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After spending two years in the Peace Corps and over a year as a grant writer with Defenders of Wildlife, Jessica Leas '96 is benefiting both the environment and people abroad at her present job with Global Green. The U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International, led by former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, Global Green advocates for a “global value shift.” The program Leas is involved with works toward the environmentally sound destruction of chemical and nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Russia.
“In the U.S., we are reviewing the different technologies for destroying the chemical weapons here,” says Leas. “The Army has chosen incineration, but that might not be the most environmentally friendly option. We want the Army to review alternative technology options in order to choose the destruction method that is best for the environment and the people.”
The group conducts risk and health assessments in the areas surrounding weapons destruction facilities in Russia and provides public outreach to inform these communities about the weapons and how they will be destroyed. Leas manages information shared with Russia as an associate in the Legacy Program and gives training to Russians on outreach approaches. She has traveled to Russia a handful of times in about two years with Global Green.
“These facilities in Russia are built by U.S. companies,” Leas explains. “The U.S. is funding destruction of the weapons and we are better positioned to get information out of the companies than our affiliate in Russia. I work to get the information they need and they disseminate it.”
Leas, who speaks Russian, became interested in the issue while teaching English in Kazakhstan for two years through the Peace Corps. A chemical weapon stockpile was located nearby, across the Russian border.
A government and law major at Lafayette, Leas was active in community service. “I was in the first group that went to Honduras over spring break,” she says. “I met Peace Corps volunteers there and that got me interested in the Peace Corps.”
Paul Walker, director of the Legacy Program; Jessica Leas '96; Mikhail Gorbachev, Green Cross international director; Laura Grunberger, director of special events.