Archives: People

Hannah is a fourth-year student at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She was a Project Green Challenge 2016 Finalist and has continued to work with Turning Green since, now serving as Turning Green’s Chief of Staff. She credits her passion for the environment to Project Green Challenge, and loves working with Turning Green because she strongly believes in their mission to change the world through students.

Erin is a senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying Natural Resources and Environmental Science with a concentration in Human Dimensions of the Environment. Erin was a 2016 Project Green Challenge Finalist, which she credits for sparking her voice and passion for environmental activism. Erin has worked with human rights issues since she was in high school, and has experience leading fellow teens to be affective and inspired leaders. Erin hopes to use her education to work in the non-profit sector and to be a grassroots organizer for environmental education and activism. When Erin isn’t working on environmental issues, she’s probably off spending most of her money on Fair Trade Chocolate, fall candles, and tacos!

Barbara Sobel is an integrative nutritionist specializing in personalized nutrition counseling and health education. She views the whole body as an an interconnected ecosystem system with individual parts that work together. She ishelps her clients recognize the complex role of food and nutrition in human health and then make the lifestyle changes necessary to feel better and build optimal health. She emphasizes the role of food in nurturing and nourishing our bodies and helps her clients find ways to bring real foods into their lives in a way that is simple, enjoyable, economical, and delicious.

She began her professional career working for elected officials at the state and local levels building community support and drafting legislation for environmental, health and women’s issues. She transitioned into communications consulting with a focus on health related issues and later worked with a LEED certified architect diving more deeply into sustainable building practicies. When her children were young, took several years off from paid work and used her advocacy, planning, communication and fundraising skills to help local schools as well as environmental and health-focused non-profit organizations.

Barbara has an BA in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego, and MS in Nutrition and Holistic Health from Maryland University of Integrative Health. She lives in Marin County. She loves to cook and experiment with twists on recipes and fresh ingredients, building on flavors and ways to increase nutrient value, taste, and pleasure around food and eating using the simplest techniques possible. Her favorite places are exploring farmers markets, small neighborhood markets, and independent food purveyors. She is also a photographer and can often be found hiking the trails of Marin County or paddling the bay.

Matt is President and Co-founder of INDiGENOUS, a leading premium organic apparel brand and producer of hand-crafted fair trade clothing. He and INDiGENOUS have won dozens of awards, been featured in scores of books and periodicals, and received numerous accolades, including winner of the global SOURCE Awards for best in Womenswear. “Top Innovator Award” from Apparel Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazines “Young Millionaire”, and singled out as a leader in socially conscious apparel by the Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Examiner, Yoga Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Sustainable Industries. Matt has also lectured extensively, both on branding and with regards to issues of sustainability in fashion and business, at a multitude of venues including Stanford University, Coterie NY, WWDMAGIC and Prompex, Lima Peru.

Matt Reynolds is an ardent advocate about the positive power of business for the benefit of people and the planet. He has been a pioneer in the areas of fair trade, organics, environmental practice and the sustainability movement.He has worked for over twenty years in bringing together organizations around the world and helping to createnumerous collaborative initiatives. His passion and dedication have firmly established him as a leader in the global organic and fair trade movement.

Born and raised in Georgia, Julia grew up hiking, canoeing, and running around barefoot. She was a Project Green Challenge finalist in 2011 as a high school senior and has been involved with Turning Green ever since. After receiving degrees in Environmental Science and Spanish from the University of Alabama, Julia moved to Denver and is currently serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA with a wildlife refuge and an environmental education nonprofit. She is constantly learning about Denver communities, inclusivity in public land, and how to engage families in outdoor experiences. Julia is passionate about conservation, creative expression and social justice, and she abides by the Wendell Berry quote, “Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.” When she’s off the clock, you can find Julia biking across Denver, hiking through the Rocky Mountains, and snapping photos along the way. This will be the fifth time Julia has attended the PGC Finals.

Jeffrey M. Smith is an international best-selling author and filmmaker; Executive Director, Institute of Responsible Technology and leading spokesperson on the health dangers of GMOs. He is the leading consumer advocate promoting healthier non-GMO choices. Mr. Smith’s documentary Genetic Roulette, The Gamble of Our Lives was awarded the 2012 Movie of the Year (Solari Report) and the Transformational Film of the Year (AwareGuide). His books include: Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods.

Throughout his career, Jay has always committed his time to mission driven organizations dedicated to making positive change in underserved communities. Prior to joining Full Circle Fund, Jay was the Senior Vice President at buildOn, an international nonprofit working to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy. In addition to overseeing buildOn’s fundraising goals, Jay managed the West Coast Office as well as the national operations team. As an innovative social sector thought leader, Jay has a long track record of programmatic impact and building innovative corporate philanthropy models to scale that ensure sustainable funding. Jay and his wife Chelsea live in Berkeley with their two year old son Cole and ten year old dog Coosa.

Rachel is co-founder and co-CEO of Amy’s Kitchen, the international food brand she started with her husband, Andy Berliner, over 27 years ago. Rachel’s creative vision and drive to innovate have always guided the work at Amy’s and fueled the company’s consistent double-digit growth.

Her passion for organic and natural foods began at an early age. Rachel’s parents were early-adopters to the urban homestead and organic food movements and, as early as the 1950’s, they were tilling up their suburban yard to grow their own pesticide-free carrots and lettuces. Rachel inherited her parents’ passion for organic food.

Rachel and Andy travel internationally every year and have freiends all over the world. From the beginning, their global travels have imbued Amy’s Kitchen foods with international flavors. Wherever she goes, Rachel is inquisitively looking for the best food, whether it’s from top restaurant chefs or humble home chefs. She follows her taste buds into their kitchens, in search of delicious recipes.