For Zoe Chabria ‘22, making environmentally-friendly choices and practicing sustainability is something she was born into. Chabria’s dad works as an environmental lawyer, while her mom works for the environmental education non-profit, Scarce.

In their house, they utilize zoned heating and cooling, which changes the temperature of individual rooms when they are in use, instead of taking more energy to warm or cool the entire house.

“When I was younger, I followed my mom and dad’s advice,” Chabria said. “I just thought protecting the Earth is good, and I didn’t really know quite what I was doing and why it was important.”

Simple habits like avoiding single-use plastic ware, conserving water and energy by turning the lights off when not in use, or shutting the water off when brushing her teeth, have always been the norm when Chabria was growing up, she said. As she grew older, so did her knowledge. By participating in her middle school’s Green Team, as well as taking AP Environmental Science in high school, Chabria was able to better understand the sources of energy, and how using them impacts our health and the environment overall. 

Now, as an active high school student, Chabria has found ways to spread what she knows about preserving and protecting the environment. 

“During marching band, they’d have plastic water bottles that they’d give to everyone at the end, and everyone would throw them away,” Chabria said. “I advised that we recycle them, and now we recycle our water bottles when we finish using them. Any club, organization, or anything you’re in can find ways to make it more sustainable.” 

Not only has Chabria been able to make an impact on marching band, but her participation in the Math Team has allowed for this to stretch to more places. 

“Zoe is very passionate about keeping the reusable Math Team jerseys that she designed in order to save money for the team and to minimize waste that results in buying brand new T-shirts every year, and disposing of the old ones,” friend Lauren Turf ‘22 said. 

Chabria’s knowledge and passion for the environment has affected those around her, whether it be intentional or not. By being around her, Turf has become more conscious of the decisions she makes. 

“[Zoe] talks a lot about being environmentally friendly, so I’m definitely more aware of what I do,” Turf said. “Since I’ve known her, I’ve been more consistent with recycling and cleaning up after myself or other people.” 

Chabria plans on continuing with her lifestyle in the future, she said. When it comes to making large life decisions like purchasing a car or house, she will consider ways she can reduce energy. 

“Start small with the things that make the most sense to you and are easiest for you,” Chabria said. “The most important thing is to get started, dive right in, find those things that work for you.”