Chloe Gross ’24, Planner at the Southwest Region Planning Commission (Environmental Conservation and Sustainability) was deeply engaged as an undergrad – reducing waste on campus, learning carbon accounting skills to help a local organization calculate their footprint in the Climate Action Clinic, and engaging in research. We caught up with Chloe to learn about her new role, what keeps her hopeful while doing sustainability work and advice for new undergrads.
What does the day in the life of a Planner at the Southwest Region Planning Commission look like?
For me, a day in the life at Southwest Region Planning Commission usually involves a fair bit of time at the computer interspersed with meetings. Right now, I'm learning a lot about how to update and build webpages on WordPress. Meetings, though, can be on various topics - Accessory Dwelling Units for housing, outreach initiatives, mass timber grant updates, compost focus group sessions, peer to peer citizen planner roundtables, and more! I've been involved in the workings of all these projects, and I've only been here three months!
What excites you about your work?
I find the variety exciting. As I said, I'm involved in many different initiatives. Although a lot of my work right now is WordPress, notes, emails, and language-development, I get to do this on so many topics. It is great to get these broad experiences because these skills can be applied anywhere! More specifically, I'm really excited about an upcoming grant that funds an exploration of the potential to use mass timber (big wood posts and beams) in local infrastructure projects.
Working in sustainability can be challenging and/or daunting. How do you navigate the challenges of the work and keep hopeful?
Sustainability can be really challenging, but it might show up in unexpected places. I did not expect sustainability to be so woven into the community planning world, so I was surprised when I was working with sustainability concepts every day! It is really important to remember the three pillars of sustainability - not everything I do touches all of them and they're certainly not all marketed as "sustainable."
But the energy towards these initiatives that are moving in a sustainable direction really makes me feel hopeful. There are a lot of us out there trying to make the world a better place!
In reflecting on your time at UNH, what are some experiences and skills that come to mind that are helping you in your role today? Did any of them help you land the role?
One experience was Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program, where I was introduced to the functions of municipalities and experienced the pace of movement (it can be really slow, but sometimes that is important). Throughout my internships at the Sustainability Institute and Fellowship, I learned how to learn on-the-fly.
Honing my skills such as writing, outreach, and facilitation in many settings has been a source of confidence when I am faced with something completely new. Knowing it's not a question of whether or not I can do something, but instead it’s about how I might figure it out – that has put me in a solid position to make my case about myself during interviews and say yes to things that are brand-new. I learned to do my best at whatever is in front of me, that way I'll always be making a difference.
Advice for undergrads or even high school students interested in some sort of work in sustainability?
Approach with curiosity. It's so easy to go on the defensive because we care so much, but there is also so much to learn. Approaching with curiosity often means putting your opinions in the backseat.
Everyone has reasons for their convictions, so let them speak. Counter with more questions, so that everyone has to think. Taking a step back from the heavy emotions of such existential topics that often are in sustainability conversations makes it easier to move forward. You might be surprised at how much you get done! You are still you at the core, and your contributions, questions, and opinions will reflect that, so do your best to learn, and you may find out how many people are like you.
