Get to Know Elizabeth Main, SJU’s First Director of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability

Last month, Elizabeth Main began her tenure as Saint Joseph’s University’s inaugural director of environmental stewardship and sustainability. SJU News spoke to Main about her background, sustainability news and tips for reducing waste. 
 

How did you get started working in sustainability? 

I have a hard time pinpointing where my interest started, but my dad worked in a bike shop his entire life, so I grew up interested in sustainable transportation. I took some environmental science classes in high school and fell in love with the subject matter, but my understanding of careers in the field at the time was that you would just go into wildlife conservation. It wasn’t until I got to college at the University of Virginia, where I studied environmental science and sustainability and worked in the Office for Sustainability, that I realized this is a field that permeates every industry. I really fell in love with working in the higher education space.

What are your goals for this role? What are you looking forward to? 

I’m excited to help build upon the groundwork both on academic side and the operational side, telling the story of all the great work that’s happening at St. Joe’s. This is my first time at an institution that has committed to the Laudato Si’ initiative, and it allows us to tell a more qualitative story rather than just the quantitative, data-driven goals, digging deeper into what we call the “three Es of sustainability”: economics, environment and equity. 

With Laudato Si’, we can shine a light on the economics and equity side and think more about social sustainability and community-building. In just my first few weeks, I’ve been meeting with folks from throughout the university community, and it’s clear that St. Joe’s is committed to sustainability both in word and deed.

Is there anything happening locally in the sustainability world that more people should know about?

There was recently a bill proposed in the Philadelphia City Council called the “Stop Trashing Our Air Act.” The city of Philadelphia currently sends its trash out in one of two disposal methods: incineration, or burning the trash, and landfills. The act would have banned the city from signing future disposal contracts with incineration companies at the end of their current contracts this summer. It’s an environmental justice issue because the city sends its waste to be incinerated in Chester in a majority Black city where it’s contributing to unhealthy air pollution and health outcomes in those neighborhoods. Though the legislation failed to get support from council members, it's still a good opportunity to think about our waste creation. Whether incinerated or sent to a landfill, trash ends up in a place where it negatively impacts the environment and the health of surrounding communities.

What’s one way community members can work to reduce waste?

Really, recycling should be our last resort and reduction should be our number one priority. We live in an age where pretty much anything can be delivered in one day, and that really adds up in terms of overconsumption. I encourage people to use the 30-day rule: put something in your cart and let it sit there for 30 days. If you still want it after that time, you can get it, but that type of impulse buying that’s a symptom of our current situation contributes to waste not only from the items but from the packaging. There are refilleries in Philadelphia and Ardmore where you can go to purchase household products and greatly reduce the amount of plastic you use while supporting a local business, and on campus, Saxbys offers a discount when you bring your own mug and there are reusable containers in the dining hall.