Archives: People

My name is Hansel Alexander Carter IV. I was born in Queens¨New York and lived there for a greater part of my childhood with two sisters and my mother. Afterwards ,I have moved to places like Virginia, Florida, New Delhi, India, and Cairo, Egypt.  I am currently attending Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. (A very big change in weather.) I am a student leader on campus as an Resident Assistant, Eco Rep and lead two clubs the International Community Club and CHAMP. I enjoy cross country track and field wrestling and strive to be a global citizen and hope to bring my experiences to this gathering.

Passionate. Motivated. Justice. Educated. Powerful.

The most memorable aspect of PGC 2018 was definitely the Water Insecurity presentation I showed to my colleges Eco-Rep team! This was for the Justice Challenge. I went all-in for this project in researching new data and statistics about water scarcity and insecurity not just in the United States but globally as well. I wanted to break out of the local aspect and really ingrain in my team members how common and dire this issue was in other parts of the world. This was mostly memorable due to the responses I got back from my team and how they examined these issues from their own backgrounds. I was very excited and satisfied to hear how they engaged with the information that was presented to them. I found this challenge to be the perfect opportunity to share what I have experienced in these countries myself and share a part of who I am and why I am so passionate about these subjects.

When I started this challenge, I can definitely say I would not have called myself an activist or involved in any social justice work. I was and still am passionate about certain topics but it was not to the point that I would go out of my way to do something about those issues. After taking this challenge, I learned just how much I can do to change the issues I encounter in my community. Problems that may seem impossible to solve such as getting a business to stop using plastic straws can be as simple as having a conversation with them about their effect on the environment, cost, and logical issues that may arise with change. I’ve also began to be more connected with social issues not just in my community but around the world. I find myself more and more bringing topics into daily conversation whether its something as small as telling a friend a styrofoam cup is horrible for the environment or bringing up examples of water scarcity and poverty in India in my Global Condition class when relative to the conversation. I learned I can be more involved and active in my community and that the small steps I take towards achieving goals like these go a long way!

After gaining all of this information, I will use my skills as a presenter, marketer, and speaker to share what I’ve learned from this challenge. I will introduce topics and themes in ways that engage the audience whether through presentations, lectures, or activities! If there’s anything this challenge has taught me, it is how to be creative with presentation. This is crucial in today’s constantly moving world. Engagement and involvement proves effectiveness and creativity keeps people actively listening throughout. Once you have garnered attention, change is one step closer.

I am a passionate young environmentalist, originally from Toronto, Canada, and now living in the heart of Montreal to attend McGill University, where I study Arts and Sciences for Sustainability, Science, and Society. Environment-wise, I’m super passionate about pollinators, “trashion,” zerowaste, and respect for nature. Otherwise, I love painting with watercolours, writing, learning languages, watching documentaries, travelling, and meeting new people.

Stimulating. Challenging. Educational. Empowering. Creative.

Oh boy… there were so many unforgettable PGC moments for me. From loudly blurting out “STOP SUCKING!” at my friends when they accidentally took straws, out of habit, in the days following the Strawless Water Challenge, to cooking a meal of dumpster-dived food with people in my residence, there are a lot of memories to think about when I recall the PGC. Ultimately, the most memorable aspect of the PGC for me was engaging people and getting them involved in some of my crazy (at times!) schemes. I couldn’t have completed this challenge without the members of the Environmental Residence Council, my residence-mates, and my close friends and family. The PGC’s element of social communication, leadership, and engagement in each challenge was definitely one of my favourite parts of the PGC’s set-up. It forced me to expand my sphere of influence and of activism outreach, and was a great way to force myself to ‘be out there,’ like a push in the right direction.

I have absorbed so much information and wisdom in such a short amount of time, and have become well-versed in issues that I’d never really researched before.

Before PGC, I felt like a passionate environmentalist. Now, I’m informed and equipped with hundreds of resources to pass on to others and spread helpful messages, information, and tips and encourage environmental efforts.

From PGC, I learned that it’s my vocation to study environmental sustainability. Do you know that feeling of relief when you find that everything has finally “clicked” into place? Delving deeper and deeper into the infinite well of environmental activism this month has shown me that this is my life’s calling — to be a steward of the planet in whatever and all ways I can.

Over the course of this month, I’ve been tasked with becoming knowledgeable about environmental issues and coming up with solutions and step-by-step approaches in mitigating and resolving these issues. The challenge trained me to tackle future initiatives I hope to lead.

The purpose of this challenge can be summed up into this simple word progression: EDUCATION. INSPIRATION. ACTION. IMPACT. REPEAT. When one person is EDUCATED about an important environmental issue at hand, either in their own local region or in another global part of the world, and they feel intensely angered or saddened by the problem, they’re INSPIRED to act upon it. There were many challenges this month that made me learn more about issues I’d always glossed over in my own daily life, and by learning more about the detrimental realities of many of these things, I realised how bad it all is and how it must be changed. So follows the ACTION. If the change is going to happen, an action plan and project layout, needs to be set up with a specific set of goals in mind and so that it can happen dynamically to engage people. By engaging people with a successful campaign and project, there is an IMPACT. The environment benefits from the positive impact of your campaign, and there’s also a social impact as a result of leadership from within. If more and more people become involved and inspired, the process will continue and REPEAT itself as the cycle starts all over again. This is the kind of Ripple effect I will want to always strive for!

