Austin Redwood peels his eyes open and blinks at the early morning light. The summer air is slowly rousing all of the people, plants, and animals on the Maryland farm. It is only 5:30 a.m., but Redwood has to get up and prepare for the long day ahead. There are seeds to plant and weeds to pull and sustainable futures to ensure.

If a weary Redwood takes a moment to envy his classmates who are doing their summer internships in air-conditioned offices during normal working hours, that moment is quickly pushed aside when he travels with the farmers to market. There, he has the opportunity to educate the food-buying public of the virtues of buying locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables. "You start explaining, and you kind of see their faces change and light up," he says.

Redwood's farming and educating experiences during his internship are part of his lifelong commitment to environmental issues. The senior Humanities and Art major remembers hikes and lessons from science classes, long before his college years, which taught him the benefits of turning off the lights when leaving a room and conserving water. As a freshman, he didn't have to think twice about joining the student group Sustainable Earth, where he and other students have worked on projects such as promoting alternate energy usage and roof gardening. The group also led him to serve on the Green Practices committee—made up of faculty, staff, and students—which strives to make the Pittsburgh campus one that would impress even environmentalist Al Gore. The recycling bins that seem to be all around Carnegie Mellon are courtesy of Green Practices.

Redwood has been involved in a number of other projects with Green Practices, too. Last semester, for instance, he helped to run the third annual Focus the Nation teach-in. Green Practices took over the University Center and invited professors and outside environmental experts to speak about climate change. The event was open to all. Redwood was encouraged by the community's support of the teach-in and notes that many professors gave their students extra credit for attending.

He is still unsure of his own plans after graduation—he ponders getting involved with an urban agriculture movement. He does know for sure that he'll keep environmental activism a part of his life. "The Earth gives us everything we need," he says, "it's a good idea to treat that as precious."

Kelly Delaney (HS'09)