Kristine Ellsworth ’15 (ERE)

Questions

Can you give a little background on why you chose ESF and what are some of your favorite memories.

When I was preparing to graduate from high school, much like many others, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do for college. From a young age, I had a love for the outdoors – camping trips at Allegany State Park, summer vacations to the Georgian Bay in Canada, and generally playing outside with my friends. I was good at math and science and took a series of tech classes in high school. Putting all of these experiences together, my mom helped me discover Environmental Engineering. After visiting some other schools for their environmental engineering programs, I was quickly overwhelmed and unsure of my decision, until I visited ESF for an accepted students open house. I immediately felt at home at ESF and knew that was where I was meant to be. From that first time visiting campus to graduation, I’ve always appreciated that the entire school is focused on the environment. Although a small school, it is filled with heart, character, and passion. 

Looking back on my time at ESF, I think first and foremost of the friends I made that I can proudly still call my best friends today. I think fondly of my trips to the Adirondack Ecological Center through the ERE Club, my first high peak I hiked with the Bob Marshall Outing Club, my travels to Mexico and Costa Rica for short-term study abroad programs, endless nights on the 4th floor of Baker finishing homework with friends, running around campus as an orientation leader for two years, Redfest…the memories are endless. ESF is a community that I know I’ll have with me for the rest of my life.

Can you talk about the coursework/faculty that assisted you the most in your career?

Collectively, my professors each pushed me to think differently and beyond just the problem in front of me. My advisor Giorgos Mountrakis always pushed me to pursue my interests and to challenge myself. Traveling to Mexico for my Ecosystem Restoration Design class and Costa Rica for my Ecological Engineering in the Tropics class taught me to explore other cultures and systems, to respect and value traditional ecological knowledge and to design systems that are holistic and mindful of people and the natural environment. Outside of classes, Professor Doug Daley encouraged us to expand our networks by participating in activities hosted by professional associations, whether it was a conference, local meet-and-greet with young professionals, or site tours. I’m still actively involved in professional associations to this day. 

I know that you started out with NYS Ag and Markets and then quickly moved to DEC. Can you talk about your first job and why you transitioned to DEC?

Immediately after college, I took a seasonal job with the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets. I wasn’t in a rush to secure my next big step. While it wasn’t related to engineering in any regard, it allowed me to gain some different skills and work in New York’s beautiful fruit orchards in Western New York and the Hudson Valley. After some time, I started to apply for various engineering positions around New York State and started working at DEC in November of 2015. I took a bit of a blind leap as I had never been to Albany, and before I knew it, I was relocating to that area in less than a month’s time. I took a solid waste management course my senior year at ESF, so my interest had already been piqued in materials management after seeing a landfill, recycling facility and composting facility first hand.  

Have you always been with the Organics Reduction and Recycling Section?

I started with the DEC in November of 2015 in the Organics Reduction and Recycling section within the Division of Materials Management and am based out of our Central Office in Albany. Throughout the 8 years since, I’ve been lucky to be part of a section that is looking to change the landscape of how we manage waste in New York State. Thinking more holistically about what is perceived as “waste” and how we may instead support systems that beneficially reuse and recycle organic material. 

Our group works to prevent and divert organics (excess edible food, food scraps, food processing waste, yard trimmings, biosolids, etc.)  from disposal to beneficial uses. Our work revolves around four main pillars – regulatory oversight of organics recycling facilities (composting, anaerobic digestion, land application, etc.), legislative advocacy and implementation, funding program development, and outreach and education. Our team has been tasked with overseeing the implementation of the NYS Food Donation & Food Scraps Recycling Law. 

While my work is broader than just composting, my favorite projects are always those with composting at the heart. Composting allows us to take materials perceived as “waste” and turn it into compost, which we can reapply back to our soil. Composting builds community and is one of the only technologies that allows us to manage “waste” right in our own backyards! 

How have you seen this section grow in the seven years you have been there (new laws that have impacted how you are able to implement new programs)?

