Sustainability Journeys: Meet Alexis Simoneau
The past few weeks, we've reached out to some of our alumni from Sustainable Campus to find out what they have been up to, their favorite parts about working with Sustainable Campus, and how they integrate sustainability into their current work. This week, we'll be hearing from Alexis Simoneau, who works as the Customer Experience Manager for a fundraising technology platform!
Tell us about yourself, your pronouns, what you do for work/are currently studying, and when you became interested in sustainability.
I'm Alexis (she/her/hers), I'm the Customer Experience Manager for a fundraising technology platform. I became interested in sustainability as a freshman in college when I found the Sustainable Campus Eco-Reps program and helped promote sustainability in my dorm room!
What was your role while working with FSU Sustainable Campus?
I was an Eco-Rep and then a Public Relations Coordinator helping to manage our social media channels. I created videos for Chuck it for Charity, Garnet & Gold Goes Green, and RecycleMania (won an award for that one).
What were the most important things you learned at Sustainable Campus?
Oh my goodness, so many things! Elizabeth taught me about learning outcomes and how to create value in job descriptions. This helped me build my own job descriptions when I was able to hire people in the future. I also was able to learn about social media strategies in a hands-on way through the freedom and flexibility I had to try new things and test what I had learned in my classes. I also learned a whole lot about sustainability: regulations with bottled water, so much about recycling, and how to engage college students to help them learn about what sustainability means and could look like in their lives.
How do you get to practice sustainability in your current position?
As a remote employee working for a tech company, there are few things I have agency over in my company. But, I do work with non-profits who support sustainability outcomes and help them raise money to power the good work they do in the world. I work with organizations ranging sustainable agriculture, forest and wildlife preservation, animal shelters, and gardening programs.
Set the record straight: what’s one common myth or misconception about sustainability that you wish people knew more about?
YOU CAN'T RECYCLE PLASTIC BAGS OR OJ/MILK CARTONS IN YOUR RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING BIN (in Leon County. Check your residential recycling requirements before putting things in your recycling bin). Also, come on people. Stop buying bottled water!
Sustainable Campus would like to thank Alexis for sharing her Sustainability Journey with us, and you can follow her on Instagram @simohno. Have an interest or career in sustainability? We'd love to hear from you! Email our Communications Coordinator Abby Wright (ajwright@fsu.edu) with the subject line: Sustainability Journeys.