SOPHIA LI is a Chinese American multimedia journalist, film director and climate optimist.
Her mission is to humanize a story, product or character through immersive storytelling and conscious content focusing on issues such as the climate crisis, spirituality and global tech trends.
Sophia puts climate positive solutions at the center of her work with projects like a short documentary on the biggest landfill in the US in partnership with the United Nations and environmental nonprofit Slow Factory, interviewing climate scientist Carlos Nobre: Nobel Peace Prize recipient on the Amazon rainforest to combat deforestation and teaching a course on deconstructing greenwashing myths in the fashion industry.
Sophia has interviewed notables spanning across fashion, tech, and culture from names like Arianna Huffington to Pharrell Williams, Celine Dion to climate scientists.
She is the former Entertainment Media Editor at Vogue.com where she worked on creating and launching VOGUE’s social and digital voice.
Sarah is a mission-driven strategist, advisor, and problem solver who has worked with entrepreneurs from around the world, governments, and nonprofit organizations to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges. She is the Director of Engagement and Policy at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, loves learning from others and is excited to support this project however she can. This will be her fifth year as a PGC mentor.
Amanda Parker is the Managing Director of Cowgirl Creamery, located in Point Reyes, CA. Amanda comes from a business background, and began her journey working in cheese 12 years ago working in the retail side of cheese in New York City. A young and passionate leader, Amanda is dedicated to continuing the practices of the founders of Cowgirl Creamery, Peggy Smith and Sue Conley. She stands by the idea of dairy being used as a force for good, and is committed to maintaining the role that Cowgirl Creamery plays as a community hub and supporter of a local, regenerative, organic food systems.
Award winning actress Alysia Reiner is best known as “Fig” in all 7 seasons of Netflix’s ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, for which she won a SAG award. You may also know her as Kiki on HBO’s THE DEUCE or Sunny on FX’s BETTER THINGS – all 4 seasons on Hulu now, and season 5 coming soon! She also starred in and produced two award winning films: EGG (100% fresh on rotten tomatoes!) and EQUITY, both available on iTunes and Amazon now.
Alysia loves working as a change maker for women, just received the Acclaimed Collaborator Award from Women in Arts and Media, is an ambassador for the Geena Davis Institute for Gender Equality, on the global leadership board of TIMES UP, recently received a MUSE “MADE IN NY” AWARD from The Mayor’s office and New York Women in Film and Television. and is passionately committed to protecting the environment – see livariclothing.com, her zero waste womenswear label!
As a huge environmental activist, she has spread the green word as a mother, featured as a parenting expert on KIDS IN THE HOUSE, and well as featured on Hallmark Home and Family TV, Celebrity Baby Scoop, Stroller Traffic, People.com, Healthy Child Healthy World, Family Focus Blog, Today I ate a Rainbow, MINI Magazine, Your Green Baby, and others. She was a celebrity green momma spokesperson for Healthy Child Healthy World, as well as Best For Babes, an organization that works to change how we view and support breast feeding, and gives moms the solutions they need to make it work. As a champion of all things eco-friendly, and she and her husband use their own home as a way to share information about building green. Their brownstone eco-renovation in Harlem was featured on television’s “World’s Greenest Homes” and “Renovation Nation;” in various magazines like Dwell, Gotham, Origin and The Nest; and they allowed the environmentally-friendly construction process to be chronicled on websites such as Dwell.com and Kohler.com. To learn more, follow @alysiareiner on Instagram & Twitter, and check out www.alysiareiner.com.
You can always spot the co-owner of Frog Hollow Farm, Al Courchesne, by his iconic blue overalls and wide smile. Located on 280 acres in Contra Costa County, Frog Hollow Farms harvests award-winning fruit year-round. Farmer Al takes pride in his stewardship of the land through organic practices and a robust on-site composting operation that produces 4,000 tons annually. As an enigmatic leader, Al fosters a strong community among his year-round employees, housing fifteen families onsite. To ensure a 90% usage of all fruit, co-owner and wife Rebecca Courchesne leads the on-site kitchen that produces a variety of delicious prepared pastries, jams and dried fruit. With each fruit picked by hand at the exact time of ripeness, Farmer Al is adamant about ensuring the best quality to his customers.
