Sustainable Number Crunching

Josie Perhus ’19, Fargo, N.D.
Major: Accounting

How did you get involved with sustainability at Concordia College?

My junior year, I was able to go on a HILT (High Impact Leadership Trip) during spring break to Portland, Ore. The trip focused on sustainability in the United States’ “green capital,” Portland. On this trip, we were able to tour some of Portland’s sustainability initiatives, directly talk with sustainability advocates about their roles in the city, and eat locally sourced foods from farmers markets. While on this trip, I was able to meet a lot of people involved with sustainability, which further connected me to sustainability at Concordia. This experience grew my interest in sustainability. Now, sustainability has really become my main form of involvement at Concordia being the Sustainability Office intern as well as the student representative on the President’s Sustainability Council.

Tell us about your internship with the Sustainability Office.

I work regularly in the Sustainability Office, helping out with events and programming, but lately, I have been specifically working on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory takes up most of my time working in the office as I collect data and crunch numbers. My accounting major has allowed me to focus on the numbers and statistics of sustainability, which is different from the usual efforts from or environmental studies approach. The number crunching and data side allows me to add to previous research and be incredibly comfortable with the endless spreadsheets and statistics.

What is your role on the President’s Sustainability Council?

I am the student representative for the President’s Sustainability Council, which is made up of faculty, staff, administration, and two students. Students are elected for a two-year term and mine will end when I graduate in December. We meet about once a month to discuss different sustainability issues on campus, bring up new ideas for bettering sustainability, and examine the current conditions of the college.

This year, Concordia also signed the President’s Climate Commitment to become climate neutral, which has been a major undertaking for the council to figure out the details and best practices with this Climate Action plan. Some things that have been highlighted in other schools’ Climate Action Plans are changes to buildings and community resiliency work.

The research I completed was actually about the best practices for Concordia. I worked this past spring and summer, examining other schools’ Climate Action Plans in order to evaluate what aspects worked and what efforts were ineffective. I compiled my research into a 50-page report that explored best practices for writing a Climate Action Plan, specifically for Concordia. This year, the President’s Sustainability Council took this report and are in the process of creating their own Climate Action Plan.

How have you been able to present your findings of exploring the best practices for writing a Climate Action Plan?

In October, I was able to present my research of the “Best Practices for Writing a Climate Action Plan” at the national AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) Conference in Pittsburgh. I went to Pittsburgh with two faculty members, a staff member, and another current Concordia student. We all traveled together to learn more about other schools’ Climate Action Plans and sustainable efforts in higher education across the country. It was pretty cool being able to present my research at a national conference.

What are your plans for after graduation?

I am excited to graduate from Concordia College in December 2019 and get a job in accounting. My internships with the Sustainability Office, Sundog, and Kilbourne Group have prepared me for postgrad life and getting a job. Ideally, I would love to find a job that combines sustainability with number crunching, but that might be further down the road.

^{Published January 2019}