The EcoExchange Project

This project evolved from a project assignment in Sociology of Climate Action, a Hamilton College seminar course taught by Professor Aaron Strong and Professor Jaime Kucinskas. We were asked to produce a video that explored a climate solution, why it is or is not moving  forward, and share some misinformation tropes around it.

In thinking about transportation and its share of culpability for accelerating emissions, I thought about our share in this culpability at Hamilton College. For most of our time at Hamilton, we have a very small impact on the environment via our transportation needs. We walk, bike, and run across campus - but when students go abroad, this routine goes out the window. Especially for students studying in Europe, cheap flights are marketed as ‘exciting’ and ‘accessible’ in a way that they are not in the United States. Most Hamilton students abroad take, on average, 7 total flights - not including the long haul flight they take to get to Europe. I asked myself how can we better market sustainable travel to these abroad students while emphasizing their responsibility to the Earth and how enriching alternative travel options can be.

Here is my video below.