are concentrated in specific departments and majors. Similar to Abioli, Kobayashi is not aware of Santa Clara’s renewable energy sources.

In spite of this gap, Kobayashi witnessed and felt the need for renewable energy throughout her life. From her childhood roots in Hawaii to her travels in Japan and Korea, renewable energy has remained a staple topic. Living alongside fifteen other girls at Santa Clara, she has felt the need to conserve energy more than ever.

“I know renewable energy sources are more costly and also take a while to implement but I think it's very [important] that businesses look into it,” Kobayashi said. “Because it is definitely something that affects their mission.”