My name is Asa Smith and I am graduating in May of 2020 with a Real Estate Degree and certificates in Entrepreneurship and Sustainability. When I entered college four short years ago, I had no idea where this path would take me and that I would end with such a desire to make sustainability a part of my life. However, when I look back from the point I am at now, I can see so many factors that led me to the sustainability path along my journey.
Throughout my childhood, I was lucky to have a family that loved and appreciated the outdoors. They encouraged me to become involved in things like boy scouts which gave me so many incredible opportunities and introduced me to some of my favorite hobbies like backpacking, bushcraft, and fishing. Growing up with all these hobbies that were centered around nature instilled in me a deep love for the environment. Similarly, I was lucky enough to have a dad that was heavily involved in the renewable energy movement and had a few different startups in the Atlanta area. As a result, I learned about alternate fuel sources for vehicles, mapping energy usage in homes, and large scale solar installation projects from a young age. These experiences built a foundation for my learning on the three spheres of sustainability, however, it was not until later in college that I was able to put this knowledge to practice.
I focused my first two years at the University of Georgia on completing the necessary requirements to apply to the Terry College of Business. This meant I spent a great deal of time taking courses that introduced me to accounting, economics, and financial concepts. Although they weren’t necessarily sustainability-focused, they were extremely important in helping me identify what my priorities would be as a businessman in the future. The primary concept in many of these business courses was learning how to create, maintain, and invest capital to generate the most profit possible. I realize the importance of these ideas in operating a viable business, however, I started to contemplate how these practices were contributing to climate change. All the hobbies I love so much are centered around the outdoors so I wanted to learn how to mitigate my impact on the environment as a businessman. These ideas came to fruition the summer after my sophomore year when I decided to study abroad with some friends in Australia and New Zealand. I ended up getting special permission to attend a science cohort because all the business cohorts were at capacity. Little did I know that this would be one of the best decisions I would make in college and have a lasting impact on my perception of sustainable business and the world.
Throughout this study abroad program, I had a hands-on experience learning about the natural history of the South Pacific. This experiential learning was great because I could observe some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world but also educate myself on the impact that climate change is having in these areas. I saw firsthand the impact that mining operations and commercial fishing are having on the great barrier reef and the devastation that dairy farming is causing on New Zealand’s braided river ecosystems. I began to understand how serious an issue the climate crisis is and came to the realization that sustainable business practices are not just an option, but a necessity. This study abroad program was also the first time that I learned about the sustainability certificate at UGA. I concluded at the end of this program that I was going to continue the practices I learned there and build upon them by joining the certificate program. I am extremely grateful that I was led to make this decision because the sustainability certificate has been influential in my education and given me a truly multidisciplinary approach to learning.
As I began to take courses for the sustainability certificate, I was also completing entrepreneurship and real estate courses. This was a unique experience because I was getting a holistic approach to my learning and was educating myself on people, planet, and profit at the same time. I would go from an entrepreneurship class teaching me how to grow a business with venture capital and private equity funding to a geography class that was teaching me about how humans’ philosophical approach to the environment has changed over time. I was learning how to look at the world from so many different perspectives and had the opportunity to reflect on these views each week in the sustainability seminars. My sustainability learning culminated this past semester when I completed my capstone project for the certificate program. I spent the semester working with a local business on their B Corp certification and gained a firsthand view of how a business can change to operate in a more sustainable manner. This project brought together my entrepreneurial knowledge, business analytics skills, and sustainability learning and helped me understand how business can be used as a force for good. Although the B Corp project is ongoing, it felt like the perfect conclusion to my multidisciplinary undergraduate education.
The experiences that I’ve had through the sustainability certificate program have proved to me that sustainability is a concept that can be applied anywhere. I genuinely feel that I am a much more open-minded person and have a more positive outlook when considering the climate issues that my generation will face in the future. I am confident that I will incorporate these ideas into my career and will strive to bring forth innovation to solve sustainability issues. I am extremely grateful for all the people that are a part of the sustainability network at UGA and all the lessons and experiences I have had because of them!