Growing up, I realized that children are a product of their environment, so let me tell you a little about mine: I grew up in Secaucus, New Jersey, a town called “the jewel of the Meadowlands.” My suburban hometown exists within a large wetland ecosystem, the Meadowlands, through which the Hackensack River flows. But with effluent from pig farms and waste from the New York train station dumping into the area, the Meadowlands became a jewel in need of polishing.
Secaucus is working to restore natural wetlands by designating them as protected areas so that fewer apartment complexes can be built there that will begin to sink in a few years, as has happened in the past. The city became environmentally conscious, and living in that environment, I did the same.
In high school, I worked with the Secaucus Department of the Environment for over three years as part of the Next Generation Community Leaders (NGCL) program, created by the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute. I didn’t know how much this experience would influence my life. During that time, I learned about climate change, the planet’s environmental challenges, and the actions we need to take to reduce our footprint. I helped implement a ban on plastic bags and Styrofoam, designed a food waste composting system at my high school and local gardens, and created public service announcements about green living. I campaigned to promote green living and educated residents on how to compost at home.
I also certified local businesses as “green,” depending on whether they followed practices set forth by the Sustainable Jersey network. These practices included recycling, reducing food waste, not using polystyrene, etc. My contributions to the environmental department helped Secaucus earn recognition as a “green” company. Sustainable jersey as a Silver Certified Community.
That experience showed me how local actions can create change. By educating Secaucus residents, we changed their behaviors, even if only slightly, to be more environmentally conscious. Residents began growing produce in community gardens, composting at home, and reducing their use of plastic bags. I witnessed how humans responsible for damaging the planet have the potential to make changes to repair it and make it better for future generations. From that day forward, I carried that responsibility with me.
I'll be honest: I don't know what the current status is of the projects I worked on in Secaucus. I hope that residents continue to compost at home and that those businesses continue their green practices.
I began my path to learning about sustainability at USC with a major in industrial and systems engineering and a minor in law and public policy. While these are not fields directly related to the climate ecosphere, my advocacy work at Secaucus made me realize that a systemic mindset and policy knowledge would be strong tools with which I could create change in both government and the private sector by advocating for sustainability solutions on a larger scale. With the opportunities afforded to me at USC, I knew I could get involved in environmentalism and sustainability without having to major in environmental science.
“We have done a survey [local] “Young people… found that their top environmental priorities are cleaner air, green spaces and green buildings,” says Alyssa Jaipersaud, a member of the Los Angeles County Youth Climate Commission.
(Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)
If you had asked Alyssa, a freshman, what her most important career goal was, she would have said, “Facilitate systemic change within the bureaucracy through green and climate-preserving policies to make society more conscious of sustainability.” I wrote this on an index card and kept it in my backpack throughout college to constantly remind myself of the goal, because being an environmentalist can be daunting, given the current climate.
Since then, I think I would have made Alyssa, a freshman, proud of me. I was accepted into the USC Student Sustainability Committee and became a mentor to new members. The SSC acts as the student body’s representative within the Presidential Task Force for Sustainability. We work on projects like getting reusable takeout containers into dining halls, ensuring ongoing campus construction adheres to eco-friendly practices, and creating a central physical space where students concerned about sustainability can gather.
As a member of the SSC, I ensured that sustainability became a standard educational practice at USC and changed student behaviors toward respect for their environment. I continued my education at USC by pursuing a master's degree in sustainable engineering and was awarded the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Fellow distinction for my focus on sustainability.
Alyssa Jaipersaud poses for a portrait in the rose garden at Exposition Park.
(Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)
My environmental activities culminated in my joining as the Los Angeles County Youth Climate Commissioner for the first organization of its kind in the world. We surveyed Los Angeles County youth and found that their top environmental priorities are cleaner air, green spaces, and green buildings.
Now, as a member of the legislative committee, I track all federal and state measures related to these priorities and present them to the county Board of Supervisors so they can evaluate whether the legislation should be amended, supported, or rejected. We are actively working to support legislation currently in the U.S. Senate that would require the establishment of opportunities for youth to participate in policy development so they can ensure a healthy environment for their future and those to come.
Since children are a product of their environment, we must help future generations have a good environment to live in. Since the environment is constantly changing due to global warming, future generations will have a chance only if we work to make the world sustainable starting today. Instead of forcing future generations to learn to survive in order to correct the environmental mistakes we are making today, they should be given the chance to live without the repercussions of the past.
I witnessed the negative effects of a battered environment in my hometown and I want to make sure that future generations don't suffer the consequences of what we're doing. With a sustainability mindset, local changes can influence policymakers and create the systemic change needed to rein in the biggest offenders. One of the important steps is behavioral changes, which can start at the local level and be carried out by people who haven't even studied the environmental field, like me.
Alyssa Jaipersaud earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a minor in Law and Public Policy. at USC She is also completing a Master of Science in Sustainable Engineering. Her goal is to work full-time in the sustainability industry, either as a consultant or as a practicing engineer.
