Kelly Lorenz ’23, Carlton, Minn.
Majors: Biology, Communication Studies

Please tell us about yourself.

I’m Kelly Lorenz, a first-year majoring in biology and communication. I’m in SALT (Students and Alumni Linked Together), on the Homecoming and Family Weekend committees, and also a member of the cross country and track and field team. I am passionate about the environment, figure skating, reading, and learning new things.

What is a HILT?

HILT is a High Impact Leadership Trip. These trips are a part of the Office of Sustainability’s initiative to encourage students to engage with sustainability and environmental justice. On our trip, we focused on learning information about the environment and sustainability with hopes to share the information we learn with people at Concordia.

Why did you choose to lead a HILT?

I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to travel and gain new experiences. Along with that, I care a lot about the environment. I’m really passionate about helping the environment in any way I can, whether it be reducing my own waste or cleaning up other people’s garbage. I’m really interested in meeting people and talking to others who care about the environment and take care of it in their everyday lives. I also want to see how governments create policy for environmental issues. I love to see how we can take the information we learn about the world and apply it in our communities.

What is the goal of the trip?

The goal is to talk to local governments, national parks, and other organizations to learn about environmental policy through multiple perspectives. In addition to that, we want to learn how to influence policy to be more environmentally responsible – and have some fun along the way.

How can HILT impact the Concordia community?

We can take the information that we learn and share it with others. Hopefully, we can find a way to share important information with our local communities, especially in the F-M area. The goal is to push them to make better policies regarding environmental issues. It’ll be interesting to see how we compare to other cities when it comes to environmental issues.

How can students become more ecologically minded?

Being conscious about energy usage, how long your showers are, how much food you waste, etc. Continuously being conscious about your impact on the environment. It’s shocking the impact our daily lives have on our planet. If students are willing to seek out the resources or do research, they can educate themselves about environmental issues and learn how to be more responsible about their impact.

Published April 2020