Nancy Propst

This month's Sustainability Champion is Nancy Propst, administrative coordinator for Geography, Environmental Studies, Global Studies, and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. Read our full interview to learn about her essential work for all those programs, and her leadership of new plastic bag recycling efforts on campus.

What work do you do with different departments and programs?
I'm the administrative coordinator for the Department of Geography and the Environment, the Environmental Studies Program, the Global Studies Program, and the Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program. I do a lot of different things like scheduling meetings, coordinating travel, and helping with social media. I'm also involved in event planning for things like the Global Environment Speaker Series. I take care of event logistics like designing posters, reserving event spaces, and paying guest speakers. 
 
Each semester, I also assist with planning when different classes will take place and I track which classes have been taught recently to ensure we're offering the categories of courses students need to meet graduation requirements. On top of that, I track alumni and work closely with students to help with travel plans and travel grant applications, answer questions about their academic schedules, and provide advice about job opportunities and career plans after graduation. 
 
What drew you to this job and what do you like most about it?
Up until 2008, I taught elementary school. After that, I floated on campus for a year working in different offices. When I originally interviewed for this job, it actually included the American Studies Program too. This job appealed to me because it gave me the opportunity to be involved in the academic side of things interacting with students, just not in a classroom setting. I love working with students and it's great to see how much they grow during their four years here. I keep a candy jar by my office door so students can stop by any time to ask questions or get a little bit of candy on their way to class. I also really enjoy working with so many different areas and so many different people on campus. It allows me to make connections for students and faculty across departments. 
 
What aspect of sustainability interests you the most?
To me, sustainability is being aware of the resources you use and being mindful of the decisions you make related to that. I want to cut down on what I use, but also find ways around using some items at all. At home, I do things like using filtered tap water instead of bottled water and taking reusable bags for shopping. When we do events for work, we've gotten a big container for water so we don't have to use bottled water. At small events, we use real plates instead of disposable, and we compost at the year-end picnic. 
 
How has your job changed your understanding of sustainability?
My interest in sustainability has developed since coming to work at University of Richmond. I knew climate change was an issue, but working with faculty here and attending events and lectures has shown me how much of an impact we're having on the planet. Some people feel like an individual's actions aren't significant, but I think they make important progress. It's like a drop causing a ripple, making a bigger difference. 
 
Can you describe the new plastic bag recycling program?
I read somewhere that Radford had done a competition collecting plastic bags and gotten a bench made of recycled plastic through a company called Trex. After they got one bench, they decided to keep doing it so they could get benches all over campus. There is so much plastic packaging that I can't avoid, and when I looked into Trex, I saw that they could recycle those materials. I also know that the Gambles Mill Eco-Corridor is opening in the spring, so I thought this would be a cool way for people around campus to contribute to a bench for the area.

I've worked with people in Custodial and Environmental Services and Dining Services to explore the possibility of plastic recycling, and everyone has been phenomenal. Now we have bins in ETC, in the lobby of the dining hall, in the Information Services office, in the post office, and in Tyler Haynes Commons to collect plastic bags and packaging that we use on campus and that people bring from home. Once we hit 500 pounds, we can get a free bench from Trex. Since November, we have already collected more than 100 pounds. 
 
What advice do you have for staff interested in getting more involved in sustainability on campus?
If they have an idea, they should bring it up and take ownership of it. They'll likely find others who are interested in it and how to make it work. Just having conversations about a sustainability idea you have can lead to action. For me, I didn't know how the plastic bag recycling idea would go, but it's been amazing to see how happy everyone has been to be on board. This project is like that drop of water I talked about, I came up with an idea and it rippled across campus. Now we can do something about plastic bags and plastic packaging, these materials that we often complain about not being able to do anything with. 

Thank you, Nancy, for all you do to support sustainability on campus! Do you know someone who should be featured as a Sustainability Champion? Let us know at sustainability@richmond.edu.