Dear Future Mikayla,
I hope the postcards you’ve collected are a little worn around the edges by now. I hope they still smell faintly of bookstores, rainy afternoons, and the places you wandered instead of rushing through.
Back in California, sustainability has been the basis of your life. After spending weekends planting native trees, organizing neighborhood cleanups, leading environmental campaigns, and bringing students together, we both know that caring about the environment means caring about people too. Don’t forget that while you’re abroad.
Take the train when you can. Walk through the city instead of calling an uber. Shop secondhand before buying something new. Support local businesses and secondhand shops. Finish the food on your plate. These may seem like small decisions, but they’re daily reminders that your choices matter.
As you explore Bristol, pay attention to the policies that shape sustainable transportation, renewable energy, and waste management. Ask questions. Compare what works in the United Kingdom with what you’ve seen at home in California. Bring those ideas back with you.
At the same time, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.
As an Environmental Studies and Political Science student, I’ve spent years learning that climate change isn’t something individuals can solve alone. Real progress depends on stronger environmental policies, cleaner transportation, corporate accountability, and international cooperation. The UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), remind me that sustainability works best when personal choices and systemic change move together.
Remember that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aren’t just a list of 17 goals on a website. They are connected. Climate action depends on responsible consumption. Sustainable cities depend on clean transportation. Economic growth should create opportunity without sacrificing the planet. The best solutions don’t force us to choose between people and the environment. They improve both.
And don’t forget to talk to people.
Some of the most meaningful environmental conversations happen over coffee, during train rides, or while exploring a new city with someone you’ve just met. Those conversations spread ideas further than any textbook ever could.
When you return home, I hope your suitcase isn’t much heavier than when you left. But I hope your perspective has grown. Because the best thing you’ll bring back from studying abroad won’t be another sweatshirt or keychain. It will be proof that exploring the world and protecting it can happen at the same time.
When your friends ask about studying abroad, I hope you tell them that sustainability made the experience richer, not more restrictive. Recommend thrift stores instead of fast fashion chains. Share apps like Citymapper for public transit, HappyCow for finding plant based meals, and Too Good To Go for reducing food waste. Encourage them to slow down, support local businesses, and leave every destination a little better than they found it.
Most of all, I hope Bristol reminded you that the world is worth exploring because it is worth protecting.
