Alessia Grant Noble ‘26, a senior double majoring in Sustainability, Ecology, and Policy, and Political science, spent her summer turning class-based skills into hands-on experience, working with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Solid Waste Management and Prevention Division.
“In addition to making social media content for the Vermont DEC Instagram, I attended farmers' markets throughout the state, visiting underserved communities to talk trash,” said Alessia. “I answered questions about recycling requirements, gave recommendations for compost practices, and shared state laws about organic waste and e-waste.” Alessia’s position was primarily outreach focused, but featured unique opportunities to see the hands-on work of the DEC. One of these opportunities led Alessia to Vermont’s one and only major landfill in Coventry, as she watched their supervisor scope out a new cell - a unit for waste within the landfill.
She described the experience as “shocking” and perspective granting. “It was tough to comprehend that what I saw, literally, didn’t even scratch the surface of how much waste this landfill held. I felt a sense of guilt, realizing I was standing next to everything I had ever thrown away in the state of Vermont.” Upon seeing the landfill, Alessia felt reinforced in her role at the DEC. “The goal of this position was to help disseminate information and improve solid waste sorting practices to reduce the volume of trash that goes to the dump. Seeing the amount of waste actually present in the landfill just further solidified the importance and necessity of person-to-person outreach."
Alessia’s experience at Coventry and the DEC was profound, compelling her to explore and advocate further, even inspiring the topic of her thesis for the Honors College. “I am writing about environmental justice in Newport, the town that borders Coventry. Residents of Newport feel taken advantage of and misunderstood by Casella and the state of Vermont.”
She was able to apply her studies in a practical, hands-on experience beyond the classroom. “I wanted to do more than just conceptual, theoretical work,” she said. “On an individual level, people do not sort their trash correctly. On the global level, plastic companies make so much plastic because it is cheap, incredibly versatile, and serves as a major profit-making backup for the fossil fuel industry.”
Alessia's time at the DEC inspired her studies and changed how she views her upcoming post-grad future. “I am more deeply considering a career at the state-government level,” she said. “I’m considering working as a public servant at the state level within an environmental conservation division, saving money, and studying for either the LSAT or GRE.”
Alessia Grant Noble ‘26 will graduate this winter from the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.