Two Manatee County Women Singled Out for Environmental Leadership Honoree Receives Audubon/Toyota TogetherGreen Fellowship.
New York, NY - Two Florida environmental advocates are the recipients of a national fellowship designed to advance the work of individuals with outstanding leadership potential to help shape a brighter environmental future.
Yvette Little of Ellenton and Julie Childers Henry of Bradenton are two of 40 individuals nationwide selected as 2009 TogetherGreen Fellows. The TogetherGreen Fellowship offers specialized training in conservation planning and execution, the chance to work and share best practices with gifted conservation professionals, and assistance with project outreach and evaluation. Each Fellow receives $10,000 towards a community-focused project to engage local residents in conserving land, water and energy, and contributing to greater environmental health.
For her fellowship, Little will expand the Pooches for the Planet program, a pet waste education campaign managed by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. The goal of the project is to promote the proper disposal of pet waste to prevent harmful fecal coliform bacteria and excess nutrients from washing into Tampa Bay. Keeping pet waste out of the water will improve both watershed health and residents’ quality of life. Little will work with local partners to develop shelter adoption kits around this issue, as well as gain sponsorship and media attention for the initiative.
Little is currently the co-owner for Simply Green Solutions, LLC. She works to build the capacity of local environmental groups to achieve their missions in cost-effective, strategic ways. Little promotes greener practices and offers easy to use methods that help corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and community leaders "lean towards green."
Henry will work through Conservation Enterprises Unlimited to create a program that helps people act on their concern for the environment: “Wild Carbon.” Through partnerships with groups already working on educational outreach, wildlife habitat protection and carbon offsetting, the Wild Carbon project will provide a compelling way for people, specifically small businesses, to reduce the climatic impacts of their energy use and make a measurable difference to wildlife in need. This project addresses both current and future conservation needs, since carbon offsetting improves the environment today through habitat restoration and protects our future environment by mitigating climate change.
Henry currently serves as the Director of USA activities and projects for Conservation Enterprises Unlimited, a global network of professionals which bring international expertise blended with local attention to each project. In that capacity, she facilitates projects involving conservation strategy, community engagement, green business coaching, training and strategic planning for clients in Australia, Canada, and the US.
“Yvette and Julie are the kind of people that can make a real difference in the health of our environment and the quality of our future,” said Audubon President John Flicker. “Each of our TogetherGreen Fellows demonstrates exceptional environmental understanding and commitment, combined with tremendous potential to inspire and lead others. Together, they represent the talented and diverse leadership the environmental community will need to tackle the huge challenges and opportunities confronting us now and in the years to come.”
“This project expands the education for protecting our water quality and reducing stormwater runoff ‘poo-lution’ – encouraging positive behaviors where we can easily make a difference. TogetherGreen is helping to expand the outreach in our community exponentially,” said Little.
”The TogetherGreen Fellowship offers a unique opportunity to receive guidance and exchange expertise with conservation leaders from across the country as we work to positively impact our local communities for the future,” said Henry.
Little has been affiliated with Simply Green Solutions, LLC since 2008, and Henry has been affiliated with Conservation Enterprises Unlimited since early 2008. Half of the TogetherGreen Fellows come from within Audubon’s far-reaching national network; half channel their environmental efforts through other organizations.
Little received her Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Florida. A dedicated conservationist, Little serves on several community committees and has previously worked for Keep Manatee Beautiful and won TogetherGreen’s Community Passport volunteerism contest with over 300 volunteer hours donated.
Henry received her Masters in communication from the University of South Florida, a Postgraduate Diploma in outdoor education from the University of Otago in New Zealand, and dual Bachelor degrees in zoology and secondary education from Miami University of Ohio. Henry served as a Rotary cultural ambassador to Australia and New Zealand and she previously held leadership positions at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Mote Marine Laboratory, and John G. Shedd Aquarium.
A distinguished advisory committee - composed of conservation professionals and experts in environmental education, communications, outreach, and conservation planning - selected the fellowship beneficiaries from a competitive pool of scores of highly qualified individuals. Qualified applicants must have at least six years of experience in conservation, environmental education, policy, or environmental issues, as demonstrated through current and past work experience, academic studies related to conservation, and/or volunteer work. Candidates must have a passion for conservation, the desire to learn and grow, and demonstrate a proven ability in reaching previously unengaged audiences.
"We must engage the best and brightest leaders representing the broadest and most diverse communities in this country to solve our ever more complex conservation challenges,” said Diane Wood, President, National Environmental Education Foundation. “TogetherGreen is a creative program that uncovers such leaders, nurtures their talents, supports their dedication to conservation and holds them up to inspire others to follow."
A complete list of the 2009 TogetherGreen Fellows can be found at www.TogetherGreen.org/fellows .
