The Office of Sustainability welcomes dozens of new interns each year who play a pivotal role in sustainability reporting and engagement at UConn. As part of our onboarding process, we ask interns to share their environmental story – how their past shaped their current passion for sustainability. Here’s a story by Josh Smith, a Regional Sustainability Intern from the UConn – Waterbury campus.
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I live and grew up in a very small, suburban town called Plainville, Connecticut. On the surface, this town appears to be “plain,” as the name may suggest, but as a resident of this town for the entirety of my 19-year life, I’ve come to see how much beauty lies beneath that simplicity. There is so much more than meets the eye, specifically with an emphasis on nature and being outdoors. That’s where my interest in the environment first began, at such a young age, and continued to thrive with my family’s trips beyond its borders as well.
Historically, the land that became Plainville was once part of neighboring Farmington. When the town separated in 1869, due to the distance from downtown and its railroad installation, it remained relatively untouched by heavy industries, factories, or other corporate amenities that negatively impacted the sustainability of the town’s environment. In the present-day, there is mostly only a quarry, Tilcon, that continuously blasts into mountains, leading to habitat destruction, air and water pollution, and natural resource displacement. But as such a singular issue, the rest of the town promotes outdoor engagement and involvement in nature with the town-wide events held.
My family has always involved me with the attendance or set-up of these events, including the hot air balloon festival, downtown pumpkin festival, or other assorted events that occur in our town parks. Plainville has four main parks: Norton Park (where the hot air balloon fest occurs), Paderewski Park (where most of my time having picnics and boating activities occurs), Sunset Rock State Park (where most of my hiking and duck-feeding occurs,) and Trumbull Park (which directly borders my house, having walks and scooter rides be a frequently occurring activity in my youth). Beyond just the parks, my mom always had me go on walks in my neighborhood, through the forests that wind along the Quinnipiac River, where I appreciated the stillness of nature and express disgust when I came across littered yards and roadways. Along with the Tilcon quarry, this made me recognize the importance of protecting our environment so early on in my life.
When warm enough, beyond just in the summer, we always travelled to East Beach in Charlestown, Rhode Island, for a change of scenery and to fulfill my family’s and my own beach obsession. The White Mountains of New Hampshire were also a family-favorite getaway for me. We hiked, waded in rivers, went sight-seeing to the mountains, and more. Spending time in nature was a peaceful escape from everyday life for me.
From nature walks in my neighborhood to spending time outdoors in my town’s parks, from the intricate shells along the shorelines of Rhode Island to the winding rivers and towering mountains and trees of New Hampshire, spending time in nature creates such an important bond between myself and the Earth us humans reside on. I quickly became interested in all of the natural wonders this Earth has to offer.
I care about sustainability because of the intense and everlasting connection nurtured from my childhood, between myself and the natural environment I grew up in. This connection led me to realize how truly sustainable some hobbies of mine are, where I’ve subconsciously been aware of my environment in my daily life. I used to garden very frequently in my backyard to obtain my groceries-worth of vegetables and certain fruits. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots were frequently growing in the small patch of soil I have next to my patio of my condominium. It reduces waste, conserves energy and water, and lowers my carbon footprint, even as a kid who was just excited about growing his own food! Going to get ice cream or to go to the grocery store, I would always walk to the places by foot, sacrificing a 15-20 minute walk over unnecessarily using a carbon-emitting car for such a short distance. My partner (they/them) is incredibly sustainable, often without even realizing it. I subconsciously started picking up on some of their habits: using an Owala metal water bottle, with a metal straw, going thrifting together more often than shopping at regular retail stores, and reusing materials for small art and home projects together. My partner also drives a hybrid vehicle, so anytime we travel in their car together, we always make sure to balance our fuel and electric usage as much as possible. My mother and I cook with plant-based materials in our home, prioritizing both healthy and environmentally friendly recipes. Plant-based choices reduce our carbon footprint and strengthens our connection to the food we grow and prepare together.
These actions, although small, mount up to be so much more in my life. To me, sustainability isn’t just a movement. I care about the natural environment, around me and beyond, because it’s where I’ve always felt most at peace and most myself. My personal sustainability is built from my inherent gratitude for the places that raised me. Protecting it feels like giving back, while “plain” places, like Plainville, can still hold amazing beauty as well.
Josh Smith
