About Austin Hunt

Posts by Austin Hunt:

Profile Pic 2

Sustainability Scholars: Join The Program!

, , , ,

Cougars, do you want to incorporate sustainability literacy into your CofC experience and, in doing so, make new friends, get a faculty mentor, and become competitive for more jobs? If so, then check out CofC’s Sustainability Scholars Program! One of the few program requirements is having a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Still, other than that, this program is open to all students, regardless of their major or knowledge about sustainability! 

 

Who is Dr. Barry Stiefel?

Here we interview the coordinator of the program, Dr. Barry L. Stiefel.  Dr. Stiefel is an Associate Professor at the College of Charleston, where he is a member of the Department of Art and Architectural History, Historic Preservation & Community Planning Program, and the joint Graduate Program in Historic Preservation with Clemson University. He earned his Ph.D. in Historic Preservation from Tulane University, Master of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan, Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation from Eastern Michigan University, and a B.S. in Environmental Policy (with a minor in Anthropology) from Michigan State University. Stiefel’s research interests are on how local preservation efforts affect regional, national, and multi-national policies within the field of cultural resource management and heritage conservation.

 

Dr. Stiefel has always had a passion for sustainability, and before becoming the coordinator for the Sustainability Scholars Program, Dr. Stiefel was a faculty fellow for the Sustainability Literacy Institute (housed within the larger Center for Sustainable Development) when they first started to create the program in 2017. The program officially launched in 2018, and he recently decided to become the coordinator because this was the position that focused mostly on the students.   Here we share a summary of responses from Dr. Stiefel to interview questions put forth by the Resilient Advocate.

 

What is Sustainability Literacy?

When asked what sustainability literacy is, Dr. Stiefel responded that he believes that there are multiple definitions for the term, but for him, it is about being knowledgeable about “what it means to be sustainable in a world that balances human, ecological, and socio-economic needs.” The sustainability scholars program focuses on sustainability literacy through academic coursework as well as real-world experiences. 

 

What if I don’t know much about sustainability, but I want to learn more?

During my interview with Dr. Stiefel, he emphasized how the Scholars program helps students apply and learn about the three pillars (social, environmental, and economic systems, or the “triple bottom line” of sustainability) in whatever major they have, regardless of their prior knowledge of sustainability. Stiefel says that “No prior experience is needed, just an open mind and in a certain sense, an open heart.” Stiefel stresses that this program’s main goal is to prepare students for life and a future career, and the knowledge and values from this program will position them for a better future.

 

There are a variety of courses that fulfill the academic requirements for this program, with courses in urban and rural planning, sustainable urbanism, and courses that focus on the social aspects of sustainability as well. To learn more about the program and the courses offered, and the requirements, go to the Sustainability Scholars webpage!

For more information, contact Dr. Barry Stiefel at StiefelB@cofc.edu.

About the author:

Isabel Crews is studying International Studies, French, and Communication at the College. Her endeavors with Zero Waste at her high school and her passion for sustainability led her to the Center for Sustainable Development. She volunteered as a Bonner Leader Assistant and later took the Editorial Content Intern role during the Summer of 2020. As the current Editorial Content Intern, she hopes to continue learning about sustainability and coordinating events to educate and engage the greater campus community. She also hopes to inspire others to live sustainably and get involved in the campus and the Charleston community. Outside of her involvement at the Center for Sustainable Development, Isabel spends her time volunteering with Bonner, discussing social justice, writing articles for Her Campus, exploring Charleston with her friends, and biking throughout the city. 

 

2021-02-25 (2)

Transformation Yoga and Healing the Collective 

, ,

Article: Jayla Burton

While there is something especially powerful about uplifting Black voices during Black History Month, it is mutually agreed that we as a collective should be uplifting marginalized communities year round. The lovely humans over at Transformation Yoga excel in making sure everyone, regardless of race, gender, body size, sexual orientation, class, religion, body disabilities or abilities, are seen and validated through the sacred practice of yoga. As stated on their website, “We envision a world where we witness people in the intersection of their identities and stack for equity until all beings are free. We are a brave community centering the essential lives of those forced to the margins, underserved and underrepresented.” 

 

So What Exactly is Transformation Yoga? 

Transformation Yoga is a group of community leaders located on Kusso Land (Charleston, South Carolina) who aim to use Yoga as a form of collective healing. Through this, they hope to cultivate a world where people shamelessly accept and embrace their identities and find inner peace with themselves. 

