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Planet Now
Blog on Effective Environmental Communication
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If you want to learn about a recent college graduate who has already done inspiring work in the sustainability field, look no further than Cara Kuuskvere! She is a sustainability analyst at Hanesbrands and a UNC Class of 2022 graduate. At UNC, she was Director of Sustainable Projects for the Residence Hall Association for three years. We worked together in the student organization United Solar Initiative, and I enjoyed seeing her drive for change.
Why did she pursue this path? Cara had many different career goals as a kid but always wanted to help others. For instance, she considered being a teacher and a doctor. “I thought about my skills and what would have a positive impact on those around me. Climate change is one of the biggest issues facing our generation, so I thought, maybe I can go into that,” she shared. She knew that working in the sustainability space would help create a more equitable world. While at UNC, Cara majored in environmental science and business administration, where she was in the Kenan Scholars program for students committed to putting the private sector to work for the public good. She also dove into sustainability outside the classroom. As a first-year student, she was the sustainability officer for her residence hall. Then, she became Director of Sustainable Projects for residence halls across campus. In this role, she focused on increasing education about sustainability for students living on campus. With a broad job description, she took on various projects from energy efficiency retrofits in the residence halls to putting on fun programs for residents to learn about sustainability. One program was letting residents decorate their own compost bins. I still use my compost bin from one of the events she helped my residence hall coordinate! “The more I got involved in college, the more agency I felt to make an impact,” shared Cara. Now, Cara is making change at a global scale! Hanesbrands is an international parent company of many brands. In sustainability, they focus on people, planet, and product. Cara works on the planet pillar, so she analyzes data focused on energy, emissions, water, and waste. She spends most of her time working on the company’s zero-waste-to-landfill goals and working towards science-based targets for reducing carbon emissions across the supply chain and across the entire lifecycle of products. Something particularly exciting for Cara has been working with the Champion Sustainability Fund at UNC, through which members of Hanesbrands and Sustainable Carolina review energy efficiency project submissions. Through this program, she has loved staying connected with UNC and even got to speak to a class about the fund. I’m excited to see the impact Cara continues to make.
1 Comment
Cara Kuuskvere
2/13/2023 11:53:40 am
Thanks for this great feature, Jessica! It was great to reconnect and see your work in this space as well!
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Welcome to my blog! It is a combination of posts from my strategic writing (spring 2022) and personal branding (spring 2023) courses at UNC. I hope you will enjoy reading the posts and learning about the environment and communication.
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