2019 marks Merry Rankin’s — Iowa State’s director of sustainability — 10 year anniversary working at Iowa State, as well as 10 years of the Live Green! Initiative.

Rankin, who is also currently the director of the Live Green! Initiative, said she is a product of the initiative, as it was started before she came to Iowa State.

The initiative was created after former President Gregory Geoffrey established an advisory committee responsible for focusing on how Iowa State could add sustainability into everything that was done on campus.

The Live Green! Initiative today looks at how environmental, social and economic sustainability can be fulfilled on campus through different operations and events.

“One of my primary goals in my position is to assist in cultivating the stewardship ethic around sustainability,” Rankin said. “Not only for students, but for faculty and staff.”

Rankin said working together with students to find common ground on different projects and challenges is one of the most rewarding parts of her job.

“Seeing that excitement, enthusiasm and being the first one to experience that through conversations we are having brings everything full circle,” Rankin said.

Rankin said it is a privilege to interact with the world’s future leaders at Iowa State, and is honored to help guide and offer new perspectives to them. 

One of Rankin’s favorite memories throughout her 10 years was when a student discussed their passion for environmental sustainability and arranged a meeting with her to see where they could go with their education.

Rankin said she thanks those types of students whom she is able to share her passion of sustainability with and share ideas.

“Those moments are few but they are absolutely precious,” Rankin said. “You’ve been able to provide and experience connecting to sustainability that resonates to a person.”

Rankin said the obstacles she has faced are like others, but something she finds can be frustrating includes considerations of funding, specifically for the Live Green! Initiative.

“I find that as we may have budget cuts for certain reasons, it is hard to say, ‘let’s start a new initiative,’” Rankin said.

Introducing new initiatives can be difficult because of the time and effort needed to be put in to them.

“Sustainability can save money but it can be difficult to see the forest from the trees,” Rankin said.

Molly Breen, a senior in finance, has been an intern for Rankin for three years. She said Rankin wants the best for everyone around her and her community.

“Merry [Rankin] thinks of her interns as family, she says that all the time,” Breen said.

Rankin said there is a lot she is looking forward to see the Live Green! Initiative do in the future.

“I’m working right now with an amazing group of individuals through a sustainability advisory committee, who are putting in so much effort to develop a sustainability plan for Iowa State,” Rankin said.

Some of the goals the committee and subcommittees are focusing on include operational components such as energy, water, maintenance, waste and trying to change guidelines and procedures in order to be more sustainable.

Rankin said so far, Iowa State has not had an overarching plan for sustainability.

“I’m really excited to have those overarching goals, those action items in place to make a greater level of impact in how we approach our day to day decisions related to our operations at Iowa State University,” Rankin said.

As of now, Rankin has a team of nine interns assisting her and she said the transition and growth has been incredible.

“I cannot say enough wonderful things about [the] teams that I have had and all students that I have been able to work with on a volunteer basis,” Rankin said.

Rankin said being able to reflect on the items that have been created, such as the Live Green! newsletter, social media accounts and annual events, is exciting to be a part of.

“We look forward to looking at what different, unique components related to engaging students, faculty and staff in sustainability,” Rankin said.

“How can we more effectively do the things we are doing,” Rankin said. “How can we enhance and build upon those with that vision in mind of educating, engaging and empowering.”

Rankin said she does not plan on sustainability being something that people “remember” happened at Iowa State.

“I really want it to become a part of the fabric of people’s lives and people’s beings while they’re at Iowa State, so then they carry that forward, share that with others, bring it into their profession, into organizations that they may volunteer with, communities that they live in and certainly into the generations that become their families,” Rankin said.