Dr. Madhavi Venkatesan, assistant professor of economics, wants to get things done. And whether it’s an issue of global dimensions or something happening right up the street, she’s glad to put in the effort
The dust has settled on the historic international agreement that was reached late last year on climate change. A United Nations-sponsored conference in France brought attention to the issue and many of those who attended the talks are hoping for the best.
Dr. Venkatesan attended the conference. Her takeaway is slightly different from that of others. In short, she believes agreements are fine, but until individuals start taking personal responsibility for the future of the planet, real change will be impossible.
“Individuals need to take on the responsibility of educating themselves,” she said. “It’s our consumption decisions that have created this outward manifestation of climate change. People need to have more cognizance in regard to each one of their individual actions and weigh how much those actions affect the environment.”
Professor Venkatesan has worked at the local level to affect change. Working with the Bridgewater Green Committee as the advisor to BSU’s Students for Sustainability group, she advocated for the environment, representing nearly 700 students who signed a petition in support of the Green Committee’s call to end the retail distribution of single use plastic bags in Bridgewater. Their collective work paid off, and in March the town council voted to ban single use plastic bags.
In January she was the invited keynote speaker at a financial literacy competition for Brockton High students that was hosted by BSU. From there she worked with the students after school and during their spring break to prepare them for a regional competition. Of the four teams she worked with, each earned a top place in the competition. “The students were highly motivated, dedicated and creative,” she noted. Following the competition, she was invited to Brockton High by the students to be their first Lunch ’n’ Learn speaker.
Dr. Venkatesan has been known to drive back and forth from her home on the Cape to assist with evening student events at BSU and to coach and direct students for presentations while in transit, home or even abroad. It is this kind of commitment, to her students, the environment and other issues that makes Professor Venkatesan deserving of recognition. (Story by John Winters, G’11, University News & Media)