PGC PORTFOLIO VIDEO
Quincie Bump, Samara Rodgers, Judith Martinez, Nathaniel Cabrera
SOCF are a group of four teens from California who are students at Olympian High School. The diverse team consists of bold, innovative changemakers who are passionate about helping others and making a difference. Samara is an amazing artist who flexed her creative muscle throughout the entire challenge by bringing emotions to life in powerful visuals. Judith is an inspiring and motivating teammate with an incredible work ethic that keeps all grounded. Nathaniel is a charismatic leader with a wonderful sense of humor and talent for visual aesthetics. Quincie is the face of the organization and team, as well as a great reflection of some of their best qualities. Together, they make up SOCF, youth activists, changemakers, founders of the Students 4 Sustainability Project, and most important of all, a loving group of friends. Their combination of conviction, curiosity, honesty, and a little Gen Z humor has allowed them to proudly spread a message of creating a sustainable world through climate justice to anyone and everyone.
Five words to describe PGC: inspirational, educational, insightful, powerful, empowering
PGC PORTFOLIO VIDEO
Addie Foote, Claire Abbott
Addie and Claire are juniors at Stillwater Area High School in Minnesota. Passionate about the environment, they enjoy being outdoors, hike, bike, kayak and co-founded an environmental conservation club at the start of this year before strengthening their commitment throughout Project Green Challenge. PGC changed their lives and flipped the perspectives they hold on themselves, their community, the world, climate change and human rights issues. Planning to later enter the STEM field, including biology and environmental sciences, the high school students plan to implement an on-site solar energy and efficient technology project at their school and throughout the district, using and sharing newfound information to challenge conventional thought and systems.
Five words to describe PGC: motivational, transformative, rewarding, enlightening, relevant
PGC PORTFOLIO VIDEO
Néstor Villegas Alarcon, Milagros Rojas Lock, Alberto Rodríguez Bautista, José Hinostroza Gonzales
Néstor is a civil engineering student at the National University of Engineering in Lima, Peru. He is oriented toward environmental justice, raising awareness about the environment, volunteering and critical problems that affect us and the planet. He loves to train in martial arts, play soccer and be in nature above all. Milagros is an environmental engineering student, passionate about environmental education and always participating in various environmental causes. She likes to travel, sing, dance and swim in the ocean, her favorite place. Alberto is a fourth year mechatronics engineering student and coordinates many activities to promote environmental conservation. José is a junior and leads the environmental volunteering group RUA Perú UNI. After PGC, the team knows that even though the earth is facing many pressing issues, solutions to change behavior, industry and policy are within reach. They are focused on environmental education to promote critical thinking and sustainable practices among agents of change at the university and beyond.
Five words to describe PGC: demanding, innovative, continuous learning, enjoyable, teamwork
PGC PORTFOLIO VIDEO PRESENTATION
Ivana Florez, Shambhavi Gupta, Mariana Hincapie
Green Gang is a group composed of Ivana Flores from Honduras, Shambhavi Gupta from India and Mariana Hincapie from Colombia, students from different parts of the world coming together to try to make a change in their communities through a school organization and Project Green Challenge. Dancing, playing tennis, reading, horseback riding, spending time with our families, and having contact with nature keep them going. Before PGC, they wanted to effect change, but did not know how to do it and felt like the “moment of changing the world” would never arrive — because they had to finish school, go to college, and, only with a degree, could then change the world. But they knew that would be too late, so decided to invest time now in advocacy. PGC not only transformed their lives, but has provided lifelong motivation to find solutions, teach others, create projects and fight for the world and collective future.
Five words to describe PGC: informing, exciting, thankful, ambitious, proud
PGC PORTFOLIO VIDEO
Mrinmayee Warode, Rahul Sindhani
Mrinmayee is a college senior studying chemical technology in India, representing Team Greecofriendly. She is a proactive student leader engaged in various activities around sustainability, who has not only become eco-conscious throughout Project Green Challenge, but also now understands the importance of influencing others to adopt those principles in day to day life. She sees the urgency in protecting the planet and values the health of every organism, ready to take a stand, cast a vote and make a difference for climate justice and a safe, sustainable future.
Five words to describe PGC: adventure, knowledge, mitigation, involvement, implementation
