Program on the Environment

For 24 years running, Washington Conservation Voters has hosted its Annual Breakfast of Champions to celebrate environmental leaders in the community, including ten young leaders under 30. This year, we’re proud to share that Carter Case, UW Environmental Studies alum will be recognized at the Breakfast for his work in habitat restoration and political advocacy.

Carter Case, class of 2014

Carter Case grew up in Mill Creek, WA and spent a lot of his childhood outdoors. He recalls salvaging young trees and ferns from construction sites near his childhood home before they were leveled to make room for new homes. From a young age he had a strong passion for preserving natural spaces.

At UW, Carter initially thought environmental engineering was the better choice to work towards environmental solutions, but he sought big picture knowledge of environmental issues and gravitated towards Program on the Environment. As an Environmental Studies major, he chose courses that focused on environmental education and environmental policy.

Passion never rests

While a student at UW, Carter cites his involvement with Divest UW as his first peek into the advocacy world. Along with other students, he worked to push the Board of Regents to divest from coal in the endowment fund (which they did), and now the campaign is continuing to push for full divestment of fossil fuels.

“I learned that organizing is a powerful tool for creating social change, especially when done in the right ways, bringing in new people and ideas.”

It wasn’t until his Capstone work that Carter discovered a passion for habitat restoration. He had volunteered for EarthCorps events but interning with Friends of Lincoln Park gave him real experience; he evaluated and revitalized a 1,200 square foot plot of forest which included identifying and removing invasive species, planting native plants that were fit for the natural habitat, and investigating community barriers to volunteering for urban restoration efforts.

“There is so much work that needs to be done to have functioning ecosystems, safe water access, sustainable agriculture. If we don’t take steps to mitigate and adapt to these conditions, the result will be more fractured habitat and human suffering,” says Carter when asked why environmental work is important to him.

Leading change in WA State

Carter Case

Carter’s Capstone site supervisor, Sharon Baker encouraged Carter to apply for Washington Conservation Corps, a one year AmeriCorps program that would enable him to further pursue his passion. He applied and got in, working on invasive species control, trail construction, and planting of native trees and shrubs.

Building off these efforts, Carter then joined Carbon Washington as a member of their Steering Committee. He volunteered to help build capacity and collect enough signatures to qualify Initiative 732 for the ballot (I-732 will be on the ballot this November). Carter is proud of this work because of the potential for good and the realization that concerned citizens can come together to act promptly and affect clean energy policy.

Today, Carter works for Garden Cycles, focusing on private yard and city park restoration. The company’s current goals include planting 13,000 native species and helping to restore 75 city park acres. Carter came upon this opportunity through maintaining ties to his Capstone supervisor, Sharon Baker. He notes, “the Capstone has led to all my future employment thus far.”

Carter’s new skills as a community organizer led him to appreciate and embrace restoration as a tangible way to preserve the environment. His personal ethos compels him to continue work in the environmental field:

“I can’t fix everything so I decided to focus locally and see my impact. Being on the ground, cutting blackberries, stabilizing slopes, talking with the community about ways to be stewards of their land, planting trees…there is always a chance for education. This is where I need to be.”

In his spare time, Carter is also involved with the Washington Native Plant Society, working with their conservation committee to run additional campaigns to protect natural space and better regulate noxious plants to ensure less habitat damage.

Carter wants to stay engaged in local politics, through various campaigns. “Who knows, maybe I’ll run for local office one day! There are a lot of changes to be made – local is where we can move the dial.”

Carter will be honored at WCV’s Breakfast of Champions tomorrow, Oct. 11 2016, where Senator Patty Murray, Governor Jay Inslee and Lummi Nation Chairman Tim Ballew II will provide remarks.

Anna Mines

Anna Mines graduated in December 2014, with a double major in Environmental Studies and ethnomusicology.

Persuaded by a friend to visit and stay in Italy for a while after graduation, Anna left Seattle on a six-week backpacking trip, which included a WWOOF stint in the southern Italian town of Maratea. She then settled in Rome where she’s currently on a student visa, perfecting her Italian and working on launching a responsible tourism business.

