Even with our unique ability to communicate and pass down detailed information across generations, the environment is a more accurate account of history than we could ever hope to be. Observable through current species, valleys, mountains, continents and islands, it recounts the memory of prehistoric plants and animals, asteroid collisions, volcanic eruptions, the drift of tectonic plates, and long-forgotten oceans. If we continue to destroy the environment, we will be forgoing billions of years of life and evolution and the endless knowledge stored in the natural world. If we lose this, we lose the memory of where we come from and will be disconnected from our primordial roots in nature and humankind. For this reason, and countless others, I care deeply about protecting the environment because in doing so, we are given the opportunity to connect with something greater than ourselves. In addition to caring about the environment, I have had a passion for architecture for many years. When I learned that buildings make up nearly 40% of global emissions, I decided to merge my two passions together. It is my goal to design buildings that aren’t just net-zero, but net-positive. This means the structures themselves will make a positive impact on the environment. To do this, I plan to study architecture with an emphasis on sustainable design. Through my education, I will garner the necessary skills and knowledge that will qualify me as a trained architect, therefore giving me the tools I need to break into my field. With this, I will be able to properly manage projects and clients and be more efficient in my design process, helping me make the biggest impact on cutting emissions from structures. I know that, with the help of a college education, my work will become a tangible manifestation of my dedication to the issue. The many daily responsibilities and personal struggles we are burdened with can make it difficult to find time to consider our broader impact on the world. Therefore, to reduce one’s individual carbon footprint, it is necessary to remember the importance we play in each other’s lives and the interconnectedness of the environment and humanity. Through this, we may begin to have a greater awareness of the current climate crisis and the true implications of the threats to the environment. The history of the Earth-our history-is contained within the natural world. The way we currently treat the environment means we risk losing this connection to our progenitor. However, if we are able to change and protect the environment, we honor our past, respect the future, and reconnect ourselves to something greater than any one individual.

Much of our days are spent within buildings. These structures are our homes, workplaces, schools, religious monuments, and entertainment. They are a central aspect of our daily lives and are closely interwoven into our culture. Being aware of this importance is what initially sparked my love for architecture. However, as important as residential and commercial structures are to us, they are also responsible for nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. In my environmental science class, I learned about sustainable design in architecture and I found a way to merge my two passions-environmental science and architecture-into one. Combining my belief of the important role buildings play in our culture with my passion for mitigating the climate crisis, I have now made it my goal to limit emissions produced by structures so that our culture and the buildings so central to it can continue to flourish in the future. In order to bring my commitment to life, I will need an education in the field of architecture and sustainability. This knowledge will not only qualify me as a trained architect, but will also help me garner respect in my field. With this training in the field of architecture and sustainable design, I will be able to properly manage projects and clients, be more efficient in my process of designing structures, and accurately discern the necessary steps in order to make the biggest impact on cutting emissions. I know that, with an education, I will be able to produce tangible manifestations of my hope and dedication to the issue. A quality education is the gateway to success in many industries-architecture included-but mitigating the climate crisis will require more than textbook knowledge and know-how. It will require a vast network of connections across communities and individuals who are motivated to make a difference too. With the climate warming at an unnatural pace, vectors of disease spread more easily and heat-sensitive individuals face greater threats to their health in their everyday lives. For this reason, I plan to advocate for sustainable housing and commercial spaces for communities from the perspective of the health of both the environment and the individual. More specifically, I plan to focus on advocating for frequently marginalized communities as their living and work spaces often get overlooked in terms of sustainability and, as a result, these communities face the most health consequences because of them. Through this advocacy, I hope to promote the implementation of more sustainable structures and improve the health of the communities intertwined with them. While the face-value threat is the emissions themselves, there are underlying systems at play that are the cause of building emissions being a problem in the first place. One such issue is the fact that sustainable architecture practices often slow down building times and can make it more difficult and expensive to construct infrastructure and housing. As a result, companies are less likely to choose sustainable options because they don’t fit with their current business models. Therefore, in my long-term career, I plan to develop sustainable architecture practices that are even more efficient than their unsustainable counterparts, making them a lucrative and viable option for businesses so that they are encouraged to choose sustainable options. By focusing on improving the viability of sustainable options over time, businesses will be more likely to adopt these practices and, as a result, lessen the emissions produced by structures worldwide. Especially now, it can feel like we’re drowning in redundant and successive environmental failures. Despite the dread I often feel, I find hope in remembering the greatness of people. We have traveled to the moon and back, created life-saving medicine, and found the strength to be compassionate in times of war and strife. However, even with this hope, I fear that we won’t take action fast enough for the wounds on our planet to ever make a full recovery. Developing sustainable architecture practices now can be the key to making sure this doesn’t happen. For this reason, it is my goal to study sustainable architecture for the purpose of limiting emissions from buildings around the globe so that these structures can still play a vital role in our culture long into the future.