Eve Gilles

This month's Sustainability Champion is Eve Gilles, a senior from West Hartford, Connecticut studying psychology with a minor in environmental studies. Read our full interview below to learn about how experiential learning on campus, in the community, and abroad has informed her understanding of sustainability. 

How did your interest in sustainability develop?
The summer after my freshman year, I worked as part of a trail conservation crew in Utah. It was an amazing experience. We built and repaired trails and camped all summer. It was my first experience living outside and it really helped me realize a love of nature. After that, I decided to pursue a minor in Environmental Studies. 
 
What do you like about the environmental studies minor?
I really like that the Environmental Studies Program here is multi-disciplinary. Sometimes it's difficult to approach a topic from all angles, but in the minor I've been able to take hard science classes like evolutionary biology along with classes about environmental law and environmental ethics. Right now I'm in an eco-religion class. It's been great to see things from all perspectives. 
 
How do sustainability and the environment overlap with your psychology major?
There are two fields that relate to the intersection of mental and environmental health. Ecopsychology looks at how time in nature benefits people mentally. Environmental psychology is concerned with how our attitudes, emotions, and beliefs inform our actions towards the environment. So I have learned about nudging people towards environmentally-friendly behaviors, the impact of built infrastructure, and how you can use psychology to help people be more sustainable. For me, it all comes back to environmental justice. If you look at the benefits of nature on mental health, you can see the inequity when people don't have access to it. My dream is to help people have time in nature who currently are not able to. 
 
What was the most influential academic experience you had during your time at University of Richmond?
The most formative experience was my time studying abroad through an SIT Study Abroad program focused on sustainability and environmental action based in Byron Bay, Australia. It was an incredible experience with lots of hands-on learning. I actually did independent research for five weeks and I spent that time studying women's experience in sustainable agriculture. There is still discrimination against women in traditional agriculture even though women grow half of our food globally and the majority of sustainable agriculture is woman-led. I lived on different female-run farms and interviewed 17 female farmers for my project. They all had experienced varying levels of discrimination, but all still said they found sustainable agriculture valuable and empowering. 
 
After spending a semester in Australia, I spent a semester in Dunedin, New Zealand. While I was there, I got to be involved in a lot of environmental action, including marches and school strikes for climate. There was lots of opposition at the time to an oil company that wanted to come there and I learned a lot about activism and building community from what I saw. 
 
How are you involved in sustainability outside of academics?
In terms of personal lifestyle, being vegan is very important to me. Every day that you're vegan, you can reduce your carbon footprint up to 73%, save animals, and conserve water. It's the number one lifestyle change you can make. I started a club recently called "Plate to Planet". The goal is to unify vegan and vegetarian student and to educate anyone who is interested in the benefits that a plant-based diet can have on the environment, animals, and human health. This semester, I have helped Green UR get signatures for their compost petition. The petition got over 700 signatures. Now we're writing a proposal to pilot composting in 30 apartments and one dining location on campus. I have also worked with Shalom Farms since last May, and am currently working as an intern in the Office for Sustainability. 
 
What has your experience been like working with Shalom Farms? 
I have loved working there and have gotten amazing hands-on experience. When you start farming, you realize how much you don't know. I've learned about day-to-day operations there and how they grow so many different fruits and vegetables, but I have also learned about farming as a business. During the summer, we harvested most of the morning. In the afternoon, we worked on a variety of projects like weeding, planting, or maintaining parts of the farm's infrastructure. All the food grown at Shalom goes to their five distribution programs in the city or to Feedmore. On Saturdays I get to lead volunteers, which is super fun. Sometimes kids that would be going to a juvenile detention center get the chance to come volunteer on the farm instead, and they are always great. 
 
What do you do as an intern in the Office for Sustainability?
During the fall semester, I focused on invasive species removal. I was the liaison between students, faculty, and community organizations that wanted to get volunteers to do invasive species removal at Huguenot Flatwater. This semester, I'm working with the campus community garden. I am figuring out a lottery system to select gardeners, rewriting the garden guidelines, and planning a schedule of workshops, classes, and events. 
 
How has your time at University of Richmond and your involvement in sustainability impacted you?
I found a wonderful community here and my time here has allowed me to understand the interconnectedness between the economy, society, and nature. I have grown a lot personally, and I feel empowered knowing that I can communicate with people about environmental issues. At University of Richmond, I also feel very lucky that the administration supports students thriving in other locations. The Richmond Guarantee allowed me to work with Shalom Farms for the summer, and that I was able to get financial support to study abroad. I also want to give credit to amazing mentors, like Rob Andrejewski, who gave me a lot of direction, support, and guidance. 
 
What are your plans after graduation?
I'll be in New Mexico for two years working with Teach for America, likely on a reservation. I'm really excited because this job brings together my interest in indigenous culture, passion for equity, and belief in the importance of environmental education. 
 
What advice would you give to students who want to have an impact, but don't know how?
I would start by thinking about the four avenues for change. First is personal lifestyle changes. I already talked about veganism, but it's important to know that you can make a difference through your lifestyle. Second is communication. Talk with people about issues and connect with them. Third is community building. Join something like a community garden or a student group. Fourth is political action. Vote, lobby, march, get involved, use your voice.

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