USU Extension - Sustainability

Utah State University Cooperative Extension takes university research and expertise and delivers it to the public in the form of training workshops, presentations, and fact sheets.

Roslynn Brain is an assistant professor, sustainable communities extension specialist at Utah State University who delivers programs on environmental sustainability. Past presentation topics have included creating environmental leaders through service learning and methods to green your gardening, eating and shopping experience. She is currently working on several environmental sustainability fact sheets and is creating a USU Extension Sustainability website and certification program. Roslynn teaches Sustainable Living and Communicating Sustainability at Utah State University.

As a sustainable communities extension specialist, sustainability infiltrates every aspect of my daily life. The following is a list of some of the environmental sustainability activities I am engaged in:

• Have an organic vegetable garden
• Am a CSA shareholder to support a local farmer
• Shop at the local Cache Valley Gardener’s market
• Am launching a USU Extension Sustainability website and statewide training program
• Have never used my dryer (I use an outdoor clothes line instead)
• Refuse to buy bottled water
• Bring my own mug everywhere
• Have a reusable bamboo utensil set so I don’t create waste with plastic disposable utensils
• Refuse plastic bags at the grocery, thrift, and any other store
• Teach workshops on greening your gardening, eating, and shopping habits
• Bike to work every day and have never driven my personal vehicle to work
• Do not have any children
• Participate in natural healing and do not take synthetic prescription drugs and avoid foods with synthetic ingredients
• Practice leave no trace ethics when hiking/climbing
• Recycle and compost, and produce less than a small grocery-sized bag worth of garbage a week