Lindsey MacDonald
Associate Director of Sustainability
Storyteller and community advocate Lindsey MacDonald serves as Western’s Associate Director of Sustainability. She’s spending the day posting on the Office of Sustainability’s Instagram page, and answered some questions for us about her passion for people and planet.
Lindsey, what does sustainability mean to you and what introduced you to it?
“I first want to acknowledge that I am white, and I have lived a life of privilege. I have been able to make individual sustainability choices that many do not have the opportunity to make. With that in mind, I feel deep responsibility to act individually, but also feel compelled to work to change systems such that living sustainably is less about choice. To be clear, this responsibility is not a burden. It’s active, hopeful, fun, and life-giving. To me, sustainability is less about sustaining than it is about the active pursuit of a thriving people and planet. We must think of ourselves as not separate from this planet, but so intricately connected. To do this work well, I believe we need to listen to the quiet human and non-human voices all around us. We also need to listen to the science, and get to work on reducing carbon emissions.
How do you incorporate sustainability into your daily life, and has that changed in the past month?
“First off, I have a job that pays me to help inspire a more sustainable world. How cool is that? This comes in the form of educating in classrooms and beyond, supporting faculty, staff, and students to integrate sustainability into their work and daily practices, and systems-level change. I believe that higher education is a fantastic place to instill sustainable behaviors, engage in cutting-edge sustainability research, and model sustainable communities.
Outside of work, I engage in many small sustainability practices. I vote for local and national leaders I trust to support more sustainable systems—this one feels big; I’m vegetarian; I grow food in my backyard; I have worm compost and municipal pickup compost; I forced my family to get a people powered push mower for the little grass we have, and we’re happy to share it (every year, I make our vegetable beds a little bit bigger); I ride my bike to work; I despise shopping for clothes so wear the same clothes until my mom and partner say I must stop; I reduce waste where I can; I make cards for snail mail with old magazines; I’m a punk about making sure the dishwasher is fully loaded before it gets run; we turn the heat down in our house each night; we try to vote with our money (supporting local farmers, who engage in sustainable and organic practices; supporting clothing companies who do not engage in extractive or inhumane practices); and I am committed to being a life-long sustainability learner.
All of these little behaviors can seem a little bit trivial, and certainly not very impactful when looked at in isolation. So, I try not to get distracted by these small behaviors or be overly self-congratulatory. But they feel right, and I can’t imagine not living my values in this way. And, I know I am inspired by peers and leaders on this topic, so maybe, just maybe, I can inspire a few people, too. I try not to underestimate the ripple effect.
The biggest ways that my lifestyle has changed in the past month is that I am not driving to the mountains for nature respites, which is one of my guilty pleasures. I’m also not biking to work every day. I miss that routine, the daily phenology observations (sights, sounds, and smells), and that sweaty start to the day!”
I was introduced to sustainability before I knew there was a word for it. Instead of one moment, it was perhaps some mix of parents as role models, exposure to different ways of being, Styrofoam anger, compost curiosity, fort building, seeing injustice, rivers making me feel small, plants, museums, professors, learning to be compassionate, art, science, and camping adventures.”
What will a more sustainable world look like to you?
“A more sustainable world is full of bikes and pedestrians. We will know our farmers, and support their vegetable-filled, organic livelihoods. The people and companies currently harming people and the planet will be held accountable. We will not be reliant on fossil fuels. All people will have access to fresh food, safe water, clean air, housing, and a sense of community. We will care to know about our neighbors. We will be good stewards.”
Who are your sustainability heroes?
“Here’s my quick list: Winona LaDuke, Wangari Maathai, Barbara Kingsolver, and all of the active youth around the world. Their pictures and quotes get taped on my walls at work and home for inspiration!”