Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chinelo Arinze. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Chinelo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents conceived the notion of conceiving me and my brother before we were conceived; that’s one thing that set the course and has impacted my life in a positive way. Throughout my childhood, my mother told me stories about how she and my father planned and greatly anticipated me and my brother. I think this foundation is important in shaping one’s life for positive outcomes.
My father’s influence on me was a product of his remarkableness. He traveled to the US as an immigrant during the 1970s to receive advanced undergraduate and graduate education. My father was relentless in expressing his expectation of the best from my brother and me. More important, my father was the model of achievement and determination he expected to see in my brother and me. I perceive this as something that has shaped me in a constructive way.
Chinelo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I uphold the values of a humanist. As a human being, I don’t think there is a value that transcends humanistic values. At the center of my values is an interest in natural environment health. This is particularly important to me because the health of the natural environment impacts everything that depends on it. Because humans depend on and are impacted by the natural environment (and its state of health), in my perception it is logical for the health of the natural environment to be a priority for humans. In service of my interest, I founded WasteforUse, Inc in 2011. WasteforUse is a nonprofit organization with a focus on advocacy and education for promoting a healthy natural environment. One of the things WasteforUse does to advance its mission is to engage early learners with education about the natural environment. We have an education program that uses storytelling to engage early learners. We partner with some school systems to roll out this program annually – Environmental Learning Theatre. Presentations for Environmental Learning Theatre can be booked through details provided on our website. Additional information about our organization can also be found on our website: www.wasteforuse.org
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
I think determination and diligence are probably the most useful attributes, in my experience, for succeeding with my work. Particularly, because one inevitably meets instances of lack of support throughout a journey for building a service or business, determination and diligence are required to stay on the mission and not give up.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
I think I would choose the area of service I currently pursue, if given an opportunity to “go back”. The rationale for this is I perceive there to be a huge need for prioritizing education and advocacy for a healthy natural environment. As long as this need exists, I remain interested. However, I have learned many things along the way of developing WasteforUse. I would probably use the things I know today as an advantage for moving the organization forward if given the opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wasteforuse.org
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBHSxeXawRA (Clip for Environmental Learning Theatre program)