I think like a chemist, even when I’m not in the lab. What are the reagents required? What’s the most efficient route to my product? What is the most economical protocol? These are questions I ask in the lab, but my mindset has shifted to using a chemistry lens for everything, including travel. What do I need to bring? How do I plan a trip to see everything? What options are most cost-effective, for my wallet and the planet? The yield I’m optimizing: a meaningful study abroad with the smallest carbon footprint possible.
At Case Western Reserve University, I’ve grown more involved with sustainability. Our Office of Energy & Sustainability works to include composting in dining halls, install solar panels, and emphasize reusable water bottles. CWRU is committed to carbon neutrality by 2050 (https://case.edu/climateactionplan/), and CWRU’s Fowler Center aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, holding workshops to educate people about them (https://case.edu/weatherhead/fowler/areas-expertise/un-global-goals). This environment has rewired how I think about my own footprint.
Airplanes contribute 2.5% of global CO2 emissions – not sustainable, but flying from the US to Scotland is the only choice (https://ourworldindata.org/global-aviation-emissions). To offset my footprint, I walk more than I drive, use a reusable water bottle, and am vegetarian, which lower carbon emissions and helps animals (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6855976/). These small choices add up little by little.
Once I’m at the University of Edinburgh, I’ll do even more. Scotland generates over 90% of its electricity from renewables (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-56530424), and I want to match that ambition. Edinburgh is a walkable city, so I’ll live close to campus to walk more and take Lothian Buses or ScotRail over Uber or driving. I hope to take an Advanced Sustainable Chemistry course to learn more about solar panels, carbon emission reduction, and more while I am studying abroad. Scotland has a net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2045 (https://www.gov.scot/policies/climate-change/), and I want to contribute by supporting local businesses, walking, and keeping my vegetarian diet. I’ll continue these measures when I return to the US.
The UN SDGs have broadened my perspective. I want to learn how food chemistry can maximize nutrients in sustainably grown produce (SDG 2), design water purification systems connected to Scotland’s Hydro Nation initiative (SDG 6, https://www.gov.scot/policies/water/hydro-nation/), and study renewable energy and cost-effective solar panels (SDG 7). Ultimately, I want to reverse climate change by combining my chemistry knowledge with educating people about small changes, like turning off the lights or reducing food waste, that create real impact like the Edinburgh Climate Compact (SDG 13, https://edinburghcentre.org/projects/edinburgh-climate-compact). While abroad, I hope to make progress on each of these goals and bring those lessons home.
We only have one planet. I want to keep it habitable, and I’ll start by treating every trip, every choice, every day like a synthesis I’m optimizing.
