Empowering the Next Generation of EcoLeaders

Portland’s Mayor Charlie Hales believes that young people are already the clean energy leaders who stand alongside the Pope and the President capable of delivering our clean energy future.

During this fall’s #CleanEnergyU dialogue, we’ve met dozens of these extraordinary student clean energy leaders in NYC at our Climate Week workshop and on Twitter at #CleanEnergyU in conversation. They have the ideas and vision to make a difference in the world! Like so many students with the desire to power the future, they’re also wondering how to gain the mentors, the feedback, the traction to deliver on their project’s full potential.

Step in National Wildlife Federation’s EcoLeaders program: designed to help student leaders connect with each other and gain mentoring from experienced clean energy leaders, EcoLeaders is designed to turbo-charge student ideas into action – and make your vision, reality!

So as a student, are you interested to network with clean energy leaders who could help mentor your new ideas as you bring them to reality?

As a clean energy leader, are you interested in mentoring the next generation of clean energy student leaders? Read on… And join Courtney Cochran at 3pm ET / 12pm PT today, Wednesday October 21 – and other clean energy leaders from 12-4pm ET — in #CleanEnergyU’s Tweetathon to learn more about how EcoLeaders can drive inspired ideas to even greater success!

—
NWF EcoLeaders: Building and Connecting the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders

By National Wildlife Federation

College students and recent graduates today are among the first generation of Americans to grow up experiencing the obvious and dramatic ways the planet is changing for people and for wildlife. These young adults are yearning to find ways to help their planet—to create greener campuses and communities, advocate for clean-energy policies and live more sustainably. This generation also has the greatest potential to lead the way towards more sustainable, resilient communities.

National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is helping these students and young professionals cultivate the leadership and career skills necessary to design projects, secure careers and start businesses that protect and restore the environment through the NWF EcoLeaders program.

An offshoot of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Campus Ecology Program, NWF EcoLeaders draws on more than 25 years working to make colleges and universities more sustainable while building student leadership for the environment.

Thoughts from notable alumni:

Philip Aroneau, Founding Coordinator of 350.org

“The NWF Campus Ecology program is like a Petri dish for innovative projects run by youth leaders. It provides them a springboard to reach for the game-changing solutions that our ecological crises require.”

Julian Dautremont-Smith, Director of Programs, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

“The Campus Ecology Fellowship really helped me launch my careers in campus sustainability. It helped me deepen my understanding of greenhouse gas inventory methodology and campus climate action more generally. The knowledge I gained during the Fellowship was incredibly valuable in the development of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.”

Growing each day, NWF EcoLeaders boasts a membership of close to 1000 emerging leaders representing nearly every state in the U.S. plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada at over 250 campuses so far. It is the nation’s first program to offer an on-line community tailored specifically to the leadership and career skill needs of emerging leaders for wildlife, conservation and the environment.

Across the U.S. and Beyond, EcoLeaders are:

Creating an Eco-Mission, envisioning and sharing the legacy they wish to leave on campus and in their communities for future generation.
Using planning and design tools to design and launch projects such as habitat restoration, public transport, and zero waste initiatives at various scales (campus, community, state, federal and international).
Supporting and linking with one another by joining projects and participating in forums.
Earning recognition for leadership, including project and career certification.
Securing jobs and creating new business that protects the environment.

“EcoLeaders enables more students than ever to make a difference for wildlife and the environment while enhancing their leadership skills, broadening their networks and sharpening their career edge,” says Kevin Coyle, vice president of education programs at NWF. “The EcoLeaders community also empowers students to achieve real-world environmental impacts, such as reducing energy and water use, encouraging the growth of sustainable, healthy food in their communities, and creating climate-resilient habitats for wildlife.”

As part of the #CleanEnergyU Tweetathon on October 21^st, students are invited to participate in a twitter dialogue with NWF EcoLeader’s Community Manager, Courtney Cochran who will share how NWF EcoLeaders can help students translate their ideas into action and be supported by a large community of like-minded emerging leaders and access the opportunity to earn national certification for their demonstrated leadership skills. Courtney will answer questions about how students can best utilize this unique program and online support community and looks forward to hearing student’s questions, thoughts and ideas!

—

Inspired to push for a cleaner energy future? Interested in finding a mentor? To become a mentor to an EcoLeader student?

Join Courtney Cochran from NWF and dozens of clean energy and student leaders in conversation today during our #CleanEnergyU Tweetathon 12-4pm ET Tuesday Oct 20 and Wednesday Oct 21 – to share your questions and enter the #CleanEnergyU conversation!