Sustainable Thought Leader Suzet Nelson will be sharing her thoughts on sustainability with the Green & Main Community
One of the goals of the Green & Main Pilot Project is to increase discussion about how we can live more sustainably, not only in our business practices but also in our community. To highlight members of the Des Moines’ sustainability community, the Green & Main Team has asked sustainability experts from across various disciplines to share their thoughts. These experts will be sharing their thoughts through our blog and upcoming Green & Main Monthly E-Newsletter.
Our first sustainable thought leader is Suzet Nelson. Suzet is currently a teacher at Des Moines’s Alternative High School, Scavo. At Scavo, Suzet has created classes such as ‘Neighborhood Revival’ to encourage teens to honor and renew the communities in which they live. Community art installations are a prime example of her students’ work to beautify these communities. Scavo students recently completed panels focusing on sustainability for the Green & Main Pilot Project. Be sure to check out the students’ work in our photo galleries section.
Suzet’s commitment to sustainable communities does not stop there. She is also a board member and current secretary for Urban Ambassadors, a Des Moines 501(c)3 non-profit focusing on sustainable living. Urban Ambassadors seeks to clarify sustainability goals through seven key areas:
- Money
- Service
- Food
- Waste
- Commute
- Home
- Energy
In regards to sustaining communities, Suzet hosts ‘Your Home in Iowa,’ a local TV show on KCWI that began as an effort to help local businesses succeed in the community by setting them apart from competitors. The show contains interviews with a wide range of local businesses featuring home, health and self-improvement. ‘Your Home in Iowa’ is currently in its third season and airs Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m.
Suzet’s interest in sustainability began early while growing up on a farm within the Omaha Indian Nation in Nebraska. This experience nurtured her desire for preparing and eating fresh, local and simple food. The landscape informed her childhood and continues to do so in all her work today. Suzet hopes to educate and inspire others to live simply and generously. Suzet holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Briar Cliff University and a Family and Consumer Science Degree from Iowa State University.
– Sara Crouse is a writer and marketing strategist who lives in Des Moines, Iowa.
Impressive. I work for a project helping disaster survivors, and have worked for years with people during crisis. Seems there is much more to Ms. Nelson than spokesperson and host. In the scriptures Cain is asked where his brother is after Abel’s death. Cain’s response, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Would be quite the eye opener if we all realize we do well to be responsible for the well-being of each other. The Golen Rule isn’t just a good idea, it’s essential.