PROFILE IN SUSTAINABILITY 
Jenna Jambeck, Research Assistant Professor, Environmental Research Group
What role does waste management play in sustainability?
Waste and sustainability are completely integrated -- “to waste” goes against sustainability. We have a lot of unnecessary packaging and disposable items. I would like to see both waste reduction and a shift in how we think about waste. Instead of a nuisance, people can start to look at waste as a resource. For example, we know how to properly design and operate landfills to protect human health and the environment, and to increase the amount of methane gas they produce through decomposition. This gas can be used to make energy, as UNH will be doing. With our climate changing, this kind of thinking is critical. One of my goals is to educate students and the public on how integrated waste management can help make the earth a better place.
Should all students, not just environmental engineers, understand sustainability?
Absolutely. Sustainability should be considered by all engineering disciplines, as well as every other discipline. Every decision we make, we should consider the “big picture.” Historically, only short term impacts and paybacks were considered. We now know that we must look at decisions on a life-cycle basis and consider problems holistically to be sustainable.
What motivates you personally to be involved in sustainability?
Ever since I was young, my family and I have passionately cared for our environment. I grew up in a small Minnesotan town and a restrictedly developed Florida island. Living in those environments, I had an appreciation for nature and played many hours in the ocean, forests, fields and rivers. Even in high school I knew I wanted to become an advocate for the environment. I did land my dream job and love what I do. But anyone can make a difference on a day-to-day basis: you don’t have to be an environmental engineer. As my husband and I grow our family, sustainability really hits home; we think about it in all we do. Maybe our children will continue our passion and make a difference too.
