• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Chaminade University

Chaminade University

  • VISIT
  • APPLY
  • GIVE
  • STUDENTS
  • PARENTS
  • ALUMNI
  • FACULTY/STAFF
  • CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
  • Admissions
    • Admissions Home
    • First-Year Students
    • Transfer Students
    • Graduate Students
    • Online Students
    • Military Students
    • Experiential Honors Program
    • Emerging Scholars Pre-College Program
  • Tuition & Aid
    • Financial Aid Home
    • Tuition & Expenses
    • Scholarships
    • $5,000 Graduate Scholarship
    • Net Price Calculator
  • Academics
    • Academics Home
    • Academic Programs
    • Advising & Career Development
    • Undergraduate Research
    • Service-Learning
    • Tutoring Services
    • Academic Course Catalog
    • Registrar
    • Sullivan Family Library
  • Student Life
    • About Student Life
    • Silversword Athletics
    • Student Activities and Leadership
    • Residence Life
    • Health & Wellness
    • Campus Ministry
    • Marianist Leadership Center
    • Campus Security
    • Transportation
    • Dining Services
    • Bookstore
  • About
    • Chaminade University News
    • Our Story
    • Leadership
    • Office of Advancement
    • Mission & Rector
    • Montessori Laboratory School
    • Facts & Figures
    • Accreditation & Memberships
Search
×

Search this web site

Student Broderick Menke Conveys Marshall Islands Plight at Climate Change Conferences in Germany

January 3, 2018 by University Communications & Marketing

Having grown up in the low-lying Marshall Islands, Chaminade University student Broderick Menke knows firsthand about the devastating effects of global warming and sea level rise. Tidal flooding regularly threatens homes and freshwater supplies in his island nation and may make many areas unfit for human habitation in coming decades.

Broderick Menke in Bonn, GermanyAn Environmental Studies major, Menke conveyed the plight of his South Pacific home at the 13th Conference of Youth. Held during November 2017 in Bonn, Germany, this gathering of young people from 114 countries had a theme of “Talanoa Mada – Youth Accelerating Climate Action.”

Menke also represented the Marshall Islands at the ensuing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, which supported governments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thereby accelerating the transformation to sustainable, resilient and climate-safe development.

“Out of all my international trips, Germany was a unique time,” Menke said, because the Republic of Fiji presided over the conferences.

“The significance of that is that the Pacific Islands were able to amplify their voices and issues,” he pointed out. “As a Pacific Islander, I was proud to give a face to the climate realities that we are currently facing, as my home is one of the most vulnerable countries.”

Broderick Menke in Bonn, GermanyMenke was selected to lead the Pacific Voices in Unison – a team of six youth from Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands – who shared their stories of resilience in the face of climate change.

He was also active with the “Have Your Sei” campaign in Bonn, during which “Pacific Climate Warriors” called for ending the use of fossil fuels and providing financial assistance to countries facing irreversible damage from rising sea levels and other environmental threats.

Being invited to participate in the two conferences was the product of “other people’s hard work,” Menke emphasized.

“I commend everyone out there doing immense local work to improve their own environment in their unique way,” he said, because everyone has a duty “to partake in nurturing our planet.”

Broderick Menke in Bonn, GermanyAs for his college experience, Menke said he was attracted to Chaminade based on the small class sizes and recommendations from family members who attended the university.

“When I got to Chaminade, it was more than I expected,” he said. “It was better! The whole idea of a smaller campus gives you the opportunity to get to know many people, and I love hearing stories and their experiences.”

Menke credits one of his professors, Environmental Studies Director Gail Grabowsky, with being especially important in clarifying his academic and career goals.

“I came in with a scattered mind, thinking I will graduate and get into anything environmental in the future,” Menke said. “But she is helping me narrow down my field. She knows me more than I know myself, and I am extremely thankful for her guidance and moral support.”

After graduating from Chaminade, Menke plans to further his education at a university on the East Coast or possibly in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

His message to other climate warriors?

“Let’s all take the power back into our hands,” he said, “and work towards a more sustainable and resilient future.”

Chaminade University offers a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, which prepares students for careers in fields such as environmental policy, law, economics, communications and information, consulting, science, ethics and health.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Diversity and Inclusion, Natural Sciences & Mathematics, Students Tagged With: Environmental Studies

Primary Sidebar

Chaminade University Logo

3140 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816

Contact Us
Phone: (808) 735-4711
Toll-free: (800) 735-3733

facebook twitter instagram youtube linkedin

Visit

  • Plan a Visit
  • Campus Map (PDF)
  • Events

Resources

  • Campus Security
  • Student Consumer Information
  • Institutional Review Board
  • Title IX / Nondiscrimination Policy
  • Emergency Information
  • Careers

People

  • Students
  • Parents
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Staff
US News BadgeUS News Badge US News Badge

Footer

© Chaminade University of Honolulu

Terms and Conditions of Use
Site Information