 

Why Should We Care? 

In a changing world where people are becoming more receptive to Black voices and the Black experience, it is just as important to support Black people along the way. This includes the support of Black businesses. Along with this, Transformation Yoga goes above and beyond to make sure their studio provides clients with a healing experience through including everyone, regardless of who they are and where they come from. 

 

Transformation Yoga not only encourages healing, but they enforce activism along the way. They do not shy away from acknowledging the fact that many yogic practices are westernized and white washed. So in turn, through the use of sacred yogic texts, they are educated on the origins of yoga and ensure their clients are well informed as well. Along with bringing awareness to the struggle of Black and brown communities, they make it known that their business is being run on Kusso land in order to commemorate Native Americans.  

 

What Does This Have to Do With Sustainability?

The three pillars of sustainability are social, economic, and environmental; and one cannot simultaneously exist without the other. The social component of sustainability requires we nurture ourselves, mentally and physically, as well as our community. As we actively try to heal the world around us, we cannot forget to heal our world within. Yoga Guide Lauren Kelly believes herself, “one cannot consider themselves being well unless they consider all of their identity aspects; mind, body and spirit.” When we find inner peace and healing within, this energy flows to those around us and dances through the rest of our community. 

 

Where Can We Find Them? 

You can find out more about Transformation Yoga by visiting their website. Underneath their “Offering” tab is where you can schedule and book an appointment. They are located on 218 King Street in Charleston South Carolina (Kusso land). To find out more information about their studio and their objectives, their number is (843)695-9688. 

 

It is important to remember that we as a nation cannot heal and move forward from the atrocities of America’s past if we are not taking the time to fix our inner wounds. Businesses like Transformation Yoga that strive to encourage collective healing are essential if we ever want to move forward as a society and into a place of peace and interconnectedness.

Cover Photo by @whysure on Instagram 

About the author: Jayla Burton is the CSD’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Intern for Spring 2021.

5806d8f120910.image

Sustainable Valentines

, , , ,

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Author: Isabel Crews

Cheers to all of you for being able to get through a tough time. Take this week and this Valentine’s Day to give yourself some love and to let the people you care about know you are thinking about them. 

 

Are you trying to find ways to celebrate this holiday safely and sustainably? Look no further! Here are 5 ways to stay safe and celebrate sustainably this Valentine’s Day.

 

1

Save the bees! Skip the regular roses that are out of season and usually come in plastic wrap, and opt for a bouquet of beautiful, locally made Palmetto Roses instead. Click here to find a local organization that sells them.

2

Stop by your local bookstore and grab a book from the “Blind Date with a Book” section or randomly choose one online. One bookstore that I’ve visited that does this is Buxton Books on King Street; they also limit the number of customers in-store, require masks, and have you sanitize upon entry. Some other places to buy physical copies are Blue Bicycle Books on King Street or CofC’s Barnes and Noble.

 

3

Use Scener to watch a movie with your partner, friends, or family! You can host a private or public watch party and it will sync the film you are watching on (Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, etc).

4

Virtual Valentine’s! If you are running out of time or trying to skip paper cards, try using Canva or another application to create your own electronic cards. The card above was made with Canva!

 

5

Celebrate both Valentine’s Day and Black History Month by discovering and sharing work done by BIPOC artists such as: Audre Lorde, Le’Rita Clark, Crystal Valentine, and Heather Hill.

About the author:

Isabel Crews is studying International Studies, French, and Communication at the College. Her endeavors with Zero Waste at her high school and her passion for sustainability led her to the Center for Sustainable Development. She volunteered as a Bonner Leader Assistant and later took the Editorial Content Intern role during the Summer of 2020. As the current Editorial Content Intern, she hopes to continue learning about sustainability and coordinating events to educate and engage the greater campus community. She also hopes to inspire others to live sustainably and get involved in the campus and the Charleston community. Outside of her involvement at the Center for Sustainable Development, Isabel spends her time volunteering with Bonner, discussing social justice, writing articles for Her Campus, exploring Charleston with her friends, and biking throughout the city. 

