Meet members of our UVA community–students, faculty, engineers, facilities staff, and medical professionals–who are making impactful changes toward our ten bold sustainability goals. "Faces of Sustainability" aims to get to know them and inspire you with the stories of these change-makers’ efforts happening right here on Grounds, both large and small! Below meet Noah, Song, and Lean.
Meet Noah Perry!
What is your role at UVA?
I am a 5th year Graduate Research Assistant and PhD Candidate in the Civelek Lab within the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME).
What is your hometown?
Atlanta, Georgia
What are some things you are doing to support UVA’s 2030 Sustainability Plan?
Recently, the majority of my efforts have been focused on working towards the 2030 Sustainability goal of Building Accountability. We have a newly-created Sustainability Committee within the BME Cabinet that I am a part of, where we are actively working towards creating an official BME Sustainability Plan. Over the last 3 years though, I have been an active driver in supporting the Enhancing Sustainability Research goal. Since 2021, we have certified 10 Green Labs within the BME department.
Where can we find you on Grounds?
You can find me angrily staring at Styrofoam waste in research buildings trying to brainstorm ways to reduce or reuse material.
What tip do you have for people who want to take action?
The two best tips I have for people who want to take action would be to find community and start small. Sustainability is a broad topic, and I have found that it has the ability to make individual efforts feel small or futile. However, significant change comes from numerous small efforts that build momentum and create sustainable culture. It’s easier to see your impact when you join forces with other individuals.
What are some fun facts about you?
Until the age of 21, I thought the phrase “dog eat dog world” was actually “doggy dog world.”
What is your most used emoji?
😂
What is your proudest accomplishment (personal or professional)?
Receiving the Class of 1985 Fellowship for Creative Teaching awarded to graduate students for their dedication to teaching at the University of Virginia.
What’s your favorite place on Earth?
Watching the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park.
Meet Song Song!
What is your role at UVA?
I have been working at UVA for almost two years, and I work in UVA Finance, where I am a senior buyer at central procurement. I cover the procurement needs in the scientific research area, ensuring compliance with Virginia procurement laws and UVA procurement guidelines. I also manage vendor relationships and conduct legal reviews and negotiations on contracts.
What is your hometown?
My hometown is Shenyang, China. It's an industrial center, as well as the transportation and commercial hub of northeast China.
What are some things you are doing to support UVA’s 2030 Sustainability Plan?
I serve as the lead buyer for sustainable procurement, since we currently don't have a designated buyer for sustainable procurement. I work closely with our Outreach and Engagement team at the UVA Office for Sustainability. We formed a Sustainable Procurement Working Group, which develops strategic plans for sustainable procurement and actionable items. I also collaborate with UVA Sustainable Procurement Cornerstone Program on sustainable procurement solutions for UVA.
Where can we find you on Grounds?
In meetings with vendors, but outside of that, I dedicate my time in handling operational work from my computer.
What tip do you have for people who want to take action?
Don't hesitate, take action NOW. It's up to us to leave a habitable earth for future generations.
What are some fun facts about you?
I have a pseudo homestead with chickens, ducks, goats, and quite a few vegetable gardens in my yard, and I utilize reused materials for 99% of the structures built in my yard.
What is your proudest accomplishment (personal or professional)?
I am an extraordinary piano teacher. With no music background at all, I taught my children piano and music composition. They have won numerous top awards in national and international piano and composition competitions.
What’s your favorite place on Earth?
The African Savanna. I like it because it's one of the places where we can see and feel the true color of earth, a sustainable place with no one wasting natural resources.
Meet Lean Sweeney!
What is your role at UVA?
I am an Assistant Professor General Faculty in the History Department, focusing on Latin American borderlands. I also teach my “Talking Trash” course as part of the Engagements General Education requirement, and I have been at UVA since 2019.
What is your hometown?
Boston, Massachusetts
What are some things you are doing to support UVA’s 2030 Sustainability Plan?
Waste reduction, accountability, advancing equitable places, sustainability teaching, and grounds-engaged learning--these are all part of the Talking Trash class! I ask students to divert campus trash into compost and recycling; analyze what their own trash tells them about their habits and attitudes; take a historical tour of the ways our campus is designed to make place-based inequities invisible; take pictures of spaces of social hierarchy based on proximity to trash; and teach each others (and me!) about sustainability through our Trashopoly game day.
Where can we find you on Grounds?
Teaching! I teach because I love to learn, and my learning about trash education has come as much from my students during class and outdoor activities as from any written text.
What tip do you have for people who want to take action?
Connect with UVA Sustainability, FoodAssist, and other active people on campus. It’s fun and inspiring to know we are not alone in our efforts to care about the world we leave behind us every day.
What are some fun facts about you?
I would probably be considered a hoarder by most people.
What is your proudest accomplishment (personal or professional)?
Running the Boston marathon! And raising my children (with LOTS of help).
What’s your favorite place on Earth?
My favorite place on Earth is Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Stay tuned for more "Faces of Sustainability" the people and stories behind UVA's ten bold sustainability goals.