Breaking Green Ceilings

Aalayna Green (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Michigan State University majoring in Zoology.  Her research focuses on the nexus between conservation criminology and women's studies.  She's specifically studying the gendered implications of urban wildmeat trafficking in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A self-proclaimed intersectional conservationist, Aalayna has plans to attend graduate school and focus on wildlife conservation, community sustainability, and women's empowerment.

See Show Notes - https://watersavvysolutions.com/trafficking

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Dr. Lee Ann Woolery, is an educator, researcher, scholar, and practicing artist of over 30 years. She pioneered Art-Based Perceptual Ecology, an art-based field research method to study ecological change. Dr. Woolery has accomplished a diverse array of actions varying from designing and facilitating arts programming for communities, schools, etc., to working with multicultural and intergenerational constituencies in several states, to developing a multi-disciplined community-based creative arts and mentorship program for inner-city youth of color in Chicago. She is currently the CEO and Research Director for EcoArt Expeditions and Citizen Artist, where she leads field research employing art-based research methods in concert with traditional scientific methods to study ecological systems. You can find more information about her current research and educational programming at http://www.ecoartexpeditions.com

See Show Notes - https://watersavvysolutions.com/ecoart

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Vasu Sojitra is a professional adaptive athlete. His main passion is for skiing as well as for mountain sports ranging from trail running, rock climbing to packrafting and everything in between. Vasu has climbed peaks like the Grand Teton and climbed and skied peaks in Montana’s Beartooth and Bridger mountain ranges. When Vasu was only nine months old, he was diagnosed with septicemia, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. Since then, Vasu has not looked back; with the help of his parents, brother, and friends, Vasu has built up the confidence needed to face new challenges with grace, courage, strength, humor, and unwavering determination. With the motto of “ninjasticking through the wood to bring intersectionality to the outdoors” Vasu leads outdoor activities for people of marginalized backgrounds and challenges the biases that go with being a person of color with a disability through his work with the In Solidarity Network and first adaptive athlete for The North Face as well as his previous work as the Adaptive Sports Program Director for Eagle Mount Bozeman and Co-Founder/Program Coordinators for Earthtone Outsideᴹᵀ.

See Show Notes - https://watersavvysolutions.com/ninjasticking

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Dr. Dominique Lazarre has been an Associate Research Scientist at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in Saint Petersburg, Florida, since 2017. At FWRI, she leads a data management team that provides fisheries data to state and regional partners for stock assessments. Dominique also has experience working in academia: she is currently an adjunct professor for the Department of Biological Sciences at University of South Florida Saint Petersburg and was previously a visiting professor in Environmental Studies at Eckerd College. She completed her doctorate in Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami, where her dissertation focused on the dynamics of invasive lionfish and the factors that helped lionfish become established in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. Her current position allows her to work at the intersection of stakeholder engagement and fisheries management, providing data that support sustainable fisheries in Florida.

See Show Notes - https://watersavvysolutions.com/marine-sciences

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Ari Copeland works at Black & Veatch Corporation as an Operations Specialist. Ari has a BS in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Masters in Environmental Engineering from University of Cincinnati.  Ari has been a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and has been in the water and wastewater industry for 16 years. Ari is a queer, transgender man who transitioned on the job in 2011.  Ari is passionate about inclusion efforts within the water industry and all aspects of life. Ari is a member of the AWWA Diversity and Membership Inclusion Committee and the current Chair of Black & Veatch’s Pride Employee Resource group – working towards fostering a safe and inclusive work environment for LGBTQIA+ professionals and Allies. Ari is a New Englander at heart (originally from Waterbury, Connecticut) but enjoys traveling within the USA and all over the world.

See Show Notes - https://watersavvysolutions.com/inclusive-spaces

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Rabiah Nur is an Indigenous healer, activist, storyteller, speaker, ceremonialist and daughter of the Great Mother. Her work in the world is to heal and empower women through connection to nature, to spirit, and to their innate wisdom. She works to facilitate a rebirth of a new and healthy society where women are valued, empowered, whole and are held as the sacred beings that they are. If women are unhealthy, the whole society is unhealthy.Currently, Rabiah consults with and teaches at conferences, gatherings, schools, religious organizations, and retreat centers to offer Earth-based spiritual teachings, grounding energetic work, collective healing for teams and work groups, and education about appropriate use of Indigenous practices and traditions. Rabiah recently co-designed an initiative in partnership with the Patuxent Riverkeeper called Honoring Our Sacred Waters, which exists to increase awareness of the spiritual connection between people and water through honoring, ceremony, and education.

Show Notes: https://watersavvysolutions.com/spiritual

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Dr. Diego Román is an Assistant Professor in Bilingual/Bicultural Education at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Fall 2019). Prior to this appointment, he was an Assistant Professor in Teaching and Learning at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Román holds a B.S. degree in Agronomy from Zamorano University in Honduras and a M.S. degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He earned a M.S. degree in Biology, a M.A. in Linguistics, and a Ph.D. degree in Educational Linguistics, all from Stanford University. Dr. Román's research interests are located at the intersection of linguistics, science education, and environmental studies. Specifically, he investigates the implicit and explicit ideologies reflected in the design and implementation of bilingual programs and in studying the best practices of teaching science and environmental topics, particularly to bilingual students. Dr. Román has researched the language used to teach climate change at the middle school level and is currently leading an initiative that seeks to improve the quality of science, environmental, and bilingual instruction (Kichwa/Spanish and Spanish/English) in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

Show Notes - https://watersavvysolutions.com/on-the-miseducation-of-our-youth

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Sarika is a first generation Indian-American, who grew up in the suburbs of Rochester NY. Her family comes from the foothills of Himachal Pradesh. Sarika was deeply influenced and inspired by the East Bay Area’s rich activist traditions while studying at the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned dual degrees in Peace and Conflict Studies and Conservation and Resource Studies. Before returning to graduate school, she worked for several years with her partner to build Restorative Formulations, a socially and environmentally responsible natural medicine company. She was able to pursue her twin interests in social and environmental justice while earning a Master's degree in Advocacy for Social Justice and Sustainability from Antioch University New England’s Department of Environmental Studies. Sarika lives with her family in Vermont.

Currently, Sarika is an equity strategist and racial justice advocate.  She consults, teaches, writes, researches, and collaborates at the intersection of race, equity, and environmental issues. Sarika is deeply committed to working within the environmental movement to address issues of racial and environmental injustice and to support the inherent power, brilliance, and well-being of communities of color. She is also interested in supporting racial equity in nonprofit, education, criminal justice reform, and cultural spheres.

Show Notes - https://watersavvysolutions.com/racial-equity

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