Q&A with PLNU Alumnus and Sustainability Advocate Jazmine Brown

Q: How did you get into sustainability?

A: It’s something that I never grew up with, and I never really heard about it. It wasn’t until I went to PLNU.

I was a fashion merchandising major, so I joined the anti-human trafficking club [only] thinking about sex trafficking.

That’s when I first encountered labor trafficking and I had never heard of it. They explained to me how the fashion industry is actually the number one culprit of labor trafficking and I was pretty distraught about that. They went on to explain all the environmental things and how that’s a form of injustice.

It was kind of overwhelming and I ignored it for like a year. Then I had to take a biology class at Point Loma to graduate and I ended up taking ecology and conservation. In that class, I learned more about sustainability and how lifestyles and consumerism is a really horrific thing on the environment and animals.

So not only is what I’m doing impacting the lives of people, but also impacting the planet.

Q: What sustainable products are you really into right now?

A: I love my reusable menstrual cup. It’s the best. It makes me feel so much cleaner and I’m not worried about it throughout the day.

Q: What are some tips on being more sustainable if you’re just starting out?

A: I would look at one area you’re passionate about. For me it was initially with fashion, but if you’re passionate about food or if you’re passionate about painting just look at what you’re using and try to find sustainable options there.

I feel like you’re going to be more likely to want to look into it if it’s something you’re passionate about and something you’re encountering every day. Once you start doing that, it will open your eyes to other things.

That’s what happened to me! I was passionate about fashion so then I was like, ‘what does an ethical wardrobe look like?’ and I started doing research to try to find other people who are resources for that.

I would stick to one area and focus on that and try your best in that [area] because reality is: you can’t be good overnight. You can’t fix the whole world overnight.

Q: What is it that you do in sustainability?

A: My whole motto for myself is that I want to make sustainable living acceptable, fun and informative. I like to provide information and resources and things that I wished someone provided resources for.

I feel like it’s so daunting, that it’s nice to have someone present it in a fun and aesthetically pleasing way.

So, that’s what I try to do with my blog. I try to show that any person can try and figure this out. I didn’t grow up knowing this, but this is what I’m learning, and this is my journey of figuring it out and here are some resources so you can do this too.