Dear New York,
You are loud.
Very loud.
From the taxis that sing their own songs,
to the sirens that never miss a beat,
to the millions of footsteps
competing for space on your streets.
But strangely,
The thing I remember most
is the sound of my own.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Across the Brooklyn Bridge.
While the subway disappeared underground,
I decided to take the scenic route instead.
A little extra time.
A little extra breeze.
A little less fuel is used.
And honestly,
A much better view.
Nine months studying at Pace University
taught me that sustainability does not always arrive
wearing a green cape
or holding a recycling sign.
Sometimes it looks like me,
half awake in the morning,
walking across a bridge,
Trying not to be late for class.
It looked like remembering
To recycle my plastic water bottles.
It looked like turning off the lights
When I left a room.
It looked like closing the tap
because water is valuable,
even when it seems endless.
It looked like carrying my shopping bag again and again,
because sometimes the most sustainable thing
is simply using what you already have.
Living in Manhattan was a lesson in contrast.
A city filled with innovation,
but also overflowing bins.
A place where restaurants could create incredible meals,
yet so much food was still wasted.
A city that moves quickly,
but made me slow down enough
to notice what was around me.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
stopped being something I only read about.
Goal 11 became the streets I walked:
creating cities where people and the planet can thrive.
Goal 12 became my everyday choices:
using resources responsibly.
Goal 13 became a reminder:
climate action begins with action.
Not perfection.
Just participation.
I returned from New York with more than memories of skyscrapers,
landmarks,
and endless yellow taxis.
I returned with a different perspective.
That sustainability is not about doing everything perfectly.
It is about noticing.
Questioning.
Choosing differently when you can.
Because maybe the future is not built by one person making a huge change.
Maybe it is built by millions of people making small ones.
And maybe,
sometimes,
It starts with a girl from the UK,
a Ted Baker Bag on her shoulder,
and a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Thank You, New York.
You made me walk.
SOURCES:
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal11
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12
SDG 13: Climate Action
https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal13
New York City sustainability plan (OneNYC)
https://climate.cityofnewyork.us/
NYC Department of Sanitation (recycling and waste reduction)
https://www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/recycling-and-garbage/recycling.page
