Please share a bit about yourself, what you do for work or study, and when you became interested in sustainability.

My name is Alex Basili (she/her/hers) and I am a MA student in Italian Studies and teach beginner Italian courses at FSU. I first became interested in sustainability in high school when I had the opportunity to attend a talk by the ecologist and author Carl Safina, where he highlighted the negative impact of plastic pollution on wildlife in the Pacific Ocean. I was shocked by the images of albatross stomachs filled with plastic lighters and bottle caps, and my interest in how waste and pollution affect wildlife have continued to the present.

How has your interest in sustainability shaped your career/studies? (or vice versa! Did your career/program of study make you more interested in sustainability?)

I am lucky to be a student in the department of Modern Languages and Linguistics where the professors of the Italian program are very supportive of individual research interests and sustainability overall, which has allowed me to combine my interests in sustainability and Italian language and culture and complete an undergraduate Honors Thesis comparing the waste management policy and practices between Italy and Florida. I thought I would have to choose one passion over the other, but my interest in sustainability has opened doors to opportunities in ecocriticism, and I plan to pursue a doctorate in Italian with an environmental twist.

Are there any particular areas of sustainability that you are most interested in? Tell us more about those!

I am particularly interested in the areas of diet and waste management. At surface value waste management doesn’t seem to be a very sexy topic, and most of it happens out of sight of consumers, but how governmental policies influence our waste disposal is crucial to our collective sustainability journeys. You can have a large impact making choices as an individual, but to bring about even greater change we need to think about making changes to our environmental policies and practices on local, state and federal levels.

What’s one sustainable behavior that you would recommend people to try?
I believe everyone interested in living more sustainably should try limiting their consumption of animal products, such as simply participating in Meatless Mondays or even going vegan. It’s the simplest way to have the biggest impact on your carbon footprint, and it’s very rewarding.

Any tips or tricks for people who are just beginning their sustainability journeys?

Your journey doesn’t have to be all or nothing – don’t beat yourself up if you forget your reusable bags or use a plastic straw. Each time you actively choose a more sustainable choice you are making an impact at some level.

Sustainable Campus would like to thank Alex for sharing her Sustainability Journey with us. Have an interest or career in sustainability? We'd love to hear from you! Email our Communications Coordinator, Michelle Presley at mpresley2@fsu.edu with the subject line: Sustainability Journeys.