Interviewed by Ellie S. (11th)
Meet Kyle, a senior in high school who loves distance running, gaming, and playing the cello. He says that he loves the sense of freedom that running gives you and often goes on runs through Sanborn County Park or the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. Let’s hear his story!
Every journey has a starting point. Can you describe the specific moment (a class, a conversation, or an outdoor experience) where sustainability started being a personal mission?
Kyle: Growing up, my family loved traveling to national parks, where I loved to earn Junior Ranger badges by filling out a small booklet about the history of the park and how I can protect its legacy. I had always filled out those booklets half-heartedly since my ten year old brain focused more on the reward than the questions. It wasn’t until sixth grade science that I learned about the effects of climate change and global warming on the amazing places I had visited. That was when I began my mission to try to live sustainably.
Sustainability isn’t just for environmental scientists. How have you blended your specific talents with your passion for the climate?
Kyle: Although I loved nature and wanted to preserve it, I wasn’t very outgoing about it and my mission to live sustainably stayed very personal. My passion for endurance sports led to my habit of biking or running wherever I had to go, whether that be a mile and a half to school, six miles to a local hobby store, or twenty miles to a friend’s house. Of course, I hadn’t really believed that this made any observable impact on the course of global warming, but at the very least it gave me peace of mind that I was doing “my part.”
If you could fast-forward ten years, how do you see your current studies or projects evolving into a career?
Kyle: Physics has long been my favorite academic subject, and I’ve committed to college as an Electrical and Computer Engineer major. Currently, AI makes up roughly 5% of America’s power consumption, totalling 183 terawatt-hours in 2024. To put this into perspective, the entire country of Pakistan consumes under 150 terawatt-hours of power annually. I hope to use my education to make AI and computing more power efficient, lowering power consumption and thus reducing reliance on unsustainable energy sources.
Closing Thoughts:
Kyle: Ultimately, the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions are released by large corporations and companies, and each individual’s carbon footprint is practically invisible. However, I don’t think this is necessarily a nihilistic view of global warming. As we say in an MMORPG I play, “enough idiots bashing their head at the wall will surely eventually dent the wall…” Additionally, I believe that sustainable practices should be built from the ground up, and that if each individual strives to live their own lives sustainably, it will inevitably reflect on the industrial world.
