Miki Kittilson Of Arizona State University: 5 Things We Must Do To Inspire The Next Generation About Sustainability And The Environment

An Interview With Martita Mestey

By Martita Mestey, Authority Magazine

Published Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Help young people explore new career options, especially those that help to build better futures. These careers can be in sustainability or environmental science, but it also in other fields like we have at ASU : innovation, ocean futures, and complex systems. Students in every field can add a minor or concentration to their program, or take some courses that deal with these issues, and then, bring that knowledge into whatever career and community engagement they choose.

As a part of my series about what we must do to inspire the next generation about sustainability and the environment , I had the pleasure of interviewing Miki Kittilson.

Miki Caul Kittilson is a Professor and Vice Dean of the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University where she is working to build an innovative college with new types of degrees and approaches to learning that are dedicated to building vibrant futures for people and the planet. Kittilson’s teaching and research help us to imagine how democratic innovations can strengthen people’s engagement with political processes and improve outcomes for people’s daily lives.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

My childhood homes took me from the corn fields of Illinois to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, to the desert of Phoenix. My family valued education, but neither of my parents had the opportunity to pursue education past high school. I was fortunate to begin my college journey as a first-generation student in community college and then came to Arizona State University, where I received my undergraduate degree. It was an honor to return to ASU as a professor and I have enjoyed it for 20 years. My background as a first-generation student shapes my core values and informs my commitment to student access to a top-notch college education, and to achieving success by helping students realize their potential for meaningful and prosperous careers.

Was there an “aha moment” or a specific trigger that made you decide you wanted to become a scientist or environmental leader? Can you share that story with us?

I remember the Berlin Wall falling when I was 16 years old, and I was so energized by the power of people to mobilize for freedom, justice, and democracy. In that moment, I just knew that I wanted to learn everything I could about what makes some democracies successful. Yet, through many years as a political scientist, I was not always aware that the focus of my teaching and research was one that is absolutely vital to planetary health. Democratic participation, strong institutions of government, and peace are linked in powerful ways to climate change and the health of our planet.

So, I have taken a non-linear path — as many students do — when it comes to fully understanding the contribution I can make as a leader on environmental and sustainability issues. The vision for Global Futures at ASU and working with new colleagues in our Schools of Sustainability, Innovation, Complex Systems and Oceans, opened a new window for me to see how political, economic, and social structures are critical in shaping a healthier planet.

Is there a lesson you can take out of your own story that can exemplify what can inspire a young person to become an environmental leader?

Like many people, hearing or reading stories about the threats to our planet concerns me deeply. In 2015, when the Paris agreement was adopted, I came to realize the urgency of the threats to our planet and to humans. The older I get, the more important it becomes to do everything I can to leave a healthy and peaceful planet for generations to come.

We are in a decisive decade regarding the urgent need to address climate issues. This window of opportunity turned my sense of concern into a strong desire to take action. Scientists and scholars are creating vital knowledge, and yet this knowledge does not always have the kind of impact needed to create change. I agreed to join the leadership team in Global Futures at ASU because we can do things differently — we can partner with government, industry, and other organizations to provide decision support. This will help inform creative, new approaches to solving problems, developing new policies, and transitioning crucial systems such as food and energy into ones that are sustainable and just.

I’ve learned that it’s up to each of us to take action now, and by doing so, we can bring shared hope and our abilities to the climate crisis. To young people — it matters less what your major is, and more what your passion is. If addressing climate change is important to you, don’t wait for someone else to do it. Have courage — step up and follow your passion to make a difference in whatever field you are studying or working in. We need doctors who understand climate impacts on health, and engineers and city planners who build for the future taking into consideration such things as sea level rise, changes in energy sources. If you integrate planning for thriving futures into what you do, you will be a leader. We need young people from every background and every discipline to join this effort.

Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?

As we are all too aware, vexing problems threaten our health, security, human rights, and our options for the ways we live our lives in the future. ASU created the Global Futures Laboratory specifically to serve as a global hub for solutions-oriented, transformational, and systems-based approaches to addressing complex challenges.

Global Futures is rooted in the conviction that we can and must make a meaningful contribution to ensure a habitable planet and a future in which well-being is attainable for all humankind and Earth’s inhabitants. Building on cutting-edge research that spans the traditional boundaries of academia, we are creating a new type of ‘open’ college that offers learners opportunities to collaborate on research, forge new paths in new types of careers, work with community partners, and experience place-based learning in locations around the world, including the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences.

Our college offers the opportunity for students to apply for a new program that allows students to apply funding to impactful student-led projects that address the health of people and the planet.

Can you share 3 lifestyle tweaks that the general public can do to be more sustainable or help address the climate change challenge?

Learn deeply about aspects of climate change that interest you. Learn about where the problems and leverage points are, and what can be done that will make a difference. Then, connect with others to take action and multiply your impacts. You can start by choosing to act on one issue or choose one behavior or consumption change. Through knowledge, we can find a path forward.

It’s crucial to talk to others about climate change. Spend time talking about climate issues — especially with those who are not already engaged in thinking about climate change. Share what you’ve learned about it with family, friends, and acquaintances and invite them to the conversation about the urgent challenges we are facing around the world. Be curious and hold space for their experiences and understanding.

Too many times, we avoid these topics, but they are vital to the health of our communities now as well as our future. This simple step can open conversations among people with differing opinions and understandings and offers us a chance to find middle ground and generate new collaborations.

