When I leave the University of Leicester for San Diego State University, I imagine my suitcase clearing its throat at Heathrow: “Please do not fill me with things you will abandon in California.” Fair point. The flight to the USA will be the biggest environmental footprint of my year abroad, and I will not pretend a bamboo toothbrush turns the plane into a leaf. I can choose the most direct route, pack light, avoid internal flights, and make the rest of my year a daily apology in action.
My Colombian background taught me sustainability before I saw the word on a campus poster. In my family, food waste is not “oops”; it is a family emergency. Leftovers become lunch, clothes that no longer fit are donated, and lights are switched off with telenovela-level drama. When I visit Colombia, power or water is not always guaranteed, so saving electricity, using natural light and not leaving taps running are not trendy “eco habits”; they are respect. Living in London, studying in Leicester, and spending time by Bournemouth beach have shown me sustainability in different accents: public transport, student budgeting, second-hand shopping, and protecting the sea.
As a psychology student, I am fascinated by behaviour change. People do not become sustainable because someone shouts “climate crisis” in a scary font. We change when the better choice feels easy, affordable, social and joyful. That is the sustainability I want to practise at SDSU: realistic, sunny, imperfect and contagious.
My UN SDG 12 promise, Responsible Consumption and Production, is to consume less and reuse more. The United States is famous for choice and convenience, but I refuse to turn study abroad into a nine month shopping spree with palm trees. I already love second-hand clothes and am dangerously excited about American thrift stores. I will buy second-hand room items, use Good On You before buying clothes, and donate or resell what I cannot bring home.
My UN SDG 13 promise, Climate Action, is not perfection but reduction. I will use Too Good To Go, batch cook, rescue leftovers, save water and power, use natural light, unplug chargers, walk or use public transport where possible, and use Ecosia for searches. I will also declutter digitally, because my 2019 screenshots do not need a forever home in a data centre.
My UN SDG 14 promise, Life Below Water, is for the ocean. Bournemouth taught me that the sea gives beauty and receives too much rubbish back. In San Diego, especially if I take surfing, I want to protect the water I am lucky enough to enjoy. I plan to join Surfrider San Diego beach clean ups and SDSU Green Love, because I love sea animals too much to let a crisp packet audition as a jellyfish.
If I win, I will create a funny Sustainable Exchange Survival Guide for future students: pack less, thrift more, waste less, protect beaches, support local communities, and enjoy study abroad without treating the planet like excess baggage.
