Jake Nahama
Bio: Jake Nahama is a first-year at UNC majoring in Environmental Science. Coming from Bakersfield, California, he’s passionate about the outdoors and helps conduct marine science research at a lab on campus.
Growing up, did you have a lot of interaction with the outdoors?
Yeah, I did. I live two hours away from the mountains and two hours from the beach, and besides I live in California. We have national parks and stuff. So camping, hiking, running around in empty river beds, was what we used to do.
Did your parents put emphasis on going outside, or was it a passion you found on your own?
Well, my parent’s didn’t not emphasize it, but we weren’t really an outdoors family. We’d just go to Yosemite and places like that. But as I got earlier, I started going out with friends to go camping, climbing, or hiking.
Would you say other people in Bakersfield had similar interests?
Yeah, I would say there’s a big outdoors community in Bakersfield. There’s definitely interest there.
Would you say those interests, and the existence of an outdoors community, then translated into caring about the environment and appreciating it?
Oh yeah, absolutely. People were like, “These places are awesome and we need to keep them the way they are.” That was the general atmosphere.
Are there specific trends or developments in Bakersfield that made people concerned about environmental degradation?
Wildfires are probably the biggest thing. But even from those, we’ve only had to deal with smoke so it hasn’t been too bad. Droughts are also a concern, but it’s not really a local issue. It’s a result of climate change that gets caused globally, so it’s not really something we can control in Bakersfield. I’d say wildfires are overall the biggest issue, so you have Smokey Bear signs almost everywhere and strict rules against fires in national forests.
Are there community initiatives in Bakersfield that try to help preserve the environment?
I was involved in a good amount of environmental programs when I was in high school in Bakersfield. We had an environmental club that used to follow any public parades in Bakersfield and pick up the trash that they were leaving around, and we also started an initiative called Bike Bakersfield that encouraged people to bike wherever they needed to go for a week. That got really good turnout. Overall, I think that since there was a general attitude about caring the environment already, especially since we were in California, there was something to work with. When people saw initiatives like Bike Bakersfield, they were ready to take those opportunities because they cared.
How do you feel that contrasts with attitudes towards environmental issues at UNC? Do you think people here care as much about nature?
Well, at this big of a university, I can’t say I’ve met that many people here. But I think they do. I mean, I had a random chance of ending up in this particular hall with other people who had an equally random chance of being here, and even within this group of people everyone cares so much about the environment. So yeah, I’d say there’s awareness here.
On a more personal note, do you think growing up around the environment has influenced how you live in the future?
Absolutely. I mean, if I end up living in a place that doesn’t have much access to nature, I’m going to be pretty bummed. I’ve just always had the mindset that environmental integrity is really important, so a big part of my life going forward will be being conscious about my own impact on nature. But even more so, I think my main goal is to be somewhere around nature and live somewhere with easy access to it.
Do you also think that growing up around nature has shaped who you are as a person, or the way you understand your personality?
I guess it’s made me realize how much I need it as an escape. And it’s taught me that things won’t be around unless you don’t protect them. Being around nature makes conservation a personal thing.
Last question – any dream places to live in the future?
Costa Rica, or Iceland. Iceland is pretty awesome.