The Problem

Elizabeth Weitz

Over an Italian meal in Seattle last December, brought together by a mutual love for Italian culture, Anna met Elizabeth Weitz, who pitched a business idea for a responsible tourism business that would help stimulate Southern Italy’s struggling economy.

The problem both women want to address is: tourism money is not going to small, local businesses and young people who travel are barely interacting with local people. Further, young people in Southern Italy are leaving their hometown in search of better economic prospects.

Anna sees the lack of immersion when traveling as a lost opportunity to both enrich one’s education and be a part of another country’s culture.

“Tourism is going to happen anyway, so why not do it in a way that will benefit everyone?”

From Idea to Impact

Starting a business was a daunting prospect, yet Anna was undeterred. She took online business courses via Acumen and learned about social enterprises. She and her partner, Elizabeth (who lives in the Bay Area) share responsibilities and communicate virtually each week to track progress.

The duo want to form a social enterprise and set up intimate tours where a group of no more than 15 people would be further split into groups and provided an immersive experience staying at local B&B’s, sharing authentic meals over conversations with locals, and participating in adventures with local guides. Businesses that practice social and environmental practices will be featured on the tour.

Spurred by the idea that the tourism season is very short in Southern Italy and provides local business owners barely enough to sustain themselves throughout the year, the business: PYMWYMI (Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is) would give adventure-minded tourists who don’t want the hassle of planning their own trip the opportunity to support businesses during the low-tourist season and help sustain livelihoods.

“I have friends who are in the tourism business, and they need second jobs to survive. They are struggling to grow their business, and can’t take a break,” observed Anna. What inspires Anna the most is that the tour provided by PYMWYMI will empower friends in Italy to grow their business.

“Hard-working people can’t do what they love because of lack of access to funds.” Anna acknowledged her privilege, stating she has never had to sacrifice her dreams to earn a wage. Part of her drive in joining this business is to make a difference for people who want to earn a decent living and who are keen on celebrating and sharing their culture with others.

Recently featured on Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, the entrepreneurs are working hard to meet their KIVA fundraising goal and bring this impactful idea to life.

How Environmental Studies at UW helped unearth a passion

Anna was initially an ethnomusicology major and loved school so much, she decided to add the Environmental Studies major, after taking the College of the Environment’s Food Studies course and realizing her passion for slow food, a movement born in Italy. She found Environmental Studies to be a great option to explore her interests, such as sustainable food, environmental economics, anthropology.

Elizabeth Weitz

The major gave Anna the flexibility to take varied classes, and she cites a Global Environmental and Politics class, where she did more research into the slow food movement. Her Sustainability Studio class and Urban Farm class influenced her decision to go WWOOFing in Italy, and a Cultural Anthropology class taught her about the importance of identity.

“All we have in this world is our identity and we care about it so much,” says Anna. “Understanding how intertwined the food culture is to regional Italian identity is so important. If you pay attention to your food, and where it comes from and how it’s grown, you can be a healthier society.”

The town where Anna worked on a farm, in Maratea, understands this concept and practices it. Now they just need more business.

When asked if she has any words of advice for Environmental Studies majors, Anna said: “Take your capstone by the horns! Do what you can with it, get creative, be assertive. I came up with a project that combined my two majors and my internship host, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, happily let me run with it.”

“The capstone was the most rewarding part of my academic experience. Sean (McDonald) does a great job of making sure you will acquire new skills and challenge yourself, while still setting you up for success.”

The capstone helped Anna communicate with and persuade people in garnering support for this business idea, and she anticipates using her skills to make this business idea a reality. 

Support PYMWYMI

Only five days remain to support Anna and her business partner, Elizabeth. Visit their Kiva page to lend funds so PYMWYMI can establish a viable tour itinerary and get their business off the ground. Remember, this is a loan, so you will get your money back. If the duo doesn’t reach their fundraising goals, they lose the funds already raised. Your support is much appreciated.

UPDATE: Anna and Elizabeth send their thanks to the community for supporting their business; they raised the full amount needed for their Kiva loan to begin their research and develop the PYMWYMI experience.