A couple of weeks ago, the WashU School of Medicine welcomed Alicia Hubert, who will be the first Sustainability Coordinator for the medical campus. In her new role, Alicia will be in the Operations & Facilities Management Department on the WUSM campus and she will also work closely with the Office of Sustainability to coordinate the sustainability efforts, enhance existing programs, and to promote sustainability throughout the medical campus community. Specifically, she will be supporting the Green Office Program, assisting with the Green Labs initiative launch, and she will be involved in the sustainable food programs throughout WUSM dining services.
With a Master of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics from UMSL and a rich professional background in biology, Alicia will bring a unique expertise to the team. As a Research Technician II in the WashU Biology Department, Alicia learned the details of working in a lab environment, which will transition perfectly into promoting the Green Labs program in the future. She has worked and volunteered at zoological institutions both near and far, including several years working as a zookeeper at the Saint Louis Zoo. Her experiences in this field developed her passion for habitat conservation and a thorough understanding of the threats facing wildlife and our planet worldwide.
Alicia’s interest in sustainability began as a child with a curiosity about nature and wildlife. She still feels most comfortable outdoors and enjoys hiking and camping with her husband and dog. Alicia strives to live a sustainable lifestyle by not using single-use plastics, buying local and growing her own food, and she had a zero-waste wedding. With the eager participation of her husband, Alicia is developing a permaculture food forest on her 3-acre property in Illinois, which incorporates a large amount of landscaping, gardening, and tree planting.
In her first week working as the School of Medicine Sustainability Coordinator, Alicia participated in the WUSM Earth Day Celebration, where she had the opportunity to meet many of the WashU community who share her passion about the environment: “I am extremely excited and honored to be in this new role on the medical school campus. To be part of a team of like-minded individuals and to spread sustainability throughout our greater community is a wonderful opportunity with a vitally important purpose.”