One Hundred Percent Elephant Feces
In fourth grade, I was forced to choose a profession for Career Day. I remember being
overwhelmed by the vocations available to me. I could be a doctor, an engineer, a public accountant, or
even a pilot. How could a nine year old choose? Since then, many have told me to become a lawyer for
the prestige. Others have told me to go into computer science for the money. Yet, I can't imagine limiting
my creativity to a profession that would not engage my greatest convictions.
One conviction is that I want my generation to be ecologically prudent: to use little, and waste
even less. To me, the idea of sustainability does not conjure thoughts of EPA restrictions and mass hysteria.
Sustainability means a common sense lifestyle, promoting the best use of Earth's resources. I enjoy seeing
people grow from being apathetic to astounded when I tell them about novel ecofriendly innovations. I
enjoy peeking at their contortedly amazed faces as I hand them business cards made of 100% elephant
feces. Feces! Although others may not find beauty in this useless matter, I am fascinated by its
transformation into this valuable commodity. This incites my desire to educate others about
environmentalism.
My desire drives my work as communications director for Mean(ing) Green, the University of
North Texas' sustainability organization. While representing my school, I coordinate events to educate
UNT students regarding their carbon footprints. In alliance with the UNT Office of Sustainability and EcoRepresentatives, this organization installed solar trash compactors in Denton and planted a natural dye
garden. While educating students about how much energy they use may seem trivial, it has great
implications.
My job shows me how I can change mindsets. I want the American public to embrace sustainability.
The idea stems from a statistic I found while studying for an ecology competition called the Project Green
Challenge. The Sustainable Building Industry Council claims that American housing construction uses 20%
of U.S. energy, and worldwide construction alone has depleted 25% of the world's forests. This inspired
me to cofound EcoRenovation, a developing business focused on introducing "green" products to the
remodeling industry. As president, I have led this business to be a finalist at both the UNT Ventures
Competition and the TCU Neely Values Contest. If successful, this business will market sustainable
products (biodegradable plant liners, recycled material roof shingles, etc.) as an alternative to traditionally
unrecyclable building materials.
Now as I look back to my fourth grade self, I tell him not to worry. He's teaching people why they
need 100% recycled business cards, guiding their transformation into conservationists. With scholarship
money, I’ll be able to save money on my undergraduate degree as I embark on my journey to educate
others. I want to graduate debt free, and the Al's Formal Wear Scholarship will help me on that path.