I think sustainability should be talked about more and there should be more access to learn about it as well
Marlene Flintrop
Second-year MISOC student
“I signed up for this programme because I care about sustainability. When I was very young, I became a vegetarian because of the sake of the animals. Only a few years later I realized that I was also doing my part for the environment through that. I started looking at the impact of things like clothing- and plastic consumption.
"The more research I did, the more I learned and the more passionate I grew. I had to be careful not to get into a downward spiral and see everything negatively. Most of my knowledge about sustainability I got outside of the classroom. Through my involvement at the Erasmus Sustainability Hub for instance, where I met a lot of like-minded people.
“I think sustainability is an important topic because it concerns everyone. The impact of living a not-sustainable life – the way that the past few generations have lived, and a lot of people are still living today – is huge. We see climate change everywhere: pollution and climate refugees… Whether you choose to consume meat or use plastics: the effects will be felt by everyone. I think sustainability should be talked about more and there should be more access to learn about it as well. It would be good if there was general education about the issue that everyone receives.
“I do think that the people that care about it and are making efforts on this topic, find a lot of support from the university. I am a very big fan of the discount on vegan lunch meals on our campus that’s going on right now. It’s very much affordable and really makes it accessible for students.”
Marlene and two fellow students were recently interviewed about sustainability in education at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Are you curious about the full article?