Summer Felsen

I completed my bachelor’s in international relations from Florida State University in the United States where I also spent one of those years studying in Valencia, Spain. In 2022, I moved from Florida to Belgium to pursue my master’s at the Brussels School of International Studies. Throughout my entire academic experience, I was driven by my interest in global political economy and the devastating impacts that reckless economic growth has on human wellbeing, particularly in terms of health and culture. It was not until the second half of my master’s studies when I noticed a glaring theme between reckless growth and human wellbeing, and that was capitalism-induced environmental degradation and its impact on overall health and happiness.

In addition to always learning more about pragmatic alternatives to economic growth, I like to spend my free time travelling, exercising, and watching movies. I love the beach and any sort of water-related activity. I also love my dog, Chewy, very much, but he lives in Florida, so I miss him terribly. I hope he can visit Belgium one day.

I’m sustainable

I am constantly reading books about degrowth and environmental preservation, and how we can pragmatically preserve the climate and environment via economic approaches. I also choose to shop at second-hand clothing stores rather than unsustainable clothing chains (that are also becoming increasingly expensive and decreasing in quality).

The future I want

I hope that more people will recognize that capitalism and environmental preservation are simply incompatible. If we want to see a better future for our climate and environment, we can no longer practice the unsustainable extraction of natural resources and exploitation of the earth beyond planetary boundaries. I want to see a world where we prioritize human wellbeing over profit and commoditization.