Entering his fourth and final year, Bennett Schmitt is a senior and Student Government’s newest Sustainability Director for the 2024-25 academic year. Prior to assuming the role, he was an Initiative Lead in the 2023-24 academic year, and comes with existing experience in student leadership and sustainability passions, being a Sustainability Fellow while abroad in Dublin. Studying Environmental Science and Applied & Computational Mathematics & Statistics (ACMS), Bennett combines his interests in the natural world with a knack for data skills to make informed sustainability decisions. But Bennett has had a long-standing interest in sustainability since before attending Notre Dame. “Having grown up on my family’s grain farm, much of my early life was spent outdoors, which helped me to develop a strong understanding of the innate interdependence between people and the planet,” Bennett explains. “I quickly learned that even the smallest actions can have a direct impact on the world around us–for better or worse. Seeing how deeply my family’s way of life relied on the natural environment sparked my interest in sustainability and still motivates my passion for environmental stewardship that drives me today.”
In step with the University’s strategic efforts to reduce waste, this year’s initiatives for the Department of Sustainability are centered around the theme of Cultivating Conscious Consumption among the student body. “From energy to water to food and more, thinking deeply about how we interact with the Earth’s natural resources can help us consider how we can not only foster a sustainable synergy between people and the planet but also recognize the responsibility we have to each other in working toward an equitable and sustainable future,” says Bennett. He and his department members hope to engage students with sustainability more directly by encouraging them to consider daily actions that can positively affect the future we all share. “Whether it be washing our clothes with cold water, minimizing food waste in the dining halls, or anything in between, the Department of Sustainability hopes to give students a sense of agency and show that the cumulative impact of even seemingly small actions can be profound.”
In the coming year, Bennett and his fellow student leaders will be striving to strengthen the increasing network of sustainability-minded individuals and groups on campus. “From students to faculty to staff, there are so many passionate individuals on campus that bring a unique perspective to the table and are already doing exciting and impactful work in sustainability in the Notre Dame community and beyond,” Bennett says. He reports looking forward to fostering conversation and collaboration for collective action that can drive sustainability forward in innovative ways on campus.
It’s an exciting time in the sustainability world. Though global leaders face mounting pressures of climate change’s continued challenges now more than ever, there’s opportunity for individuals of any skill or passion to get involved and participate in a solution. “I encourage people to view the challenges in sustainability we face today not as a reason to be discouraged but rather as an opportunity to take collective action to realize a better future. It is very easy to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of today’s climate and environmental issues and feel that any action we take is insignificant,” Bennett asserts. “I encourage people to always remember that any action is better than inaction. The path toward a sustainable future will be a patchwork of many different solutions and approaches, so the more unique perspectives helping to tackle these challenges the better.”
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Originally published by at green.nd.edu on July 31, 2024.