Since Amelia Keane came to UNH Manchester, she has had a goal in mind. As a transfer student with a worldly background, Keane was determined to fill the need she saw in our school for more environmental awareness and sustainability. I got to sit down with Keane and ask her about those goals.
After graduating from Nashua High School North, Keane went to a small private college in Southern California. There she received a very alternative style of education that was heavily influenced by the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights and sanctity of life. It was there that she harnessed her intentions of going out into the world to make a difference by being a leader in whatever field she chose. However, Keane realized that something was missing, she had always wanted to pursue medical school and a school fully dedicated in the liberal arts couldn’t do that for her.
Shortly after returning home to New Hampshire, Keane joined the U.S. Army Reserve. She wanted to fuel her sense of adventure and learn new skills. It was there that she went through combat medic and nursing school. Shortly after coming home she enrolled in UNH Manchester's Biological Sciences program, where she could learn in small impactful classes and benefit from the opportunities that come with an urban campus.
After getting settled in her routine at UNH Manchester, Keane created the environmental sustainability club Our World. She had noticed that there were some real fundamental issues with our recycling process, and she set out to fix it. After many meetings Our World was approved a $5,000 budget to get new bins and improve the system. Now in her junior year, Keane's plan is to set a new campus standard for recycling for spring of 2016. She will be demonstrating the new process to any new and returning students and showing that UNH Manchester cares about living sustainably, and that it can be done in a city environment. Through this new process she plans to spread awareness, passion and excitement about recycling among the incredibly diverse UNH community.
Our World hosted its first event on October 1, a vendor fair that brought local businesses together to sell their goods on campus. It was so successful that a second vendor fair was held on Monday and Tuesday, with UNH Manchester students, faculty and staff stocking up for the holidays on everything from candy and spices to dog bones and body products.
Written by Liz Graham '16, English
