Eco Rep

HKUST has a concept of 'Eco Representatives', an initiate that allows students to participate in various campus sustainability projects. The 2019/2020 Eco representative team was made up for 30  or so fresh-faced students 19 to 21 year old undergraduate students. I have never felt so old. The difference in age is made even more apparent given that I am the only post graduate student, and also the only part time student. They're probably wondering what a 37 year old man has to take away from a University volunteer environmental sustainability programme.

After starting with a sustainable soils projects, and the impact of carbon and the importance of carbon sequestering. My group and project has pivoted to a sustainable campus initiative and revitalising and re-vamping areas of the Clearwater Bay campus for students. Which is less about method and more about creativity and concept; a very foreign skillset compared to my typical STEM background. We started and formed groups back in September 2019. My group is an eclectic group, with environment, humanities and science undergrad backgrounds with a good mix of international and local students. Unfortunately, campus closures due to local protests and the pandemic, the project was moved to Zoom and most correspondence has been remote via technology.

Here are some of the before and after renditions of our campus transformation.

 

There's definitely a generation gap, in terms of communication, idea generation and project management. I find it difficult to shake the goal driven, outcome dependent mindset that years of employment have moulded my mindset into. There's silly questions, jokes, outrageous suggestions, and shameless mis direction. It's a refreshing experience, the student interactions are less stressed, less formal, less serious, less structured and definitely less corporate way to progressing with a project. I find this to be the most eye-opening part of the experience. I was once like them.