Chloé St. Amand knew that when she started doing research towards her SERS Master of Environmental Studies-Water degree that she was interested in questions of wastewater. She saw that while a lot of research focuses on the availability of drinking water, very little attention is paid to questions of wastewater.
What she didn’t know was that a 7-foot-tall piece of feces in rainboots would play an important part in her work.
As she describes it, Mr. Floatie – a mascot that was used to garner attention to the lack of wastewater treatment in Victoria, BC – put a fun face on something that was otherwise viewed as technical and scientific. The use of puns, potty humour, and public appearances helped to galvanize community engagement towards the creation of a wastewater treatment facility in Victoria, B.C. and caught her attention.
Chloé designed a research project to understand the role of activism and community engagement in the decision-making process about the wastewater treatment facility. She credits her SERS education with helping to shape her study: an interdisciplinary approach allowed her to draw from various perspectives to understand what was happening. And this is part of what made SERS appealing to her: “People in SERS do weird, interesting things, and it is encouraged. It makes for a more fun experience.”
Chloé found that what might have seemed like a foregone conclusion was really a complicated and lengthy process. She discovered that identity, emotions, and values were important factors, as was the scientific research on the impacts of wastewater discharge in ocean ecosystems.
When Chloé talks about the most significant takeaway from her research, it is the importance of getting involved with your community and local politics when you care about an issue. “What made the biggest difference was when activists ran for office, got elected and changed the voting dynamics,” Chloé says.
But she emphasizes that people don’t need to be the figurehead when it comes to making a difference: “Don’t think that because you don’t have the time and energy to be that person that anything you do is worthless.” People who have a passion for achieving social, political, and environmental change can take all kinds of action: talking to people in your social circles, supporting a candidate’s campaign, volunteering, and hosting events. All of these are important factors for successful activism and political change.
Photo credits: Mr. Floatie at Clover Point in Victoria, B.C. by Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press.
Downtown Victoria, B.C. Inner Harbour Causeway by ChrisJohnstone86, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.