It’s been remarkable to see how our work has grown since I started at DEC. The type of programming that we can offer and the breadth of work that we now oversee have grown tenfold. We’re expanding our work in every way possible – funding, regulatory and technical assistance, research, outreach and education, training, etc. We’re constantly reevaluating what more we can do with the resources we have. 

Over the last 8 years, there has been a major shift to focus on addressing food waste across New York State. In 2019, the Food Donation & Food Scraps Recycling law passed which requires large businesses and institutions, to donate excess edible food to the maximum extent practicable and recycle their remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles of a food scraps recycler (composting facility, anaerobic digester, etc.). In preparing for and implementing this law, which came into effect on January 1, 2022, we’ve been able to work with so many wonderful partners that are allowing us to support and grow the donation and organics recycling landscapes across the State. 

Can you talk about the connection between organic waste recycling and mitigating climate change?

Reducing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is a top New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act priority. Sustainable organics management is central to reducing the climate footprint of materials management. At the State level within the waste sector, we acknowledge that methane leaking from landfills is the largest contributor of harmful emissions. Removing organics, such as food scraps, from landfills is one of the primary means to reduce those emissions. 

Can you talk about the statistic below (which is staggering) and how you are working to change this?

NRDC estimates that 40% of food in the US goes uneaten – 23 % of NYS municipal solid waste stream is comprised of organics– 17% of that is food waste.

It’s honestly astounding. When we waste food, we also waste the water, labor, fuel and money that went into growing, harvesting, transporting and providing that food. DEC is focused on shifting how we think about the food we waste and how we can divert that food away from our garbage cans to more beneficial uses. Similar to the traditional slogan often used for recycling, “reduce, reuse, recycle”, the same mentality applies to wasted food. We want to first reduce the amount of food we are wasting across all sectors, including our homes. We can all take small actionable steps to reduce the amount of food we waste by shopping wisely, planning meals and learning how to properly store and freeze food. Excess edible food should be donated, where appropriate, to those in need. Lastly, we should think about how we can recycle any remaining food scraps which in the end will produce compost and can be applied back to our gardens and farm fields.

Sources for these statistics: 

https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-2017-report.pdf

https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/draftsswmpmainplan.pdf 

Can you talk about your current connection with Career Services and the alumni that work for DEC and that ongoing partnership?

I first started working with Casey Duffy (Office of Career Services) in 2018 to bring ESF Environmental Resources Engineering students to DEC’s Central Office in Albany. For half a day, students are connected with a panel of ESF alumni now working at DEC as environmental engineers. We’ve been lucky enough to host this in 2018, 2019 and 2023. Approximately 60 students have participated over the three years and a number of them have transitioned to working at DEC. I hope to continue to offer this as long as there is interest from the students. 

Out of this partnership came the idea to bring DEC staff to ESF’s campus to increase accessibility to ESF students and to highlight the variety of jobs DEC offers. For the first time ever, the College hosted DEC Day at ESF on September 15, 2023. 55 DEC staff were in attendance with over half of them being ESF alumni. 19 Divisions/Offices tabled around the quad, and some gave specialized 45-minute talks highlighting their careers at DEC. DEC’s Commissioner Basil Seggos kicked the day off with a facilitated discussion on his journey in the environmental space and where DEC is headed over the coming years. It was wonderful to see so many students moving around the quad and interacting with DEC staff. 

Among many things, ESF deepened my passion for the environment and gave me a group of friends that have become family. Creating opportunities for students to interact with staff at DEC on a more personal level is the least I can do to give back to a school that has been a big factor in who I am and where I am today. 

Volunteer Engagements

Over the past two years, I have volunteered with Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Guiding Eyes for the Blind is one of eleven schools in the United States that trains guide dogs to aide people who are visually impaired. As a puppy sitter, I take puppies in training into my home for short periods of time, providing care and supporting their training on their journey to becoming future guide dogs! It’s wonderful to feel part of a larger purpose to help people regain their independence and move through their days with more confidence with a guide dog by their side.