Profile Assignment

A Green Approach to Blue

By: AP Smith

Lexington, Virginia -- Kaitlyn Fitzsimmons’ passion for sustainability began at a young

age. In the fourth grade, she started a compost program at her middle school. Every day, she

would collect her peers’ juice boxes and milk cartons, squeezing them dry to ensure they’d be

properly composted. She has been an outspoken advocate for the environment ever since. No

longer 10-years-old, today she is a force to be reckoned with.

Fitzsimmons’ enthusiasm for green living has only grown since her days of lunchtime

container sorting. She was nominated to be the first ever sustainability chair for Washington and

Lee’s quadrennial Mock Convention, a role that will only grow as the Presidential Gala

approaches.

This year’s gala theme is “Blue Meets Green” and is meant to reflect the importance of

sustainability not only to the Democratic Party, but within the operations of Mock Convention as

well. The visual effect of this come gala day on November 9 promises to be spectacular.

“We’re really trying to bring the outdoors inside and create a beautiful space,”

Fitzsimmons, 22, said in an interview. She explained that inside the space, there will be plants

and flowers rented from local florists used as the main decorations. These plants will be regifted

following the gala’s conclusion. Mock Con has coordinated with the local Boxerwood Nature

Center for the event, and a portion of each ticket sale will go towards the organization.

Mock Convention is far and beyond the largest undertaking at Washington and Lee, thus

Fitzsimmons believes sustainability has to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. “It’s the

sensible thing to do for any event this size because you can have such an impact,” she explained.
She commended her coworkers, saying that her job has been far easier because everyone has

incorporated sustainability into their organizational considerations as well.

Mock Con’s commitment to sustainability extends far beyond the gala. It has gone

completely cashless, has moved towards use of projection rather than distributing paper products,

and is renting a multitude of items that are typically single-use for gala weekend.

In keeping with Fitzsimmons’ composting initiative in the fourth grade, Mock

Convention has emphasized small acts that can make a big difference when done many times

over. Last spring, she coordinated a glass drive where students could donate empty bottles for

proper disposal. She also organized a recycled dress drive for the gala, encouraging women on

campus to consider buying used dresses from one another. This all circles back to how she

holistically views sustainability.

To her, sustainability is “thinking responsibly about everything you do, not just

environmentally but socially.” She emphasized that although this extends outside of just the

environmental aspect of the word, her definition of sustainability encompasses everything that

affects your interactions with the world and with others.

Fitzsimmons’ commitment to sustainability is a personal one. Her friends know her as the

“nature” girl who is always emphasizing recycling and conscious consumption. She grew up in

the Bay Area of San Francisco, where she said it’s an “expectation that you treat the environment

with respect.” She was raised to behave in a way that gives future generations opportunity and

access to the same things she had, and that is at the heart of why she believes sustainability is so

important.
 She says the experience of being the first sustainability chair, while far from over, has

been an exciting challenge. She has relished the opportunity to solve problems as they arise,

joking that she’s been winging it throughout the process.

As a senior, this experience sets her up nicely for what she hopes will be a career heavily

involving sustainability. Fitzsimmons has applied to entrepreneurial jobs in the sustainability

impact and investing space and hopes to hold a position involving either corporate social

responsibility or environmental social governance.

“I don’t think I would be fulfilled if there wasn’t some aspect of sustainability in my

career,” she mused, saying it’s important to look at the material impact of companies and

determine long-term investment strategies that encourage companies to emphasize sustainability.

Mock Convention’s commitment to sustainability perfectly embodies Washington and

Lee’s motto: “non incautus future.” Not unmindful of the future. By committing itself to acting

sustainably, Mock Convention makes it possible for future students to participate in this time-

honored tradition. By making this year’s gala theme “Blue Meets Green,” Mock Convention

plants a seed in everyone’s mind that sustainability should be central to everyday life.

By squeezing the last drop of chocolate milk out of her classmates’ milk cartons,

Fitzsimmons showed that every action, no matter how small, matters. Mock Convention’s goal is

to predict the political future of the United States. Fitzsimmons’ commitment to sustainability

helps predict Washington and Lee’s future: one that will be cleaner, greener, and brighter than

ever before.

Contact Name: Kaitlyn Fitzsimmons

Phone Number: (415) 730-4066
Email: fitzsimmonsk20@mail.wlu.edu
Target Audience: Washington and Lee student body, alumni interested in Mock Convention
Photo Idea: Fitzsimmons crushing cans or selling dresses