HempStone Welcomes Natalie Greenbaum!

What has your internship with HempStone been so far? What have you been up to?

It’s been good! Natural building is definitely something that I don’t have a lot of experience in, it’s interesting to see a construction and consultancy company in action, and to venture out to Cape Cod for a site visit. I feel like thus far I’ve focused on getting oriented to construction and the specifics of hempcrete. I’m excited to see what’s happening with sustainable materials. Outside of work, I’ve been watching Love Island and a lot of the contestants are builders, so that’s been inspiring.

You graduated from undergrad at UMass Amherst recently, congrats! What were you studying and How does it relate to this internship? What knowledge are you excited to bring to the company?

Thank you! So I studied sustainable community development (which has 12 syllables! Haha) with a focus/concentration on climate change and infrastructure. I have studied a lot of sustainability aspects broadly, especially in the context of community work. I can bring a lot more of the communications side to the company. A lot of my major was about climate change communication and how to engage with populations in an ethical and thoughtful way. I’m really excited because I have studied sustainability so broadly, and now I get to do something with more of a narrow focus and delve into it. I do like the idea of working hands on too.

What about this work is the most new to you?

Building terminology and construction terminology. I’ve also never worked in an office in my entire life, and it’s a new environment. I’ve also never worked in construction before.

What are your thoughts on our current climate situation, and what aspects of sustainability do you see yourself drawn to/passionate about?

I think that most people have the right idea about sustainability and I don’t think that it’s ever an average person’s fault in relation to the climate crisis, so I wish there was less focus on that aspect. I feel like a lot of people get really stressed about their carbon footprint in a bad way. I wish there was more of a focus on getting major corporations and companies to focus on sustainability and I wish there was more accountability because we are ultimately defined by the actions of our higher institutions. I also think the development of sustainable products is really interesting. It’s great to have a sustainable solution to something, but also a lot of sustainable products are encouraging consumption themselves. There’s a bit of nuance with the development of sustainable products and consumption in general and it should be discussed. 

What’s one fun fact about yourself?

Oh my gosh, I don’t know… let’s see… I can do a cartwheel!