Interview in Sustainability

Hey Everybody!

With the end of the semester quickly approaching, it’s kind of easy to start slacking off. Procrastinating may be getting easier and grades may seem less important but hang in there! Spring is here and with it has come an exciting involvement opportunity in sustainability. Mallory Flowers interviewed Ellie, a recent UA graduate involved in a project that is making a part of Panama the ultimate “living community model”.

Ellie graduated in May 2010 with a major in Public Relations and a minor in General Business. She was hardly the GO-Earth! Powershifter that many of you are, frankly “as aware as the average student.” She felt her life needed some excitement- spontaneity away from the South- and got her chance by pure luck at the 2009 Alabama-Virginia Tech game in Atlanta. There, she met Jimmy Stice, founder of Kalu Yala- a conservation movement based on “Naked Development” (find more info at kaluyala.com).

She started talking to Jimmy and, after learning of his meaningful project in Panama, Ellie was ready to get on board. Unfortunately, he was not hiring at the time. She stayed in touch anyway and received her reward when, shortly thereafter, she received an amazing involvement opportunity after another team member dropped out.

While Kalu Yala offers a variety of positions, Ellie started as an intern with the job of creating a “general overview report for Panama”. She then became the Rush Director for the intern program (a position she still holds). The job entails getting people energized for the project by answering questions and getting them on site. Using her Public Relations skills, she attracts the best helpers and ensures they have an incredible learning experience to take away.

Of course, her adventure has not been without shock. Though the city economy is booming with such luxuries as fine restaurants and 5-star hotels, they still lack a mailing/address system and only recently acquired stoplights, breathalyzers, and radar guns!

Ellie does not foresee a return to the States any time soon and hopes to one day see a greater world exposure in her hometown of New Orleans. Maybe you, too, can describe an experience like this one day. It all starts with heightened perception. As Kalu Yala founder Jimmy Stice put it: you are “capable of deciding whether to help or harm [the environment]. This always starts when awareness awakes a person’s inner passion.” You won’t get very far if you aren’t even interested or aware of the issues out there.

So light those fires, people! I’m sure Powershift 2011 won’t be too shabby of a start.