VIU Student Making a Difference with United Nations Environment Program

Vancouver Island University (VIU) student, Christine Loscerbo has been chosen as one of 20 North American student volunteers for the United Nation’s "Kick the Carbon Habit" Education Campaign Youth Network. The campaign aims to make a dent in climate change by educating people on how to lower their carbon consumption.

A student in VIU’s Green Building & Renewable Energy Technician program, Loscerbo will be a resource for community groups and elementary schools, high schools and post-secondary institutions in BC, Alberta, the North West Territories and the Yukon, supporting individuals and groups with their efforts to make changes and educate their communities.

"We provide education and facilitating tools: tips on how to write a media release, simple ways to start an activist group or alternative everyday life choices," said Loscerbo. "We want to help people get more groups going in the community, starting those small changes that we can all make to lessen our impact."

In November, Loscerbo is attending a conference in Chicago to prepare for the official launch. There she will receive start up kits to send out to communities across her area.

With climate change a growing global concern, Loscerbo thinks the network can be an important resource for people. "It can be hard to keep up with the current info. So many people are unaware of the issues because it doesn’t affect them in their day to day life yet," she said.

She also sees the potential to strengthen local communities. "With globalization there is less community building going on. This is an excellent way to come together, and that’s definitely hopeful."

Steven Earle, Chair of VIU’s Geology Department, invited Loscerbo to apply for the network. "I’m delighted. I think it’s a real honour for VIU. Christine is one of four Canadian students chosen," he said. "It’s an important initiative to get the message out to high school students that we all need to work on climate change."

In the selection process, nominees were asked to answer a series of essay questions related to leadership, community involvement and grassroots activities.

"I thought she’d be a good candidate because she’s concerned about the environment and involved in a number of activities on campus," said Earle. "She’s encouraging other people to become aware of sustainability issues."

"It was a great application process," said Loscerbo. "It was a beautiful way of reflecting on what we’re doing already as a community and how many ways people have become active."

Loscerbo is involved with several community and student projects, including the Mud Girls natural building collective and Solutions: A Sustainability Network, a campus club involved in everything from activism workshops to a campaign to move the campus to 100 percent post-consumer paper to supporting a sibling club in Ghana focused on waste management.

Loscerbo said VIU’s Green Building & Renewable Energy Technician program is a perfect fit for her interests in natural building, renewable energy and geography. Encompassing energy conservation issues and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the program is another tool in the fight against climate change.

"I had studied geography and visual arts," said Loscerbo. "But the new program was more fitting to exactly what I was looking for. It links everything together and the people it has attracted are phenomenal."

With so much of her time spent working on sustainability issues, there is no doubt that this young woman is dedicated to making a difference. "I feel so passionate about the UN campaign. It’s a worthwhile endeavour," said Loscerbo, who is open to input and ideas to continue educating and inspiring others. "Climate change is not a lost cause, especially if we all have a hand in it."

For more information on how you can lower your carbon consumption check out the United Nations Environment Programme website at www.rona.unep.org or contact Solutions: A Sustainability Network at viusolutionsnetwork@gmail.com. For more information about VIU’s Green Building & Renewable Energy Technician program visit viu.ca/calendar/outlines.asp or contact advising at 250-740-6410.