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The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in September, 1997.
Kelley M. Carnwath '98
Linking theory with practice to protect the environment
Kelley M. Carnwath '98 is passionate about the environment. Whether educating Hartford elementary school students about the health of the Connecticut River, or bicycling cross-country to promote environmental action and education, or studying the effects of development on the rain forest in Costa Rica, she works to protect the natural world in word and deed. "Kelley tries to link theory with practice, which is something we all, both faculty and students, need to do more of," says her adviser, Associate Professor of Political Science Brigitte H. Schulz.
Carnwath, who earned faculty honors last semester, is an international studies major with a concentration in comparative development. Admittedly "always" interested in nature, Carnwath says her studies at Trinity and the College's close relationship with Hartford have enabled her to explore and better understand environmental issues. "I've learned so much from just being in the city and learning about urban issues. It seems like it was my destiny to end up here," Carnwath says.
Born in Pennsylvania, Carnwath moved to Alabama at the age of 10 but still considers the Northeast her home. When contemplating college choices, she toured more than 20 Northeastern colleges. Trinity left a lasting impression on her. "Trinity really appealed to me. It has a beautiful campus, and I wanted to be in a small college," she says. During her tour of the campus, Carnwath recalls, students praised the closeness of student-faculty relationships. In her years here, Carnwath has found and utilized that close relationship, as well as the close relationship between Trinity and Hartford. "Now that I'm here, I can't imagine being at a more rural college where I couldn't volunteer or work in the city."
A ConnPIRG internship
Carnwath began her volunteer efforts in her sophomore year as an intern with the WaterWatch chapter of the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group (ConnPIRG), which organizes river clean-ups and educational efforts. As education coordinator for a WaterWatch program at Hartford's Mary Hooker Elementary School, Carnwath coordinated the efforts of Trinity students in a 10-week curriculum on issues such as water pollution and conservation. When the internship ended, she continued her work as a volunteer to protect the Connecticut River, a river with which she is literally very close. As a member of the women's crew team, she spends many hours on the river and has a "personal" interest in keeping it clean and healthy.
A trans-America bike trek
Drawing upon the physical and mental stamina she developed as a member of Trinity's crew, Carnwath participated in Bike-Aid, a 3,600 mile, 10-week trans-America bike trek during the summer of 1996. She joined a diverse group of 69 riders, aged 16 to 58 and from more than 22 states and nine countries, who biked from various points on the West Coast to Washington, DC. Carnwath raised more than $2,000 from Trinity's faculty and staff for the Overseas Development Network, a San Francisco-based organization that funds grassroots efforts to eliminate hunger and homelessness and to promote environmental issues.
During her ride, Carnwath met with local activist groups and learned about efforts to improve the quality of life in their communities. "In school, we learn primarily about problems affecting the environment and people. On Bike-Aid, you meet all kinds of people and organizations that are working to improve their communities in many different ways."
Field study in Costa Rica
If Carnwath's fascination with environmental issues was focused by the grassroots groups she encountered through Bike-Aid, it was broadened in scope by her time in Costa Rica the fall semester of her junior year. Through the School for Field Studies, a Massachusetts-based organization that focuses on environmental field studies, she explored the impact of major international corporations on the lives of the people of Costa Rica. "We studied how development affects the rain forest and agriculture. We visited banana farms and pineapple plantations. Then in class we learned about all the chemicals that are illegal in the United States but nevertheless are used in Costa Rica on the food that we import and eventually eat. It's unhealthy for us to eat those foods, and it's an unsustainable system for food production," she contends.
To recharge from her travels and studies, Carnwath treated herself to a vacation at the beginning of this past summer. She then returned to Hartford to pursue an independent project and an internship that combine her interests. As an intern for the Connecticut Bicycle Coalition, she works to promote alternative transportation, bicycle safety, and the rights of bikers. Through the Bicycle Coalition, Carnwath is pursuing a plan to encourage the city of Hartford to consider putting in bike lanes on major city streets and to put bike racks on city buses.
In the coming year, Carnwath plans to spend her time balancing her volunteerism with work on her senior thesis (an exploration of alternative transportation in Latin America), her athletics, and a mentorship with the First-Year Program. Says Professor Schulz with great pride in Carnwath, the academic mentor to students in her First-Year Seminar, "Global Challenges of the 21st Century," "I picked a good one."
-- Jenica Parker Rogers '98