Connect with nature as often as possible. It can be as simple as taking a walk and noticing your surroundings and thinking about things the way they are, and what could be done to make things work better for everyone — both human and natural systems. Unplug, slow down, and take notice. Our appreciation for what the Earth’s systems provide can be a powerful driver of how we see ourselves in relation to it, and the need to keep balance.

The youth-led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion, what are 5 things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement?

First, parents can give them agency. Let young people know that they are part of the solution, and they can and will make a difference in the world. Also, help them learn that there are many people around the world working now to make things better, so they don’t have to feel that everything is on their shoulders. In the current media environment, there are many negative messages that can create a sense of anxiety. Knowing that younger people are not alone and helping them move into the action space can begin with small projects, especially in our local communities. There, we can work together to make improvements: cleaning up vacant lots, helping households add weather proofing to windows and doors to reduce heat loss, and supporting community gardens to improve food security, for example.

Second, help young people explore new career options, especially those that help to build better futures. These careers can be in sustainability or environmental science, but it also in other fields like we have at ASU : innovation, ocean futures, and complex systems. Students in every field can add a minor or concentration to their program, or take some courses that deal with these issues, and then, bring that knowledge into whatever career and community engagement they choose.

Also, many of our students are driven by a deeper purpose and want to make an impact. We know lots of young people around the world feel the same way. By choosing a degree and other coursework that can cross disciplines, students will be better prepared to apply that knowledge across many sectors. This is critical if we are to develop solutions to emerging and urgent environmental issues that our society and planet face.

And while green jobs are booming, there is a deficiency of workers with the sustainability and innovation skills needed to meet demand, which is growing at an unprecedented pace. I’m proud to say our students and alumni are prepared to help bridge the gap.

Consider how we purchase and consume with intention. Families are one of the most important influences on young peoples’ values. Use those values to discuss and guide the decisions we make when buying things. Do we really need to buy something? If so, how long will we use this? When we’re finished with it, how can we reuse or repurpose it for ourselves or others? Find ways to practice circular living. Upcycling, or turning something that’s no longer in use into something valuable, can tap into your family’s creative side and problem-solving skills. It can also save money and create new values.

Fourth, instill a sense of our place as humans as part of Earth’s dynamic systems. Often, we are reminded of this when we visit places where we disconnect from our electronic devices and observe the natural world, for example going to a park. But it can also happen when we go to urban spaces and look at our surroundings. What are the main stores you see? In some places you only see storefronts advertising check cashing, lottery tickets, and fast food. If you lived there, where could you buy groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables? Are there buses you could take to work? Learning early on how to think from a systems perspective is important in prioritizing and making strategic choices throughout your lifetime.

Finally, take your children with you when you vote. Explain to them why you are making the choices that you are. Often, there are referendums about environmental or educational issues. Show them how the vote turned out and talk about how expressing your preferences makes a difference, and when it doesn’t, why you need to try again.

How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?

There are many ways that a business can benefit from being more sustainability-minded and environmentally conscious. They can work on reducing the environmental footprint of their operations. For example, by installing devices that allow greater water, energy and waste stream efficiency, a business can reduce its operating cost. Smaller bills for energy, water, and waste hauling can add up to major savings for a company.

Also, sustainability practices can help a business lower its risk. For example, by using locally recycled materials or sourcing supply chain materials responsibly, a business can reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions.

But they can also help in promoting environmental, sustainability, and futures values in their customers. By explaining why they are making choices to invest in more sustainable products, they can lead environmentally conscious efforts that will improve brand reputation, especially among younger generations, as well as normalize these values as important when customers make choices.

Organizations large and small can work with Arizona State University to improve their sustainability practices. One of the more well-known examples is Starbucks, which partnered with ASU to pilot new initiatives meant to reduce waste and invites students to explore innovations in coffee sustainability at an ASU-partnered lab in Costa Rica.

Other businesses have partnered with our graduate programs to explore sustainable solutions and opportunities . They work with students on a semester-long project on topics ranging from energy, waste, supply chain, to overall strategy. If you are involved in business, reach out to us to see what opportunities are available.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m especially grateful to my father for the example he set in lifting others. After he passed away, I received several messages from people that I’d never met — all expressing their appreciation for the mentorship that he provided. Many credited him with helping them gain the confidence they needed to advance their careers. At that moment, I was inspired to help people realize their full potential and decided that was the legacy I wanted to build. Serving in my current role as Vice Dean at the ASU College of Global Futures, I have the opportunity to do just that.

You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Partnerships are critical. No one can make a difference at the scale we need on our own. I’m so grateful to be part of a growing global movement with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU and I’d like to inspire others to join us. We are working to connect the tremendous knowledge being generated by scientists and scholars and transform it into action through partnerships outside of the university — with organizations doing important work locally, nationally, and globally, with policymakers, businesses, individuals and communities. Please join us. And if you can’t, join another organization working toward a healthier world.

Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?

Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” This quote resonates deeply with me because it has reminded me to go after and do big things– even when they scare me. The best things I have done–going to graduate school, building my family, making career changes, taking leadership roles–have also been some of the biggest leaps. Stepping up to take bold leaps takes courage.

What is the best way for people to continue to follow your work online?

You can follow us at the College of Global Futures website to see the incredible, exciting, and hopeful work we’re doing to ensure a habitable planet and a bright future for all. We look forward to connecting with others who are interested in or ready to take action.

This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!