An Interview with Robyn DiFalco, AS Sustainability Coordinator and the 2009 Recipient of the This Way to Sustainability Conference's Greenie Award

1.    What is the Greenie Award?

This is the 3rd year that the Greenie Awards have been given out.  They were started by Scott McNall and the Institute for Sustainable Development at Chico State in conjunction with the annual This Way to Sustainability Conference.  There are 3 categories:  Individual, Business, and Organization.  The award is intended to recognize the person (or business/organization) who has done the most to advance sustainability in our community.  In the past two years, the individual winners have been Ken Grossman and Jim Pushnik.  The award itself is always a hand-made glass plate which is designed and crafted by the art students at Chico State in the glass lab.  It is always a beautiful work of art.

2.    Who awards the Greenie?  Who votes for the recipient?

The TWTS Conference planning committee coordinates the call for nominations, compiles the list of nominees, and then votes internally.  Since I am on the conference planning committee, this all happened "behind my back" once I had been nominated.  I was included in the email soliciting nominations but thereafter I never heard more about it.  Next thing I knew I heard that I was one of the top 3 nominees.  The top 3 nominees are always  made public prior to the conference and are recognized during the conference prior to the winners being announced.  Traditionally the award has been presented/announced at the conference banquet.  This year the banquet was replaced with a Welcome Reception so that's when the award was presented.  Scott McNall was the emcee and Sandra Flake assisted him with opening the envelope and announcing the winners.

3.    Briefly, what sparked your passion for environmental concerns and sustainability?

When I was a student at Chico State, I was seeking an opportunity to make a difference in the world.  I was also trying to find a cohort of likeminded students.  I stumbled on the Environmental Affairs Council (EAC) and through that organization, developed my passion, knowledge and skills as an environmental activist.  I was also raised in a very eco-conscious home and was taught conservation at a very young age.
 

4.    Is your degree in environmental studies?  In other words, what would a student do to follow your path?  Is it education?  Involvement?  

My degree was in Geography and African Studies.  Environmental Studies was not an option when I graduated from Chico State in 1999.  But Geography is the study of humans and their interactions with the planet and is therefore an ideal major for someone seeking a career in sustainability.  There are many paths that could lead a student towards this career or something similar.  The educational background could be anything from Engineering to Communication, Philosophy to Biology.  I often counsel students that the most important thing they should do with their time in college is to do an internship or job opportunity that relates to the type of work they hope to do after college.  The hands-on experience gained from an internship during college may be the only meaningful thing on your resume and, most importantly, that experience will likely be the best preparation for the actual work you'll do down the road.  Academic program is important; involvement is essential.

5.    What does this award mean to you personally and professionally?

I joked that for me to be honored with this award is a little like being recognized for just showing up to work, since "advancing sustainability" is literally in my job description.  But a friend reminded me that if I was "just showing up to work" every day, I most certainly would not have received this award.  Primarily, winning this award tells me that my efforts are recognized and esteemed by my colleagues.  I really feel very privileged to have the opportunity to do this work that I love, to work with so many enthusiastic young adults who are optimistically working to change the world for the better, and to have the support of my peers and superiors at this university and within the AS.  And what's more, I now have a beautiful work of art to display in my living room!