The Letters to Our Legislators event, hosted by CCSU’s Sustainability Club, brought students together to discuss environmental issues in Connecticut. 

Kate Terrio, the club’s president, said that the goal of the event was to encourage students to take more political action on issues that matter, environmental or not. 

“Sustainability isn’t just about environmental issues,” Terrio said. “It includes social and economic issues, too, because they impact each other in different ways – it’s interdisciplinary.” 

Caroline Kilian, a physics major, said that as a preschool teacher, preserving the environment is a big concern. 

“Part of the reason climate change is so important to me is because they said we had something like 11 years before we were at the point of irreversibility,” Kilian said. “And that was around two years ago, so I just worry. I hope that all the kids I take care of have a planet to enjoy.” 

In 2019, the United Nations published an article that said there were only 11 years to prevent irreversible damage to the environment after a “high-level meeting on climate and sustainable development.” 

“Sustainability is the ability for our generation to meet our needs without impacting future generations’ ability to meet theirs,” Terrio said. 

One major bill that’s currently working its way through Connecticut’s legislature would ban the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFASs. These chemicals are used for water and heat-resistant materials and do not break down over time, according to the Senate Bill (SB-292). 

“It’s used in all kinds of things like clothes and non-stick pans,” Terrio said. “And they don’t break down, so when those clothes go through the wash, they go into our water supply because they’re too small to be filtered.”

PFASs bioaccumulate, which means they continue to build up in the human body and the environment over time. Scientists found PFASs in blood samples from children aged 3-11 years old, indicating “widespread exposure,” according to a study conducted in 2013-2014 by the CDC.  

Senate Bill 292 will eliminate the use of PFASs in mattresses, air freshening products, apparel, auto-maintenance products, carpets, children’s bedding, cleaning products, cookware and cosmetics.  

Terrio said that microplastics are also a big issue, especially when it comes to fast fashion and clothes made from synthetic materials like polyester. 

“Because it stays around so long, plastic doesn’t break down,” she said. “It just gets smaller. And both these things have been found in our bloodstreams.” 

Microplastics have been found in blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids, while smaller particles, known as “nanoplastics,” have been found in human cells, according to a study conducted by Philip Demokritou, director of the Environmental Health Nanoscience Laboratory at the Harvard Chan School. 

“It’s not just a landfill problem,” Terrio said. “It’s in our air supply and water systems, too.” 

The bill regarding PFASs received a joint-favorable vote, meaning it will move on to the next phase of becoming a law and, if passed, will phase out all PFASs in Connecticut by 2028. 

Terrio said that getting involved in local politics is important because that’s where real change can happen. Unfortunately, some people only care if it impacts them directly, she said. 

“People are blissfully unaware,” Kilian said.