Recent U-M grad, Shivani Bafna, sat down with Kelly Jones to chat about her new job. Kelly is the new coordinator of the Planet Blue Ambassadors Program.
1. Welcome! You've been on the job for a couple of weeks now. How has it been?
It’s been great so far! Everyone has been welcoming, and there’s definitely something to be said about the midwestern friendliness at U-M. I have big shoes to fill, but everyone’s expressed interest in helping me out and finding ways we can collaborate.
2. You have a mix of communications and sustainability experience. How will that help in your new role?
Many things people are curious about sustainability-wise can be very technical and wonky, which is where my environmental science backgrou
3. What are you most excited about with regard to sustainability at U-M?
Open Office Hours
- 1st and 3rd Monday of the month
- 1-2 PM or
- email her at ecokelly@umich.edu if you can't make that time but would still like to chat about the PBA program or ways to engage in sustainability at UM.
I’m most excited about getting an opportunity to be a part of such a large and bright community! There are 50,000 students and 50,000 staff/faculty; if we all work collectively, the impacts we can make are huge.
4. What things do you do on a daily basis to promote sustainability?
Walking to work, bringing a reusable bag when grocery shopping, or using non-toxic cosmetics are all little ways one can have sustainability permeate your whole life.
5. You're relatively new to Ann Arbor, what’s one of your favorite things about town?
I’ve been delightfully surprised at how nice the Ann Arbor District Library is. Aside from books, I’ve rented a telescope and vinyl records, and I love perusing their section of art anyone can borrow!
6. What goals do you have to achieve in your career?
As a sustainability practitioner, my goal is to work myself out of a job. Sustainability should be a little part of every person’s life and work. And if we get to a stage where that is reflected in our culture, I’ll get to retire and go backpacking around the world with my husband!
7. What's one thing about you that most people at U-M wouldn't guess?
My husband and I are both allergic to almost every kind of animal. At this point, we’ve embraced this and realized we’re not allergic to hedgehogs. So we are now the proud parents of our hedgehog named Lump, named after Picasso’s dog.