My name is Alyssa Tsukada and I am an Environmental Science and Education major at Western Washington University. I grew up in a small town called Eagle River just 20 minutes outside of Anchorage, the biggest city in Alaska. There, the government bribes its population annually with the Permanent Fund Dividend, a $65 billion fund fueled by oil and gas revenue, in hopes that the population will turn a blind eye to the industrial devastation of our  natural resources. And it is sad to say, but it has been effective since its implementation in 1976. I grew up surrounded by people who preferred having a couple extra cents in their pocket over clean air for their grandchildren and it was infuriating to say the least. I was introduced to the environmental movement by my mother at a young age, but it wasn’t until my freshman biology class that I realized that I could actually be the one to make the change. From my interest in biology and sustainability, my passion for environmentalism sprouted (pun very much intended).

I have since moved to Bellingham, WA to study at WWU. Being a first year student, I have been able to explore new and exciting ways of developing applicable learning techniques such as becoming an on-campus Sustainability Representative. With this title, I have had the opportunity to engage and educate my community about the impacts humans are having on our planet. Within this webtext I hope to continue this educating process with emphasis on the four branches of sustainability: ecology, equity, economy, and human health. This theme is inspired by the WWU Office of Sustainability’s goals of protecting local and global ecology, upholding social equity, creating economic vitality, and maintaining human health. My hope is that this webtext will be a documentation of my unique college journey of growth and global literacy.