Isha Raheja, a former Claremont High student and current junior at Pomona College, was recently awarded the Rachel Carson National Environmental Leadership Fellowship and named an Honorable Mention by the Udall Foundation for her work in Environmental advocacy in Claremont. Raheja is pursuing a degree in Public Policy Analysis with a concentration in Environmental Analysis and is currently studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she researches and writes articles for the Rachel Carson Council (RCC) about Danish agriculture and conservation efforts. This nationwide membership organization engages in civil advocacy, focusing on environmental, social, and health issues. Through her RCC fellowship, Raheja was selected to fly across the country to Washington, DC, for the American Environmental Leadership Institute, where she was able to speak with US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and MD State Senator Sara Love, an experience she considered “inspiring and validating, that those are two people who are fighting for the environment in our government,” Raheja said. 

This experience was certainly something that motivates her to continue fighting for the environment and keep advocating for a greener, healthier Earth. Although her work with the RCC is far from over, Raheja continues to explore other methods of conservation.

 Locally, Raheja is building an apiary on Pomona College’s campus to help sustain bee populations. The RCC has endowed $2,000 for this project, but Raheja is seeking out additional funding through grants from other areas, such as Pomona College, to address pesticide use on campus. Currently, bee populations are significantly declining, with pesticides being a large factor responsible for the decrease. Raheja kept bees throughout high school and invested a lot of effort and time into fostering her colony. Unfortunately, a school near her house had sprayed pesticides on their wild bee population, and despite being a distance away, those pesticides completely wiped out Raheja’s hive. 

Bees are a necessary part of the environment, as they are one of the largest pollinating forces in nature and a must-have for keeping plants alive. Sadly, pesticides are detrimental to bee populations living nearby, even in small doses. A 2024 study found a 43% decline in wild bee populations in areas with high pesticide use, and beekeepers at a San Diego bee sanctuary have reported that around 95% of their bees have died because of a recent pesticide issue, even though the pesticides were used far away from the hives. Even for bees that do not die, their honey is rendered unusable. This is one of the main issues Raheja is facing with her apiary—the Claremont village (and Pomona College itself) utilizes pesticides, and any bee populations around that area are susceptible to those chemicals. Although the solution to this is still in the works, Raheja plans on climbing the ladder of authority to talk to the people who have real control over where pesticides are used. In order to make this happen, Raheja plans on “attending City Hall meetings and speaking with administrators in Facilities and the Groundskeeping Department,” Raheja said. 

The apiary, however, is not the only initiative Raheja is taking on the Pomona campus to improve sustainability. Raheja is the head of the Pomona Free Room, a conservation effort that provides free goods such as shoes, clothing, and school supplies to members of the wider Claremont Community while preventing unnecessary waste. They organize ongoing donation drives where students and staff of the Claremont Colleges can donate second-hand items to be reused by community members and organizations. Not only does this help the less fortunate by providing supplies free of charge to people in need, but it also prevents waste. This year, Raheja reports that they prevented 7,000 pounds of clothing from being dumped in landfills. Through this position, she also hosts sustainable fashion events like mending workshops, fashion shows, and thrifting trips. Raheja has put a lot of time and effort into taking care of the environment. Through her work with the nationwide organization RCC, as well as locally with Pomona College, the scope of her work reaches far and wide. Her story shows that dedication, persistence, and hard work can coalesce to produce meaningful change. Thank you, Isha Raheja, for fighting for our planet!