Photo by the Post and Courier

Photo by Branches Flower Bar

Photo by Samson Katt from Pexels

Photo by Viktoria Slowikowska from Pexels

pexels-martin-lopez-954583

New Research on COVID-19 at CofC

 

Author: Isabel Crews

I had the opportunity of interviewing Dr. Leslie Hart, Assistant Professor in the Public Health program, on her research on students’ perceived susceptibility to COVID-19. Dr. Hart graduated from the College of William and Mary, earned a M.S. in Environmental Studies from the College of Charleston,  and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the Medical University of South Carolina. She currently teaches epidemiology, biostatistics and a research course. After working for National Atmospheric Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, for almost 12 years, Dr. Hart decided she wanted to work with students, give back to the College, and become a mentor.

What is this project about and who is involved?

The pandemic has affected our lives greatly, and Dr. Hart’s research helps us understand why students are or are not taking precautions as it relates to their perceived susceptibility of contacting the virus. She launched an anonymous survey in September, 2020 and incentivized student participation where students who fill it out can enroll in a drawing for a 50-dollar check to thank them for taking 20-30 minutes to answer the survey questions. For this project, Dr. Hart is working in conjunction with the College’s Women’s Health Research Team, which is an interdisciplinary team made up of 25 faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students across all departments at the College. Dr. Sundstrom, the director of the Women’s Health Research Team, is partnered with Dr. Hart on this project. They have also worked with undergraduate and graduate students who help with literature review, survey development, data collection, and analysis of the data, where they hope survey responses can help the team better understand how students perceive COVID with the goal of developing interventions that will assist students in making safe choices until the pandemic is under control. 

What factors is this research project focusing on?

In her words, “The objective of our study is to identify sociodemographic, health, environmental, and societal factors that may have influenced COVID-19-infection and perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 infection among our students. In fact, many of these factors incorporate triple bottom line concepts such as access to healthcare, green spaces, healthy food, safe employment opportunities, etc.  Ultimately, we intend to use our findings to help develop communication strategies to reduce and control infection among our student community.” 

Some of the factors that influence students’ perception of their own susceptibility to COVID can come from information they are getting through the media or reading on news outlets, if they live in multi-generational households, or if they live in a household with people with chronic conditions. In addition, places where it is easier to get food and have outdoor farmers markets also makes it easier to not engage in “riskier” situations. 

Dr. Hart has been looking at the student experience and these factors since last spring. They are asking their research team, “Did students get infected, if so/if not are they worried?” There has been lots of media attention on college age individuals because many individuals in their age group were still going on spring break. Dr. Hart and her team are trying to figure out if this is because of a different perception of risk or not. She states that if they can understand the factors that influence their perception of risk, they can target public health factors. 

How does this relate to sustainability?

When asked, “How can it help us understand and solve 21st century problems, especially related to environmental, economic, and social systems?”, Dr. Hart responded by saying that, “The pandemic has put a spotlight on access to care and health disparities. This research helps us understand students’ access to food, healthcare, and the ability to take protective measures. We will use this to understand where those disparities exist and target potential interventions to help reduce and eliminate those disparities.” Dr. Sundstrom also communicates and develops communication campaigns protecting the health of communities and will use this research to better tailor messages to students in order to protect the campus community. 

What now?

Dr. Hart has been able to gather useful and comprehensive information from their research, but COVID-19 presents a challenge for research across the board and it is difficult when researchers cannot talk to people face-to-face and engage with the campus community. Dr. Hart plans to finish up the survey recruitment and start looking at data and getting information out in the spring. 

While their research has not yet been published, keep an eye out for more updates. Please remember that while many of us are back on campus or in the Charleston area, we still need to continue to adhere to CDC guidelines, wear our masks, maintain a minimum of 6-feet social distance, wash our hands, protect one another, and abide by the “Follow the Bricks” best practices articulated by The College. We are not out of the woods yet, and the CSD commends those of you who are working on the front lines and those of you who are taking precautions to keep yourself and others safe and healthy. For more information about this research go to this website, and if you’d like to take the survey click here. 

 

Image Source:

Martin Lopez from Pexels

About the author:

Isabel Crews is studying International Studies, French, and Communication at the College. Her endeavors with Zero Waste at her high school and her passion for sustainability led her to the Center for Sustainable Development. She volunteered as a Bonner Leader Assistant and later took the Editorial Content Intern role during the Summer of 2020. As the current Editorial Content Intern, she hopes to continue learning about sustainability and coordinating events to educate and engage the greater campus community. She also hopes to inspire others to live sustainably and get involved in the campus and the Charleston community. Outside of her involvement at the Center for Sustainable Development, Isabel spends her time volunteering with Bonner, discussing social justice, writing articles for Her Campus, exploring Charleston with her friends, and biking throughout the city.