September 27, 2022

Two environmental studies students were awarded the highly competitive Rachel Carson Council Fellowship to support their work on environmental education and advocacy.

Calli Lambard ’23 and Grant Rowe ’23 were two of only 20 students nationally to win the fellowship, which is designed to identify outstanding students with a passion for environmental education and provide them with financial and on-going support to carry out valuable projects and campaigns. Students propose projects focused on sustainability and environmental justice that they will implement on their campuses and in their communities. Fellows attend the American Environmental Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C., to participate in trainings that hone their leadership, writing, advocacy and organizing skills. Throughout the 2022–23 academic year, they work on their projects with on-going support from council staff and other fellows.

“Hearing that the fellowship was from the Rachel Carson Council, we were drawn to it as we both look up to Rachel Carson as an inspiring and powerful figure,” Lambard, of Yardley, Pennsylvania, said. “We were also excited to have the ability to work with such a prestigious organization. The possibility was just too intriguing to pass up.”

Carson was a marine biologist and conservationist whose influential book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

During the fall 2022 semester, Lambard and Rowe will use their $2,000 award to develop the podcast Big World, Small Bites that explains how to integrate environmental work into daily life. The podcasts will be distributed across various platforms, including WQSU, to reach the regional community.

Big World, Small Bites will cover how seemingly large environmental problems can be broken down into small solutions,” Rowe, of Selinsgrove, said. “Using sustainable action at SU as a case study, we will discuss major changes our school has made and tell students and the community how they could make that change themselves.”

Big World, Small Bites will be available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and WQSU by mid-October.

“We know that climate change can seem overwhelming, and taking action can be difficult,” Lambard said. “We hope that this podcast can make it seem more manageable.”

Lambard also majors in creative writing. She hopes to use storytelling as a means of climate education in her work with the long-term hope of running a sustainable bookstore focused on community organizing. Rowe also majors in political science. He plans to work on environmental policy with the eventual goal of running for political office.