Sustainability grad cares for Steel City’s development

One of Messiah’s first sustainability grads, Isaac Smith ’12 combines his love for the environment with urban development. How do these seemingly opposite ideals co-exist? He works as a data analyst for Green Building Alliance (GBA), a nonprofit in Pittsburgh committed to the design and construction of environmentally stable projects. 

One of GBA’s projects is the Pittsburgh 2030 District, an initiative committed to reducing energy, water and transportation emissions by 50 percent by the year 2030. It isn’t a tough sell. More than 480 properties in Pittsburgh have committed to the project, including arenas and sports complexes.

“One aspect of Pittsburgh that is really great is the public, private and nonprofit partnerships.  The city is small enough that everyone works together, allowing for interface with the mayor and his staff on a regular basis,” said Smith.

A study abroad trip to New Zealand during his sophomore year helped Smith realize his passion for the outdoors, so much so that he wanted to pursue it as a vocation. The only problem was, sustainability was not yet a major at Messiah. As he considered other options, he received a timely email from a group of professors inquiring about his interest level in a new sustainability major. As a pioneer in the program, Smith helped shape his degree.

When it came to the major, it created a platform for me to explore. We had to figure things out, make our own choices and find our own internships,” he explained. “We got involved in the community and did real-life projects.

The first cohort of sustainability studies majors provided feedback on the courses taken and concepts covered in classes. Professor David Foster, the first chair of the major, said, “Isaac was a perfect candidate as one of our early majors. He is inquisitive by nature, a strong student and able to function in multiple disciplines simultaneously.”

The projects Smith worked on in college had no precedent, which instilled in him a figure-it-out spirit—a spirit that comes in handy at a nonprofit. The small team at GBA works long hours on multiple projects, handling many responsibilities.

“I think we do it because we really care about the mission and the region, and we care about each other,” said Smith about his job.

He could just as easily be describing Messiah College.

—Gabrielle Kurtz ’18