As I jogged to Campus Point last Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the sheer physical beauty the scene presented me. The palm trees outlining Goleta Beach, the light glistening off the ocean and the backdrop of the majestic Santa Ynez Mountains; the place we live in is so beautiful and so easy to take for granted. If we don’t take care of this uniquely breathtaking place, soon we’ll see an eroded Goleta Beach and a polluted ocean.

The first step in preserving the landscape is to publicize the issues we face. UCSB’s Sustainable Media Team is looking for academic and volunteer interns to write, record and film sustainable projects, people and programs at UCSB. Sustainability.ucsb.edu is expanding into a multimedia experience with news articles accommodated by video and audio components. Through publicity of sustainable issues at UCSB, the Sustainable Media Team hopes to advocate the need for even more environmental progress.

I have written news articles for the Sustainable Media Team since October 2007, and I can honestly say that it has opened my eyes to what compassionate people are capable of accomplishing in the field of environmentalism. I am a global studies major, and prior to sending in my resume, I thought I would only enjoy the writing aspect of my internship. I was wrong. Environmental issues are at the crux of many of the problems in the world. Human rights issues are one of my greatest interests, and I’ve come to realize that it is impossible to sustain human life without first sustaining the environment in which humans live. Environmental activism is not just for the stereotyped hippies, and environmental issues must be addressed if humankind wishes to continue to thrive.

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