When it comes to visiting the UNH Sustainability Institute’s Sustainability Fellows, all are unique. Whether mapping out conservation lands, holding community listening sessions, or in an office running data sets, each Fellow site visit offers something special. However, getting a chance to venture 12 miles off the coast of Maine is quite spectacular as far as site visits go. Thus, we couldn’t be more delighted when we were invited to spend the day with Natalie Young ’25 (Equine Studies and Sustainability Dual Major) at Hurricane Island. Natalie was the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership’s Fellow for the summer.
On a picture-perfect summer day, we met Natalie at the island’s dock where she warmly greeted us, introduced us to some of her summer co-workers, and got right into a tour of the island, its sustainability features, and her experiences working on the island.
Come with us on the tour and hear first-hand what the experience was like for Natalie!
We started the day with a sustainability tour of Hurricane Island with Natalie as our guide and teacher. Although a Fellowship is only 12 weeks, the Fellows take ownership of their work. We could certainly feel that as Natalie guided us across the island and answered our many questions.
Natalie explained that Hurricane Island’s mission is to provide experimental learning opportunities to spark the next generation of STEM innovators and leaders. Along the way, she stopped to highlight the many sustainability features of the island.
The Center uses composting toilets on the island and and foam is used to keep facilities with curved pipes clear.
Quarry pond is fed by groundwater and utilized on the island.
We had to ask, why did you pursue the Sustainability Fellowship with Hurricane Island?
“Last summer I did a very intensive job working with equine rehabilitation and sports medicine, and I loved it. But I also realized I needed more work-life balance. And so, I've been trying to figure out which career path I want to take because I have a lot of interests and I feel like I would be happy doing many different things. The Sustainability Fellowship has been on my bucket list to do since I got to UNH, and I thought there was no better opportunity than this to explore something in the sustainability sector.
I've had experiences consulting with businesses to increase sustainability, and so I thought, “let's try something more out-of-the-box”. I really like things in alternative energy and working with the grid. But when I looked at this particular Fellowship posting, there was a lot in common with skills I already had that I felt I could contribute to the organization. And I thought it would be pushing my comfort zones enough that I would be able to grow.”
Natalie’s living quarters for the summer – a canvas platform tent with a beautiful view right outside her door!
As we continued on our walk, we learned that in the late 1800’s, there was a granite quarry on the island. Today, the pond left by the quarry is fed by groundwater and serves as the island’s fresh water supply.
Solar energy powers a pump which filters and brings the water up through a pipe to the second highest point on the island so that it doesn’t need to be pumped across the island for each individual use. Gravity does the work. We followed the small pipe along a wooded trail to the water storage tanks where it is filtered again and used for cooking, cleaning, drinking, and showering.
Natalie explains how the water gets from the quarry pond to be ultimately used as the island's fresh water supply.
We also talked quite a bit about her work along the way. She was collaborating with the education team to develop new sustainability curriculum and was co-leading an immersive sustainability leadership program for high school students. During the sustainability hikes she led, students learned first-hand about sustainability concepts and practices. Natalie also worked in the garden and introduced island visitors to composting. Throughout the summer, she worked to connect departments within the organization by increasing communication and collaboration.
We paused and marveled at the island’s beauty. Natalie agreed, “it’s a magical island, there’s something serene about being in nature all the time.”. She mentioned that visiting this point sparked conversations about Convergence, a new initiative Hurricane Island hosted, exploring the intersections of art and science and how art and science shape perspectives. The partnership shared new ideas about collaboration and problem solving, which are clearly engrained in the culture of Hurricane Island – central to many of our conversations during our visit. We wondered, has anything surprised you about this experience?
“It's been a very interesting opportunity because a lot of the people here are seasonal and so they're kind of in a passing point in their lives where they're still finding themselves. And so, we're all in this collective mixing pot of having had different experiences and are going in different directions. But we all converged here and we're able to mix and share these experiences in this really immersive learning environment, and then go and take it away to however we want to apply it.”
Solar thermal water heating using evacuated tubes on top of this building.
Hurricane Island is focused on improving their already robust sustainability practices, from composting (traditional three bin system and a bokashi system), gray water filtering using constructed wetlands, solar power, solar thermal water heating using evacuated tubes, and inclusivity – and the organization is making fantastic strides. They are transparent about occasional use of gas generators, and of course boats, to run the island. Natalie discovered that they are always thinking of ways to be more sustainable, making efforts to weigh the pros, cons, and impacts when considering new practices, such as replacing gas powered tools with battery operated alternatives.
After a delicious, nutritious lunch and wonderful conversation, we made one last stop at the new field research station being built. The sustainably constructed building will be a hub for integrated science education and applied research. As we were wrapping up, we had to ask, how has the Fellowship impacted you?
Hurricane Island's new field research station.
“I liken this kind of experience almost to a study abroad; even though it's not in another culture, it’s really outside of the ordinary. Although I don't know if it's directly related to something I want to do in my career, I have definitely learned I like to be involved in education and I like helping people find their best selves and develop their confidence – kind of like what I do with the Changemaker Fellowship at UNH. And even leading the program that I led here, I haven't quite fully been able to pinpoint everything I learned from it, but I feel like a different person, in a good way. I feel like I really grew, and I watched those kids really grow and go through challenging times. There are highs. There are lows. There are times when you're like, ‘I'm tired. I don’t want to do this’, but also times when you just feel the excitement and the look of joy, and this is why you do it. It’s helped me learn more about myself, my role, and my mission in life. This has been a tremendous experience with wonderful people and the best community I could ask for. I’m so glad I came.”
Our takeaways from the day?
It is always inspiring to see how our Fellows take ownership of their summer projects and how the experience shapes their learning journey. We were delighted to see how Natalie has enjoyed and grown from her experience. We’re excited to see where her path takes her in the future!
We’re also grateful that she and Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership are doing the hard and exciting work of sustainability. Thanks to Hurricane Island for their partnership and for providing such life-changing experiences for our Fellows and their visitors.
Learn more about the Fellowship
Interested in hosting a Fellow? Learn more here, or contact Alexis.Dwyer@unh.edu.
