Justin Chai ’24
The following conversation is a product of efforts by GEO’s Green Advisors. The post was adapted from an interview with Emmy Li ’25 and was edited by Jiho Shin ’26.1
Justin is a senior double majoring in Applied Mathematics and Engineering with a focus on sustainable energy systems and built environments. He studied abroad at the University of New South Wales Sydney (UNSW Sydney) in Australia in Fall 2022.
What does sustainability mean to you?
Sustainability is not just about creating an equitable and more accessible world but is also about how we connect the environment and community. I’ve seen sustainability in so many different domains including economics and corporate spaces. Questions like “How do you make a business more sustainable?” arise. In the context of Swarthmore community work and impact, what does it mean to protect sustainability?
Sustainability is about making incremental habitual changes that lead to greater positive impact. Acts of sustainability such as the newly constructed buildings on the College’s campus are vital but perceived as less appealing by some because of the short-term inconvenience that precedes the long-term benefits.
Tell us about your coursework or extracurricular activities related to sustainability.
[In Australia], I took three classes that are strongly connected to my studies and work in sustainability. My favorite was a class in Climate Change and Coral Reefs through which I learned about aspects of climate change such as carbon emissions that negatively affect coral reefs, some of the most important yet fragile ecosystems that sustain marine biodiversity. We took a quantitative approach, observing carbon emissions data and ways in which waste and ocean acidification damage coral reefs. Further, we analyzed the social impacts of changes in the state of coral reefs on Indigenous communities of Australia. This class stood out to me because it entailed both classroom learning and experiential learning. We spent two weeks on a remote island scuba-diving everyday to take pictures of bleached coral reefs and collect data in order to deepen our understanding of how issues we were learning apply in the real world.
I also took a class in Construction Management which delved into every aspect of construction from the materials to the schedule to the workers to the stakeholders. It provided a unique opportunity to analyze a construction site, for which I chose the Dining and Community Commons (DCC) at Swarthmore College. Through this opportunity, I learned about the original designs of the building, the geothermal exchange plant, how supply chains affect the process, and the role that sustainably plays in construction. I realized the massive implications of institutional policies in the designing of buildings. For example, the financial value attributed to carbon emissions weighs in on the selection of materials. The reason why the DCC is built with mass timber instead of cheaper concrete is because the aggregate carbon emission associated with the use of mass timber is less than that associated with concrete. The College abides by the building standards of the Living Building Challenge (LBC) which are stricter than those of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
The last class I took was in Materials Sciences in which I learned about concrete, fabric, metals, steel, and plastics, as well as the reasons why certain materials are harder to dispose of. I conducted a final project on hydrogen fuel cells.
What positive experiences did you have with sustainability during your time abroad?
The thing I liked the most about Sydney was its transportation, particularly its amazing light rail system. While I was in Sydney, I never had to ride Ubers as I could easily navigate the city on the light rail system. It came every 5 minutes and was robust. The city is built to serve and protect its residents, which means people don’t have to rely on things that it doesn’t provide such as cars. Another positive experience was noticing how much nature is integrated into Australian cities, with a big emphasis on preservation and conservation. There is also a culture of respect for nature that reaches animals, beaches, national parks and more which is much stronger and more prevalent than that in the United States.
What challenges related to sustainability did you encounter during your time abroad?
I didn’t think too much about challenges while I was there. If I were to point one out, it would be related to the people with whom I shared the apartment since I tended to be more conscious about waste than they were.
How has your time abroad deepened your knowledge of issues related to sustainability?
My time at UNSW and in Sydney was super helpful in my grasping real-world impacts of climate change and applications of class materials. Being at UNSW brought a lot more onus on myself and fostered my creativity in putting unique spins on the concept of sustainability and in generating ideas for how I might implement it, as opposed to its institutionalized version at Swarthmore.
What can the Swarthmore College community learn from your experience?
I am not an Environmental Studies student but am nonetheless interested in the field of environmental sustainability from an engineering standpoint.
While the systemic approach to and programming around sustainability at Swarthmore College are miles ahead of those of many other schools, the exposure that we students get through our liberal arts education is still somehow limited. Students must intentionally take courses in Environmental Studies or hope for a special elective course which intersects their major and sustainability.
In Australia, I could easily engage with sustainability in various engineering courses, whether it be material sciences, business integration, or construction management, and even in Asian literature. UNSW did not use the tri-waste bin system, and I did not take any classes specially aimed at sustainability. Yet there I was, learning about the newest Australian carbon emission reduction laws, the call for a life cycle analysis, and the ways in which international trade affects sustainability efforts. It was effortlessly integrated into daily action and conversation.
That’s what I loved most about UNSW (besides the weather and the food and the city…). I hope that there would be more opportunities for students at Swarthmore to get involved with sustainability independently without having to become a green advisor or engaging with a specific department. To move forward with sustainability, we need to make it normal and easy to meet and adopt in day-to-day activities and lessons.
- The views and/or opinions represented in the GEO blog belong solely to the student(s) and do not represent Swarthmore College; students are not liable for any errors or omissions in the personal experiences they share. ↩︎