Hannah is a student at Michigan State University.
“My involvement with turning green has taught me so much. I learned about the inner workings of a nonprofit and what it takes to make one run successfully. I learned more about my passions in environmentalism and how I can follow these passions and through turning green inspire and mobilize others to do the same.”
One word to describe Turning Green? Transformative!
Neka is a licensed Acupuncturist, Author and the Founder of Urban Remedy. She created Urban Remedy as a natural evolution of her passion for health and healing and living a lifestyle with “food is healing” as her mantra. Growing up in the farm-to-table culture of Northern California, Neka was inspired by people who care about what they eat and who strive to eat for health as well as pleasure. In her private practice of over a decade, Neka combined acupuncture and Chinese medicine with cutting-edge nutrition and lifestyle modifications to heal, balance and create optimal health. Neka started leading wellness retreats with her patients and over and over again they described experiencing life-changing results after just a few days. Inspired by these transformations, Neka knew she had found her calling and in 2009, Urban Remedy was born.
Cami is a junior at Loyola University of Chicago studying Environmental Studies. She was a Project Green Challenge Finalist in 2017, and has since been an intern for Turning Green, and the Student Advisory Board’s Vice President of Logistics. Cami is also involved at her university as an intern for Loyola’s Campus Sustainability, and hopes to work for an environmental non-profit or university as a Sustainability Coordinator in the future. Cami is so grateful and excited to be apart of the Turning Green finals this year as an ambassador!
Sophie is a senior at Connecticut College studying biology, with an ecology concentration. Her interests involve marine ecology and biology, and is specifically interested in preserving seagrass ecosystems. She first became involved with Turning Green in 2018 as a PGC finalist, and since then has become an ambassador and judge for the PGC Finals. She is excited to return for her fourth year as a remote ambassador this year. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing field hockey, baking, and spending time outside, especially in the water.
Sunny was a Project Green Challenge Finalist in 2018, an Ambassador in 2019 and 2020, and a Fellow at Turning Green in the Summer of 2020. Sunny graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in Environmental Studies in 2020, and because of her work with Turning Green, she was inspired to pursue a career in environmental law. She is now in her third year at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, and will graduate with a J.D. and a certificate in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law in Spring of 2023. Her favorite part of law school has been gaining real environmental litigation experience by working in the Earthrise Law Center’s clinic for law students at Lewis & Clark.
Ambition. Environmental. Overwhelming. Dedication. Fun.
For me, the most memorable aspect of Project Green Challenge is how it’s ever changing, like a kaleidoscope. It kept my mind flexible and on its metaphorical toes as I raced against the clock to get each day’s learning and challenges done. I’ve been learning time management every single day along with new topics for each challenge set.
30 days ago, I would have never dreamed of making a change in the world around me. 30 days ago, I believed that my lifestyle was good enough for me and the world around me. But now, I realize that perfection is impossible, but progress is always possible. I have been taking a more active role in my own life, making conscious decisions about what I’m buying, wearing and supporting. I’ve learned that I’ve let myself “go” in a way. By reigning in my self-control, I have become healthier, more environmentally conscious, and have gotten a grip on my PTSD and anxiety. PGC has truly changed my life.
As a changemaker, I want to use my newfound confidence to help implement plastic reduction at my local zoo and better sex ed at my high school. I’m seeking out ways to reduce waste at my zoo by targeting one source of waste and researching alternatives. At my high school, I will communicate with administrators and teachers to implement anti-rape and pro-women lessons in sex ed. I will also use this knowledge to start revolutionizing my own lifestyle and live by example. To start, I will put my foot down and commit to living a minimal lifestyle. I’ll also take a look at what I’m putting on my skin and in my body, and encourage others to do the same.
Sophia is a student at Newark Academy in Livingston, NJ.
“I feel like PGC sparked something in me, and I am now confident that I will pursue a career centered around the environment all because of my transformative experience with Turning Green. I will forever be grateful to my fellow PGCers and to Turning Green for a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
One word to describe Turning Green? Transformative!
I’m 18, and originally from Poolesville, Maryland. I am a freshman at McDaniel College, where I plan to double major in Political Science and Environmental Science. In high school, I was a part of the Global Ecology magnet program that acted as a catalyst for my interest in environmental justice. I am also passionate about intersectionality, especially as it relates to human rights and the queer community. My pronouns are they/them, and I currently have fourteen plants in my dorm room!
I’ve become a lot more conscious, of my impact on the environment, of my impact on others, of my lasting impact on the planet. From the clothes I wear to the food I eat to the way my trash is taken care of, every choice I make supports a system in some way or another. Whether that system is sustainable, creating good in the world, or not, is the choice that falls to me. I’ve changed in that, while understanding my impact, or a bit more of it than before this challenge, I seek to support good systems. Fair trade, organic, local, sustainable – I’ve started to go out of my way to change the way I consume. beyond just the inherent dangers and lack of sustainability in consumerism, I’ve grown more curious and more impassioned about the necessary shift our country must make. We need restorative agriculture, renewable energy, sustainable development, and we need this now. I’ve learned that I actually quite like to teach. Maybe not traditionally, with a lecture and a projector to assist, but in leading discussions and showing resources and sharing a wealth of knowledge.
Most obviously, the knowledge I’ve acquired in the past 30 days easily translates to my environmental science and political science classes, offering a more in-depth and personal perspective than most textbooks. I want to educate people. One person can start a movement, but I don’t want to do this alone, to feel as if I am the sole bearer of knowledge in my community of peers. So I’ll share it. I plan to first pick an area of focus that I’m most passionate in to narrow my own additional research and information so I don’t drone on too long, design a presentation, then get the necessary permissions and campus-based knowledge to actually present, and inspire others in a subject the same way PGC has inspired me. Around this, I plan to vote, and I plan to continue writing letters to politicians, and working with/supporting relevant movements to make sure my voice is heard. I will not be erased, and as I grow into my shoes as a changemaker myself, I’ll ensure that the ones who seem to be really making decisions for the nature know what we want – an actually livable planet to thrive on.
Lara is a student at Bloomington High School South in Bloomington, IN.
“The sheer magnitude of meaningful and applicable knowledge that I gained through PGC highlighted to me how few people are aware of details of the biggest issue facing humanity in the modern world: environmental degradation. I will continue to involve others in Turning Green’s mission and that of environmentalists around the globe.”
One word to describe Turning Green? Motivational!
Jasmine is studying Business Management at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.
“Turning Green has changed my perspective and showed me that I can do so much more than I thought I could. I want to become an influential businesswoman with a company that takes care of the Earth!”
One word to describe Turning Green? Valuable!
