If asked to describe her summer, probably the last word former Patuxent High School valedictorian Sandy Carter of Lusby would use would be “luxurious.”
The rising University of Chicago junior spent seven weeks biking across New Hampshire as part of the New England Climate Summer Program, a project of the national Better Future Project.
As a member of one of six teams based around New England, Carter said she was working to document and support local community initiatives to build a more sustainable future by advocating for a rapid and responsible transition away from fossil fuels.
By traveling by bicycle, living on $5 a day and sleeping in churches, Carter said her team was hoping to show the people they met that they truly live their values.
“It seems to have inspired communities,” said Carter, 19, who is double-majoring in political science and environmental studies.
She said she first became inspired to investigate environmental issues when her family’s home got flooded in 2003 by Tropical Storm Isabel and said she is hoping for a career working in environmental studies for a nonprofit company.
She spent the past school year helping to form a student group called UChicago Climate Action Network, which she will be directing in the fall.
While on this summer’s bike tour, Carter and her teammates spent their time speaking with members of local governments to learn more about what actions each town is taking to become less fossil fuel dependant.
She said they also tried to help with sustainability efforts in each town and meet with other active individuals and learn about organizations and groups involved in efforts to end the burning of fossil fuels.
Carter said what surprised her the most throughout her travels was, “how much is going on that people don’t know about.
“It really made me think about how disconnected some of our communities have become and how we can help change that. And I really hope to do that,” Carter said.
She said she was also surprised by the different motives people have for practicing sustainability whether it was to save money, be more eco-friendly or to make a political point.
Carter said this showed her how to address sustainability and why she’s passionate about it “from every angle.”
Despite never having seriously ridden a bike as a means of transportation, Carter said she took to it quickly.
“It’s hard but not as hard as I thought it would be,” said Carter, adding that she learned that “anyone can bike; it’s not as hard as it sounds.”
“The weirdest thing is how long it takes you to get places. I’m definitely planning to bike more after this trip,” said Carter, who estimated that she biked 1,000 miles.
The toughest part of her trip, she said, was doing everything with four people whom she had never met prior to the initiative.
“I love my teammates ... but it’s very different to spend seven weeks, 24 hours a day eating, sleeping, spending all your time together ... but we managed well,” Carter said.
Carter’s mother Claudia said she was never concerned about how her daughter would adapt to a summer of “roughing it.”
“I think it’s an awesome experience what she’s doing,” Claudia said. “... Sandy’s very strong. She didn’t struggle; they all did really, really well working together, putting all their personal goals aside and their cause, they put that first.
“We need more people doing that instead of just sitting watching TV and the computer,” Claudia said.
She said one of her daughter’s main points was that it’s OK to “start small.”
“A lot of people in this area don’t even know how to recycle. ...They can do little things by recycling and not throwing trash out of the car. I still see that all the time,” Claudia said.
During the seven weeks Carter was on the road she said she and her teammates were collecting information for a “State of the Movement” report, which will be released in the fall to all the communities and partners with whom the riders worked. The report is intended to inspire and connect the different pieces of the environmental movement, Carter said.
lbuck@somdnews.com
