From a Public Policy Rookie to a Public Ally

Posted on January 4, 2016 by jehollow
Elija Flores

From a Public Policy Rookie to a Public Ally

It’s been several months since my return from my trip to Hong Kong, although it doesn’t quite feel like it has been that long. During those very brief – yet intensive – two weeks of my stay there, I learned more about the public policy process and its dynamics than anything else. Before going to Hong Kong, I was not exactly an enthusiast of the policy-making process or politics, not even in the slightest bit. Nonetheless after my experience in the “Pearl of the Orient,” I started to care and pay more close attention to the events in my own local community as well as the national 2016 presidential race. In other words, I put on my critical thinking cap and I became more invested as an engaged, civic-minded citizen.

Continue reading →

Hong Kong and Tempe: How I’ve Gained the Most Out Of My Study Abroad Trip

Posted on December 3, 2015 by jehollow
Gabrielle Blanchette

Hong Kong and Tempe: How I’ve Gained the Most Out Of My Study Abroad Trip

As I reflect on my overall experiences abroad, I have found that sustainability is slowly, but surely, becoming a prominent subject within my school and extracurricular activities. More and more it seems as though conservation scientists and biologists are being connected with sustainability. When there is a comparison, we tend to find that each tends to compliment each other in areas that are lacking. For example, conservation, at least in the context I am learning through my ASU classes, is primarily wildlife biology and ecology. How can we protect and preserve the environment and its natural cycles, and what mechanisms can we use to do this?

Continue reading →

Sustainability in Hong Kong

Posted on November 5, 2015 by jehollow
Gabrielle Blanchette

Sustainability in Hong Kong

By Gabrielle Blanchette

Hong Kong is a diverse city, home to many beautiful cultures far and wide. It is an international stopping point for many freight ships and an iconic city in the fashion world. As it continues to further as a hotspot for many anthropocentric activities, its current state trends are threatened with many challenges that harm the sustainable development of this iconic city. Of these challenges, I have highlighted three sustainability challenges and two sustainable activities that I experienced while abroad on my global intensive experience.

Continue reading →

The Journey Continues

Posted on November 4, 2015 by jehollow
helios

The Journey Continues

My name is Helios Fatih Osmanoglu, currently a senior, double majoring in Business Entrepreneurship and Sustainability. I was born in Heraklion, the capital of a small island named Crete, but lived most of my life in one of the biggest and most diverse European cities – Istanbul. During my senior year of high school, when I studied abroad in the state of Maine, I started looking at the issues of sustainability in an urban space more closely. Maine as a state being so natural it really does leave much to be desired for the polar opposite Istanbul. I studied abroad in Hong Kong with the Global Sustainability Studies Program.

Continue reading →

Hello, Hong Kong: Collaboration and Cultural Exchange for Sustainable Solutions

Posted on November 4, 2015 by jehollow
Paulina Vu

Hello, Hong Kong: Collaboration and Cultural Exchange for Sustainable Solutions

When I think back to my time in Hong Kong (which is, admittedly, not that long ago) I still have a bit of difficulty truly conceptualizing what the experience meant to me, and how it has shaped my career aspirations. Those fifteen days were a whirlwind of activity- field trips to Hong Kong’s sites from the sleepy fisherman village in Lama Island to the robust streets of Mong Kok, lectures from a prestigious group of sustainability experts and practitioners, and collaborative work with some of the most talented and driven peers I have ever met. This experience is a keystone occurrence in my life – one that I will not forget, and one that has changed my very being, whether I am conscious of it or not.

Continue reading →

Sky Scrapers to Sprawl: Garbage Knows No “City Limits”

Posted on October 23, 2015 by jehollow
Zoe Stein

Sky Scrapers to Sprawl: Garbage Knows No “City Limits”

I was warned that it would be hot and that it would be humid but this did not faze me. I’m a New Yorker who spends August in Arizona and July in New York. In fact, I found this weather warning to be almost amusing. I was also told I would experience mass transit in a whole new dimension and witness unprecedented levels of density. I was sure that those who told me this believed it to be true, as they had never commuted from Brooklyn to Westchester at the climax of Friday peak hours.

And I was correct. Yes it was hot and I was perpetually sweaty but this was truly not a big deal. Their subway (MTR) was a bit packed, I’ll admit, but it was too efficient for me to be bothered by it’s subtle likeness to a sardine can.

Continue reading →

Illumination

Posted on October 2, 2015 by jehollow
Taylor Reimann

Illumination

It has been about two and a half months since we returned from Hong Kong. I still keep in contact with my friends there; we share moments on Snapchat and message each other on Facebook. Although it has been a while, I still find myself thinking about the trip as if it happened just yesterday. I think back to when we conquered the steps to see the big Buddha, or the view from Victoria Peak, or when we were at the final banquet dinner sharing strange foods. It’s not just the big moments that run through my mind. More than anything I think back to the small moments. Fragments in time that dance around in my mind comforting me with their trivialness, but also entertaining me with their nature; waiting in line for the bus, gazing at the coast, walking to the canteen for food, the feeling of sand between my toes.

Continue reading →

The Economics of Sustainability

Posted on October 1, 2015 by jehollow
lisset

The Economics of Sustainability

By Lisset Gonzalez

It’s been two short months since my journey to Hong Kong where I learned about Cities, Sustainability, and Public Policy. Hands down, it was one of the greatest academic experiences of my life. Since this journey, my perspective on sustainable challenges has changed dramatically and I am left with a better understanding of the different spheres of sustainability, especially economics and governance.

Continue reading →

Tales of a (Mostly) Introvert

Posted on October 1, 2015 by jehollow
Heather Turrentine

Tales of a (Mostly) Introvert

Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality test? You probably have. I have. I remember taking it and my score coming out to nearly 50% introvert and 50% extrovert, with introvert dominating. It was surprising to me when I relayed my results to multiple friends, the mixed reviews I received:

“You are definitely an introvert,” said one friend matter-of-factly.

“You? An introvert? But you’re so social!” said another friend, astonished.

Continue reading →