Celebrating Earth Month with Teddy L'houtellier: Leader in Sustainability at the University of Miami

As we embark on Earth Month, it's essential to acknowledge and learn from those who are making strides in sustainability. At Brush Club, we understand that education is a cornerstone for meaningful change, so we're excited to present our readers with an insightful conversation with Teddy L'houtellier, the Sustainability Director at the University of Miami. Teddy's passion for sustainability and dedication to educating others serves as an inspiration for all of us. Today, we wanted to share our enlightening conversation with Teddy, delving into the importance of individual and collective action, university initiatives, and the role of education in shaping a greener future.

Background and Achievements

Before diving into our conversation, let's take a moment to appreciate Teddy's background and accomplishments. With a fervor for renewable energy, sustainability, and environmental science, Teddy has been a driving force behind the University of Miami's sustainability efforts. Joining the university in 2014, Teddy led the charge in implementing the institution's first comprehensive Sustainability Action Plan, ultimately securing a STARS Gold ranking for the school.

At the helm of Green U, Teddy oversees a team of dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to initiate, monitor, and promote sustainability initiatives across the university's divisions, schools, and campuses. Teddy holds a MS degree in Environmental Studies - Energy Policy from Florida International University and has experience as an Environmental Science and Environmental Policy Instructor and as the Outreach Coordinator for a Miami-based solar panel distributor.

The Interview: Dialogue and Discussion

Our conversation with Teddy covered a range of topics, including the role of education in fostering a commitment to sustainability, the importance of individual versus organizational action, and the University of Miami's Earth Month celebrations. To provide our readers with a genuine understanding of Teddy's thoughts and insights, we'll include portions of the conversation between Teddy and Santi, our Founder. We believe this approach offers a more authentic experience and facilitates a deeper connection with the ideas being discussed.

SANTI: “Teddy, with your extensive experience in education, both as a student and instructor, how important of a role do you believe education plays in shaping people's understanding and commitment to sustainability?”

TEDDY: "Education is crucial because it is the only way to change minds. It in itself is not enough obviously, you need activism, politics, technology to make a durable change. Sustainable education is the first brick to build a durable and sustainable edifice.”

SANTI: “You mentioned politics and organizations; I'm interested in digging a little deeper in that. Basically, there's a train of thought that believes the individual is not enough for a massive change to occur; it's more on the organizational level and governmental side where change can take place on a massive scale. Do you believe the role of the individual is more important than that of an organization, when attempting to make a massive change?”

TEDDY: "Both - We see how an individual in politics can change everything. So definitely, individuality, personality, will, etc., are crucial to change the world. But nothing is forever, you also need to address the mass behavior change. That behavior change comes with, again, educating people at the individual level. And that means educating yourself, first, to be able to convince the marketing director of a company, for example, to do the right thing.”

TEDDY: "At the end, what I tell most of the students is that it's easy to say you inherit the world you live in and if you don’t do anything, it’s going to be your fault, too. So, to blame it on the past, I don’t see it as separate.”

SANTI: “That's an interesting perspective. As we celebrate Earth Month, I'm sure the University of Miami has planned various events and initiatives to raise awareness and inspire action. Can you share some of the events taking place?”

TEDDY: "Of course! The University of Miami has organized a diverse range of events throughout Earth Month. You can find the Earth Month Calendar here for more information on these events."

SANTI: "So aside from that, can you share with us some of the most significant sustainability initiatives you've implemented since starting your role as Sustainability Director that led UM to a current STARS Gold University?"

TEDDY: "It hasn’t been just me - it’s really the university as a whole. My role is to connect people on the same objective. So, we now track literally everything. Usually, you think about energy, waste, water, but it’s a lot more than that. Just in operations, we track grounds management, food services, transportation, purchasing, and a bunch of other categories like engagement, public community engagement, governance, investment, etc. Something that people don’t know is that by 2028 the University will be fossil fuel-free."

TEDDY: "I think the main thing that happened at the University’s endowment level, in the past three years, is The Solar Together agreement we signed with FPL (Florida Power & Light). That was a huge game changer, because basically, most of our emissions are coming from scope two emissions, meaning electricity, and most of our operations are running on purchased electricity. For every megawatt-hour we consume, FPL retires renewable energy credits on our behalf. And with that, we're able to offset roughly 88% of our carbon emissions.”

Table 1.1: University of Miami’s SIMAP Green House Gas Inventory

TEDDY: "This is something that was unattainable two years ago… As you can see, above, in 2022, scope two emissions are reduced drastically because we were able to retire all the RECs that we accumulated, and that's the new normal for us.”

SANTI: “Do you see any other universities adopting this type of ideology, or is everybody doing it?”

TEDDY: "Everybody’s doing that, but most universities invested heavily in scope one - they sometimes have power plants on their campus. We would look at places like California, where they are carrying 30% of their electricity through a Power Panel (PP) purchase agreement. And now we’re in that position where basically 100% of our electricity is coming from a solar community agreement.”

SANTI: “Wow, I actually was not aware of that. This, of course, supplements the infrastructure built along the LEED certification - a lot of buildings being LEED platinum and gold.”

SANTI: “So now, the final question is more on the personal side; outside of your professional life, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? Are there any hobbies or activities that you engage in that also align with your passion for sustainability and environmental conservation - any green habits?”

TEDDY: "Yeah, when I started being interested in sustainability, I was in FIU (Florida International University). I went back to school when I was a little older and at the time, I was not especially interested in food issues or planting, but by having to study in the environmental department, I had to take some classes. I was more interested in solar energy, but I also had to take some classes on invasive species, ecosystem science and policy, and food systems. That's when I started being a lot more interested in this, and now I have my own food forest, and I compost.”

Conclusion As we reflect on our conversation with Teddy Lhoutellier, it's clear that his dedication to sustainability, education, and individual action serves as a source of inspiration. Teddy's insights remind us that each of us has a part to play in creating a more sustainable future.

This Earth Month, let's celebrate leaders like Teddy who are making a difference and join together in support of eco-friendly practices. Stay tuned to Brush Club for more updates on sustainability initiatives and ways to get involved in your community.

As a final note, we'd like to emphasize the importance of education in driving change. To that end, we encourage our readers to take the time to educate themselves on sustainability issues, engage in meaningful conversations, and take action in their communities. By working together, we can create a more sustainable world, one step at a time.

Remember, the journey to sustainability starts with each of us. As Teddy so eloquently put it, it's the individuals who make a difference, who choose to take action and drive change. So, as you read this blog and learn from Teddy's experiences, we encourage you to reflect on your own actions, choices, and contributions. What can you do, in your own unique way, to promote sustainability? How can you educate and inspire others to join the cause?

Together, let's make this Earth Month a time of learning, inspiration, and positive change. Additional Resources: - Teddy's full bio. - University of Miami's sustainability page.