Tasia Meyer
Tasia Meyer is a third-year Environmental Engineering major at San Diego State University. In addition to studying the environment in her major, Tasia has held the position of zero waste intern for the Office of Energy & Sustainability for the past year. Her role includes inputting waste data into a system called SkySpark and working on projects that help SDSU become less wasteful and more sustainable. Keep reading to learn about Tasia's sustainability journey!
How did your interest in sustainability begin?
I have always been interested in sustainability, but I didn’t know a lot about it until I came to college. In college, I took an environmental engineering class, and it was so interesting to me! It was the first class that truly sparked my interest and that class made me realize how sustainability is such an important topic.
What have you done in your life to be more sustainable?
For one, I’ve stopped eating meat. Also, I have started to use more reusable items instead of disposables. Reusable grocery bags are great and reduce a lot of waste when used consistently. When I take my lunch to school, I use a reusable container instead of a Ziploc bag. Another way I try to be more sustainable is by walking places instead of driving.
As an environmental engineering major with a passion for sustainability, how do you think the two fields intersect?
The two fields really go hand in hand. Environmental engineering involves finding ways to be more sustainable and implementing sustainable solutions so that we can go about our daily lives. Environmental engineering is different than other engineering fields because it focuses on being more conscious of the environment. It’s very similar to civil engineering but with an emphasis on the environment.
What would you say is the most impactful thing that college students can do or understand about sustainability?
I would say that it is most important for college students to educate themselves on sustainability. A lot of people don’t know anything about sustainability. In fact, I barely knew anything before I actively educated myself, so taking GEs and other classes where you can learn about sustainability is really important. Also, use your voice! A lot of sustainability initiatives at SDSU have happened because students have used their voices and spoken up at events like the climate strike.
What has been your favorite part of being the zero waste intern for the Office of Energy & Sustainability and what do you hope to do going forward?
My favorite part has been meeting people with a similar passion to me. I’ve learned a lot from the people I work with and the people I’ve met. This internship has also made me more passionate because seeing other people who are passionate about helping the environment makes me motivated to create change. Moving forward, I want to make sustainability more prevalent around SDSU, make people think about it more, get more students involved, and get our name out there.