When I picture myself as a future changemaker, I see myself… being myself. I think that the only way to effectively spread inspiration to others is to naturally show your own inspiration and passion for the cause in question. I want to use my strengths to my advantage to effect changes and to benefit people and the planet.

I believe that greatest threat to our Environment is to believe someone else will save it. I will give all it takes to save our mother nature.

Sustainable. Ingenious. Ambitious. Resourceful. Eco-Friendly.

The most memorable aspect of PGC was when I learnt about fair trade and that has become the favourite part of my PGC journey. The magazine that I was given to go through had so many stories in it, so many lives were associated with them and so many people had their part to play. I never thought of the hands which made my product but now I’m concerned about them more than my own self. These little things influenced me and that’s how I beheaded things the way I wanted. The submission for the story task holds an important place in my heart for I got to know about the injustice and humanity around the world. I am grateful for the fact that I was a part of such a great initiative and contributed a part of my bit. I’ll surely take things forward and will try to implement them as well.

Yes, I have definitely seen a change in myself. I am more conscious now, I am more aware now. On October 1, I was not even sure whether I will be able to complete this challenge, but yes, I did it. We completed each and every task of PGC 2018 and we are really proud of it.

Success is a journey and not a destination; and being a part of PGC has made me realize that I have achieved one. We had our obstacles and hurdles to overcome; and we did do that, each with a lesson learnt, each with another new reason to keep the fire of zeal and exuberance ignited.

I believe I have started my journey as a change maker, starting from the constructive transformations which I have brought about in the past 30 days. They may be indigenous and small, but they were the stepping stones to creating a worldwide impact and we are proud to affirm that we have accomplished the former milestone.

If I were to be established as a change maker, the changes I would like to bring would be as follows:
1. Create awareness: Often, we are superficially aware of the issue but face trouble while finding solutions for it because the root cause is anonymous to us. For instance, pre PGC, I knew environmental degradation prevails but post PGC I am well aware of the causes, effects and  measures to be taken to eradicate the same.
2. Promoting ACT, REACT, IMPACT: Our negligent and laid back attitude as citizens has landed us into this abysmal state (delete: at the first step), so, encouraging action is of the utmost significance. Think globally, act locally. Then, raising our voice, demanding justice is mandatory. Voice your opinions, act on your words because you are your own warrior as well as savior, so fight against what’s wrong and support what’s right.

Then, along with your one little action, you impact the lives of many around you, and I have seen that myself in my journey of PGC.

I’m a junior at Jericho High School in Long Island, New York. I’ve lived in Long Island my whole life, and I think that because of this, I love environmentalism. My neighborhood may look like as normal suburb, but it’s also so much more than that. We are surrounded by beautiful beaches, the Long Island Sound, and also the most beautiful forests and parks. I grew up going on nature walks with my family, who have always been environmental. When I was in 4th grade, my dad made a compost bin and I later carried this on by starting vermicomposting and spreading the idea to my friends and community. As of now, I think of myself as an innovator and an environmentalist. I want to change the world to be sustainable in smarter ways. My STEM background has taught me to be practical and efficient, while my environmental background has kept me grounded and reminded me of my values of a cleaner, unified Earth.

Enlightening. Inspiring. Creative. Transformative. Adventurous.

The most memorable aspect of PGC 2018 was working with and learning from people we never expected to work with before! Us sophomores never expected to work with Jennifer, a junior, who taught us so much when it comes to presentations, designs, and the process of PGC. (We seriously couldn’t’ve done it without her!) It was interesting meeting new people from our respective friend groups, grades and even schools as well, as each of us brought in different friends throughout the challenges.

We will all increase awareness of environmental harms and lead efforts to work against them. As the secretary of the Environmental Club, Jennifer is able to personally organize projects, such as beach cleanups, that will be able to help the environment. She’s also researching green technology as a part of our school’s science research program. Alice has been a part of several environmental projects, especially one working to promote plastic roadways as an additive to the asphalt bitumen roads used today. These roads reuse waste-plastic to mix with asphalt and bitumen, increasing road lifespan and reducing up to 10% of the amount of bitumen, which is made from oil, needed! (The roads themselves are recyclable as well!) Joanne is part of a school online newspaper and has already published articles raising awareness of various environmental issues. She wants to increase the focus on the topic of environmentalism in her school newspaper and community overall by becoming an editor the following year. Richard wants to focus on increasing awareness through creating videos and animations that he can then publish online. He’s working on filming, animating, and editing videos, in addition to writing accompanying music. We will not only work on our own, but as a team again. Working as a team for PGC 2018 has been a great experience, and it will be great to work as a team once more, but with the help of many others as well, of course.