Walton MBA student is front page news

UA grad student lives sustainability, finds adventure in travel
BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Monday, April 13, 2009

ANTHONY REYES Northwest Arkansas Times

Cash East is the program coordinator for the University of Arkansas Sustainability Center. East works to show businesses the effects of their products and ways to address it.

He's run with bulls in Pamplona and studied bone fish in the Caribbean, but 27-year-old Cash East's heart has always been in Arkansas.

The Fayetteville resident currently interns for the University of Arkansas' Applied Sustainability Center, where he researches the environmental impact of consumer goods and retail industries nationwide.

"We help companies make products that are more sustainable by looking at new innovations and alternative business practices," East said. "We serve as the intermediary between research agencies, the University and other companies."

Though he's set to graduate next month with a master's degree in Business Administration, East plans to continue his work for the UA on a permanent basis.

"Cash is a fast learner with a lot of ambition," said East's managing director, Michelle Halsell. "He has the ability to work collaboratively with people in a team environment, yet he also knows how to take the lead."

East's passion for the environment can best be symbolized by the biodegradable coffee mug he carries to work each day.

"It's made entirely from American Corn Stalk," he proudly stated.

The insulated green cup features the caption "Healthy People. Healthy Projects. Healthy Planet" - a philosophy East not only lives by, but one he instills in others.

"He's the kind of person who readily accepts a challenge and likes doing new things," Halsell said. "He's very committed to the environment and sustainability."

Despite being relatively new to the industry, East has already gained more experience than most.

As a teenager, the Little Rock native attended Central High School, where he perfected his public speaking skills through his involvement on the school's debate team. He also played on his church's basketball team and took guitar. East spent his weekends duck hunting and fly fishing at his family's river house, which he affectionately refers to as, "the island."

"My dad and I still spend a lot of time there together," he said. "He's always encouraged my love for the outdoors."

Though he enjoyed spending time with his friends in Little Rock, East's desire to see the world took over in 1999 during a family trip to Europe. While visiting historic sites across France and Spain, he and his father got to run with the bulls in Pamplona.

"That was definitely the highlight of our trip," he said. "I was 17 and couldn't get enough of it. It was the beginning of my travel bug."

His ambition to travel didn't end there. East went on to attend Colorado College where he majored in philosophy and history before switching to biology. He spent part of his junior year studying bone fish from a research station in the French and Caicos Islands of the Caribbean. After earning his bachelor's degree, he spent six months working at an eco-tourism lodge in Venezuela.

"I assisted with construction at a beach resort and led snorkeling trips," he said. "I also coordinated guests around the area's nature preserve."

East later returned to Colorado and settled in Telluride for about a year where he worked as a bartender. After saving up enough money, he bought a round-trip ticket to Asia and spent the next six months traveling through Thailand, India and Vietnam.

"I went there with the idea that I'd only be gone for about a month," he said. "But when it was time to leave, I wasn't ready. I wanted to see more, so I changed my plane ticket and ended up staying for another four or five months."

While his travels abroad won't be forgotten, East said the experience didn't outweigh his attachment to Arkansas.

"It's the place I call home," he said. "Arkansas is where my heart's always been. It's where my family lives."

After moving back to Little Rock nearly two years ago, East began working for an environmental engineering company. That same year, he applied to business school and formed his own small environmental consulting company called "East Environmental."

"Just as the company was really getting ready to launch, I got a phone call from the UA business school," he said. "That's when I found out I'd been accepted."

His interest in the environment developed while teaching a class about supply chain impact measurement for school credit. From there, he continued taking classes on scientific measurement.

"I've always been interested in the environment and sustainability - that's why I majored in biology," he said. "When I came to business school, I found the Applied Sustainability Center and it seemed like a perfect fit. It was a blending of business and science."

Though sustainability wasn't an official degree within the business school, East made it his own.

While working for the UA's Sustainability Center, Halsell said the grad student played key roles in analyzing retail refrigeration Life Cycle Assessment data for cheese. He also helped plan the Sustainability Center's carbon innovation lab last June.