Earth Club President Lydia Knier has promoted environmental sustainability since day one

As the president of Earth Club, Lydia Knier is gearing up for events that will engage the UNC Charlotte community and spread awareness of environmental initiatives. Since her freshman year, Knier has worked in the Office of Sustainability, first as an EcoRep and now as an analyst. 

Knier, a junior environmental science major and public health minor, wants to pursue a career in environmental health, tackling key issues in water, air and regulation. She talks about her passion for protecting the planet and more. 

How do you define sustainability, and what does it mean to you?

Sustainability is very important to me. My definition is conserving the resources that we have and making efforts to protect our future land and people. Overall it’s about being conscientious about your choices and knowing how they’re impacting the environment in the long and short term. 

I think it’s overall a mindset that can be applied to various areas of all of our lives. I think a little impact goes a long way, so incorporating some sort of sustainability in anything you do can create a better future for everyone.

Talk about your work in the Office of Sustainability.

I started as an EcoRep in the first semester of my freshman year and continued into my sophomore year. Being an EcoRep is focused on peer-to-peer outreach. We would table around campus doing different activities and games. We also assisted in planning events like the Earth Day Festival, Student Sustainability Summit and Campus Beautification Day.

This year, I started working as an analyst supporting different sustainability initiatives on campus. Right now, I’m working with Mike Lizotte, university sustainability officer, on campus emissions and helping put together a campus climate action plan. I also organize and analyze campus emissions and energy consumption data, so we can see where we can improve, save money and be more efficient.

I like working with the Office of Sustainability and have gained different points of view. Being in the office environment is really helpful to picture where I could go in the future, and working on real-world problems is really cool.

Was there a moment in your life that kind of drew you into sustainability or made you think about these topics more critically?

Even when I was young, I enjoyed nature and science, so I knew I wanted to pursue environmental science. I spent a lot of time outside playing sports and going on trips with my family.  My favorite memory is collecting caterpillars, fireflies and butterflies from my backyard with my siblings. 

There was an interior design project in high school where we got to create a model. I chose to do a green model home, which incorporated passive heating functionalities, powered by the sun and enabled by window placement and energy efficient systems. Through research, I became interested in how we utilize natural resources to improve infrastructure and use the least amount of resources possible to protect everything around us. 

Tell me a little bit about your responsibilities as Earth Club president.

The main mission of Earth Club is to increase appreciation and awareness for sustainability and the need to protect the Earth. You don’t need to be an environmental scientist or have any knowledge, but if you love the Earth and want to take care of it, you should learn more about it. We do community service projects like cleanups. We also do craft nights, where we get together, watch an environmental-related documentary and make something. Later this month, we are making bird feeders from recycled bottles.

How can your fellow students get involved with Earth Month?

Step one is to go to the Office of Sustainability event page. It shows events from every organization, including off-campus events that you can get involved in. You can look up “Earth” or “sustainability” on NinerEngage to find events on campus relating to environmental advocacy. Also, if you just happen to stumble upon an event on campus, check it out. 

Which Earth Month event are you most excited for?

I’m most excited for the Party for the Planet (4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 22, at Belk Plaza). I like meeting and engaging with all the like-minded clubs and organizations — like the Pollinator Club and GEO Club. I love seeing students on campus engage with the organizations, participate in activities and have fun!

Why do you feel like it’s important for students to get involved with sustainability?

I think it’s important for us to get involved and learn about environmental stewardship now, so we can incorporate it in our life choices as we make big decisions and go into future careers. Educating yourself on where things are coming from, what is being used and how you can limit the impacts is the key to being sustainable. Understanding your relationship with the environment is a great mindset to have. Then consider the community impacts and how joining forces can make a huge impact on protecting our environment and resources.