The Pitt Green Spotlight is a monthly series highlighting people advancing sustainability, including Pitt Green Ambassadors and Pitt’s Green Offices & Labs!
We hope these spotlights will inspire you to try out new sustainable practices in your own campus experience! Want to be included in our next highlight? Contact us.
Pitt Green Ambassador Spotlight:
Ashley Marie Steffy (she/her), Career Consultant, Career Center
Ashley has been a staff at Pitt within the Career Center for five years, providing career guidance for engineering and science students. She is proud to have assisted the Career Center in earning a “Sprout” designation for Pitt’s Green Office program — with updated efforts on track for the “Oak” level– and hopes to continue sustainability practices for the office and personally.
When there was a Sustainability committee in Student Affairs, Ashley attended meetings and contributed ideas toward their newsletter. Ashley lives in Swissvale, PA, and prior to maternity leave was on the board for the Swissvale Farmer’s Market. The market moved to the Dickerson STEAM Academy lot for better accessibility and is thriving! She hopes to join the market again when her baby is older and highly recommends checking them out if free on a Saturday!
We sat down with Ashley to learn more about what got her started in campus sustainability, and what she’s excited about for the Career Center Green Team:
What got you interested in sustainability and acting on climate change?
“I became interested in sustainability around middle school, when some of my classes touched on environmental issues and sustainability. Additionally, my family encouraged sustainable practices such as utilizing a recycling bin, being mindful of water usage, turning off the lights and so on. When I discovered there was a sustainability office at Pitt, I wanted to learn more. I signed up for their newsletter, joined the Student Affairs committee they had at the time, and partnered with our beloved colleague, Joel Anne, on Green Office efforts for the Career Center.
Over the past five years, I’ve seen the Career Center grow from a Seedling to Sprout through Green Office initiatives. Since Joel Anne retired this past summer, we have now contributed further sustainability updates to reach level Oak in the spring! I am very proud of our department, and individuals on our team who are utilizing sustainable practices at home.”
How would you recommend those just getting started with sustainability on campus get involved?
“As a shout out to Emily Potoczny, feel free to ask her or another member of her team to present how your department and you as an individual can start your Green Office and sustainability journey. I suggest checking out the Pitt Sustainability website, as it has a wealth of resources and news, whether you’re an employee or student! I also highly recommend signing up for the newsletter—located on the bottom of the page—to get monthly updates on what’s happening not only at Pitt but in the community.
If you’re looking to start small, try out the Pitt Green Home Office Guide, where you can check off habits and best practices you’re already utilizing, while also discovering opportunities for change. Lastly, Sustainable Pittsburgh is an organization I would explore; they have a rich history since 1998 and their website includes topics from current priorities and progress to ways you can take action!”
What sustainability challenge would you like to tackle next, and what would you like to see the university address?
“For the Career Center, we recently removed our water jug system, which had been an ongoing delivery for many years, in favor of the filtered water fountain that is already on our floor. This switch will ultimately not only be more sustainable for the office but increasing our financial budget for other programming and office needs. If there are other departments who are still using a water jug system, I encourage them to also make this change.
The challenges we face the most according to our Green Office data are better utilizing Concur’s estimates of carbon emissions when planning flights, bus or rail options, and ensuring merchandise and giveaway products are all sustainably sourced, recycled, and ethically produced. I believe the University of Pittsburgh as a whole should focus on sustainability initiatives regarding transportation, waste management, and purchasing.”
Thanks to Ashley & the Career Center Green Team for all your efforts!