Bianca Buzilă is a student of Communication and Public Relations at SNSPA, passionate about the intersection between urban life and sustainability. She attended the Urban Culture and Sustainability course taught by Professor Mădălina Sandu, where she deepened her understanding of how individual and collective choices impact the environment and society. Her active involvement in the course’s projects and discussions reflects her curiosity and commitment to turning knowledge into concrete actions for a greener future.
What does sustainability mean to you as a student?
I consider sustainability as one of the most important, interesting and challenging subjects I have studied since I began my academic path. I would describe it as continuously helping me to dive deeper into the world I live in and to see it with clearer and wiser eyes. Sustainability showed me and continues to show me everyday that we are more connected, one to each other and each of us to the nature, than we could ever imagine − I truly think this is priceless and I would make a statement of it.
Despite the unquestionable importance of sustainability not only for our planet, but also for us as human beings, the most impactful but simultaneously sorrowful aspect I’ve realised since I started to explore this area is that we usually forget about its fundamental role. In this way, sustainability has arrived to become the elephant in the room, like we are trying to not see its real impact, as we aren’t sufficiently motivated to really change something in how we do the things. And I’m not referring here to the big things, as it could be the impression, because I’ve learned that little and apparently insignificant choices are, in fact, the ones that really make the difference in how we operate on this world as its individually little but numerous and powerful when connected compounds.
Somehow, sustainability has become for me, since I discovered it, a subject I feel I can’t get enough of, no matter how much I would try to know more and more…and exactly this is what makes it attractive to me and triggers me to learn more everyday. What intrigues and fascinates me the most is the invisible bond between the nature and the human being: I like to say that they work as mirrors one for each other.
What are your “green” habits?
I deeply feel the need to take an extreme care of myself and when it comes to the food I nurture my body with, I consider more than the nutrients it has to offer to me: the spiritual energy it flows into my body. So, I felt to eliminate animal-derived aliments from my diet and I can’t say anything but the fact that it was one of the best decisions I’ve taken in my whole life and I’m also sure I won’t change my mind soon (or maybe never) − I feel considerably better since I chose this approach, my body feels so slightly and I’m also helping to the care for the animals, as now I can’t imagine how I would sacrifice them for eating. Well, this represents one of the green habits I have included in my everyday routine to contribute as much as I can to protecting our nature. Besides this, since I realised the impact my little daily choices have for all of us and for our planet, I’ve started to choose, as much as I can, nature-friendly products, from many categories, such as skincare, make-up, clothing or cleaning. Additionally, I try to avoid taking my car when I move across the city everyday (I consider it more a reason to worry rather than a convenience). Furthermore, I really hold tight to keeping the cleanness, in my house, in the closed space I perform my activity, but also in the environment.
How does your university address this topic? Are there courses, projects, or initiatives through which you learn and apply sustainability concepts?
Since this spring, sustainability has become one of the subjects we study in my university and I consider this addition one of the best assets of my faculty. Not only because I think we were the very first students having this opportunity, and so that becomes an exclusivity for our program and differentiates it from others, but also because I really think it shapes your mindset and makes you (more) aware of the crucial role of each one of us on this huge world.
As the majority of subjects we study in our faculty, sustainability supposes a weekly course and a seminar organised each two weeks. Every course and seminar presented us interesting, new, updated, unexpected and I would say, sometimes really shocking information (like statistical data about natural unbalances). Not only that we’ve learned and we’ve seen from real examples, study-cases and good practices how we could apply sustainability concepts with the aid of our teacher, but we also had the (maybe) unique occasion to listen to and to discuss with experienced and performing professionists in the area – which differentiated this course from others and made it really more special to us.
The discussions and the exercises we performed with every interaction were completed by the final project that put us on the desk the challenge to choose a real environmental problem, but also the accumulated knowledge, the tools, the creativity and the courage to solve it. Its complexity offered the chance to explore how many and wonderful things we could do if we aligned our ideas, solutions, skills and talents – I would highlight not only that this project connected me more to the nature, but it also helped me connect more with myself, as I had the occasion to see a solution made by me as a possible way to improve the global ecosystem.
As a student, what do you find to be the biggest challenge in living sustainably? What solutions have you discovered?
I consider the temptation to give up on our green habits in favour of the modern and comfy lifestyle offered by nowadays worldwide possibilities is the biggest challenge for us in order to completely or barely, as much as we can, embrace sustainability. Though, the solution in this case could be thinking about sustainability more as a pretext, a personal treat to escape the everyday routine and to connect more or better said, to reconnect with nature after a full day, rather than as an obligation or as something nearly impossible to fulfill. So, how would it be to barely wait for your after-work walk to house? – that’s the way of thinking I’m talking about.
What impressed you most during the sustainability course at SNSPA with professor Mădălina Sandu?
If I discussed about my teacher, Mădălina Sandu’s incredibly amazing profile and personality, it would take me an eternity…Besides this, I was totally impressed by the multitude or maybe nearly the infinity of ways in which sustainability really makes part of our everyday lives and especially by the fact that, as I stated earlier, we are barely conscious about that. I could say my interaction with Professor Mădălina Sandu truly had and keeps on having everyday such a powerful impact on my evolution, both as a better professionist and as a better human being – I think this is the asset no one could ever take from her: the power to connect with people in a way I’ve rarely had the occasion to meet before her.
What motivates you the most to make sustainable choices? Who or what inspires you?
I think nothing could motivate you more to do or to keep doing something than the results or the feeling after having done it. So it works for me: for example, because I feel so good in my body after having eaten food original from nature, I keep daily on this diet. Also, I find my motivation and inspiration in people I appreciate the most – this is why I enjoy so much their presence, as I feel I have so much to learn and see from them. Mădălina Sandu is one of the people I am everyday thankful for being in my life, as since I met her, she has represented an endless source of inspiration to me.
How do you think your generation can change the future in terms of sustainability?
My generation has such a wide range of possibilities to change how people see, understand, feel and action related to sustainability…We are a middle-generation, I would say, from the perspective that, from our parents’ confessions, we have a little context about how things were working in the past and that’s why today, we also have a little background that would help us not only in dealing with problems, but really more important, in creating opportunities and so removing these problems. We have an idea of the past, but we also have a socially, mentally, intellectually and technologically wider opening than ever, so we have all chances to create a better present for us and also a better future for the ones coming. In short terms, now we have the information, the technology and infinite opportunities to manifest our potential.
The only thing missing us may be the courage to assume the entire responsibility for such a big thing – maybe here is where we still have some work to do. But until we’ll arrive to implement new technologies, we have everyday the power to shape the future of sustainability through the constructive influence we have on each other, by conducting the ones around us to more sustainable choices.
Because a better future stands on a better present, on a better today.
If you were to share one simple and powerful message with other students about sustainability, what would it be?
Explore modernity, but don’t forget: there will always be our origin connecting us and where we’ll always return to – nature.
Credit foto: PR
