Meleana Judd
Explores Sustainable
Living at Pitzer

Raised in Hawaii by environmentally conscious parents -- her Dad works in solar energy -- Meleana Judd wanted to attend a small liberal arts college where she could explore her interest in sustainable living. Now a sophomore, Meleana finds Pitzer a seamless fit.

"Pitzer is small but our resources are incredible," Meleana says. "The Claremont Colleges consortium is a beautiful thing, because we have incredible speakers and there's always something going on at one of the campuses."

Opting to major in environmental studies, Meleana blends academic studies with hands-on projects through the Ecology Center, which is based at the Grove House. A class called "Environmental Philosophy" got her brainstorming other ways to make Pitzer more organic and she now hopes to use her Dad's expertise to jump-start a defunct solar-energy system at Pitzer.

"I'm thinking about organic ways to do things on campus, instead of creating more waste," says Meleana, who also is working toward a minor in economics.

For someone raised with trade winds and surf, Meleana finds Claremont's natural beauty an inspiration, especially on days when she can see blue sky and mountains and visit the nearby desert.

When haze obscures the view, Meleana finds a different inspiration: "It makes me realize I need to work harder on environmental policy and changing people's daily behavior, because we should be able to see the mountains every day."