Since Aurora Sarrard was the first director of sustainability to the university in 2018, he has contributed to starting initiatives such as the Pogoh Bike Share Partnership, the Gaucho Solar Power purchase contract with Vesper Energy and the Pitt Climate Action Plan.
Today, as an opening helper for sustainability, she also works behind the scenes with students, employees and faculties in order to settle sustainability into life on the campus by solar modules on the roof, no strategies with zero waste or new green rooms such as the upcoming Panther Overlook.
In a recent questions and answers, Sarrard has opened her personal experiences with sustainability.
This conversation was processed for suctive and clarity.
You say sustainability is just something you grew up. What were some of the habits that they held?
My family was very economical and environmentally conscious. We have not spent any money on strangers, we recycled and made a lot of tent camping. My father often went to work and my mother was a primary school scientist.
Although I grew up in different parts of the country – North Carolina and later Nebraska – our habits remained consistent. Composting, recycling, second -hand shopping … These things became second nature. Even now when I travel somewhere that is not composted, I wonder what to do with the remains of food. It just feels wrong to throw them away when they know that they can be used to nourish the floor.
You were also a scout for years. How did that shape your approach to the environment?
A large part of the girl's scout experience was to learn to leave places better than they found them. This value really stayed with me. My team made a lot of camping: one of our goals was to earn a badge by visiting every scout campsite in our region, and we did it. During this time outdoors – interacting with nature, seeing new places – I have thought about our responsibilities to the environment.
Your parents were clearly a big influence. How did a parent affect the relationship to sustainability?
It is both reinforced and challenging. Before my children were born, we made conscious decisions: using cloth diapers and glass bottles and composting everything we could. When they grew up, they wore economical clothes, walked or went to school in public and learned to sort objects before birthdays or public holidays for donations.
They are now also in old age – 11 and 15 – where they are curious and ask deeper questions. I think it's great that you look over my shoulder while I work and ask about a diagram or a construction project. They develop their own values and ideas and it is exciting to see.
What are some sustainability habits that are the second nature for you now?
To be honest, I built these habits for so long that many of them feel normal. When my husband and I moved to Pittsburgh in 2003, we bought a house in Greenfield because it was on foot, bike and almost public transit.
The house was built in 1905 and we did a lot of work and added isolated walls, efficient lighting and devices, a heat pump and sustainable materials, while we keep the historical character of the building.
They also informed how much they would like to do it to work. How is this experience for you?
This first trip in spring is always the most difficult. You have to bring all your equipment together and the weather can be unpredictable. But as soon as I'm on my bike, I remember how much joy it is. Years ago I drove through the Schenley Park on a perfect autumn day, where a deer stood over the street in front of me. I thought: “It's so beautiful – and I'm still in the city.” This feeling of placing the connection really motivates me.
What makes Pittsburgh the right place to do sustainability work?
Well, first I live here and I don't move. But what is more important, Pittsburgh attracts people who want to be here who love it, what makes this city unique and who want to make it even better. So much innovation happens here, often quiet. When I worked at Green Building Alliance, I would give visitors who would say tours: “If you can make it possible in Pittsburgh, we can make it possible anywhere.”