Kelsey Austin Email & Phone Number

United States

Petaluma, California, United States

Lafayette, California, United States

Walnut Creek

Uc Davis

I led teams of six interns through a wide variety of social, economical, and environmental sustainability topics. My position required excellent communication skills with my supervisor, dining staff, students, and supporting sustainability departments across campus. Every week I was required to come up with a sustainability topic, make up a corresponding activity or game, produce a graphic display board, and educate the interns on how to successfully run a table on the topic. I designed a campus-wide campaign called Mindful Mondays that would improve sustainable, personal eating habits. This involved independent planning, effective communication to portray my ideas and goals, and resource utilization to make this campaign successful. I learned that when you are passionate about something and can successfully communicate to others, you can really make things happen. My main components of the campaign were to have a variety of weekly challenges that corresponded to the tabling topic in the dining commons. I performed quarterly waste audits in the dining commons on campus to reduce food waste.

Davis, Ca

Enthusiastically gained a wide range of knowledge about equipment and clothing for outdoor activities. Confidently prepared Davis community members and provided accurate advice about all gear in correspondence with the customers' needs and adventure plans. This job required constant engagement with community members and customer service. I would speak accurately about different gear and clothing options based on customer needs and desires. To me, it wasn't about selling, it was about effectively sharing information with others about different products in order to compare and make proper purchases that would best suit the individual during their outdoor adventures. One of my favorite roles was coordinating the eight window displays each week. I would use my creativity with recycled items and materials to make outdoor scenes and promote our gear. My duties also required keeping the store organized and clean to make everything run smoothly and safely. I also improved our recycling practices and would research outdoor company sustainability practices in order to source from the best companies and inform customers about company efforts.

In the Ecological Garden I ran the Kids in the Garden Program which enthusiastically led garden tours for groups of 50-75 kindergartners through 2nd graders. This involved planning with peers on how to engage students in activities about environmental sciences and gardening practices. I combined and incorporated the garden around us into comprehensive and instilling lessons based on healthy eating and garden ecosystems. I was also on the Community Events Team who were in charge of planning events for the Student Farm Community which involved contacting stakeholders, talking to farmers about what sort of events they wanted to participate in, and bringing together resources to make events successful and memorable. Another role I had on the Student Farm was in the Market Garden to manage the biweekly CSA basket organization and distribution. Other roles on the farm involved weeding, transplanting, greenhouse maintenance, harvesting, irrigation repairs, pest management, etc. This role taught me about taking ownership of a space and utilizing resources to make the best for the community that we could.

Davis, Ca

My main roles were to provide information and education to city residences in order to increase recycling and waste reduction practices. This internship also took place when the Plastic Bag Ordinance was going into effect for the City of Davis and my duty was to make sure every downtown business was aware and in compliance with the new practices and restrictions of plastic bag use. I distributed and consulted waste reduction options and recycling materials to 30 downtown businesses. I worked on updating and increasing standards for a business to become a Partner for a Greener Davis. This required research and formatting to improve transparency and access for businesses to become certified. I also coordinated workshops all summer long for the public community of Davis about household sustainability practices. This was my favorite part because it gave me the opportunity to work with the public and interact in an educational setting. I also managed the Waste Reduction Move-Out Program by facilitating 30 stations at apartment complexes city-wide to reduce waste from student move-outs. This role required effective communication with stakeholders, planning, organization, and safety.