Criteria
Outstanding youth leadership and project impact
"Outstanding leadership" means that the recipient played a major leadership role in creating, organizing, and implementing their project or campaign. The juries are looking for the person with the vision, motivation, and leadership skills that made the project or campaign work. Impact is gauged by the extent to which efforts benefited the environment and community in terms of measurable results (e.g. acres of wildlife habitat protected or restored, number of people engaged in social issues because of the project, numbers of children no longer exposed to toxins, etc.), as well as movement-building and raising awareness.Conservation
CONSERVATION is work to eliminate or decrease use of natural resources and negative impacts on ecosystems and communities. For example: A campaign that plays a substantial role in organizing a local community to pass a public transportation initiative. A project that significantly reduces energy use on a school campus by requiring passive solar design and the use of efficient appliances in all school facilities. "Conserve the golden eggs carefully. Preserve the goose or there will be no more golden eggs. If you've already damaged the goose, get going on restoration." -- David R. BrowerPreservation
PRESERVATION is work to protect ecosystems, species, indigenous cultures, and other irreplaceable elements of the world's natural heritage. For example: A project that secures a protected nesting area for an endangered songbird. A campaign that plays a substantial role in blocking development of Native sacred sites via ongoing peaceful civil disobedience (demonstrations, street theater, marches).Restoration
RESTORATION is work to re-establish the healthy functioning of ecosystems, parts of ecosystems, and human communities that manage ecosystems. For example: A project that reclaims an abandoned urban lot, creates an organic garden. A campaign that works to eliminate carbon emissions and mitigates the impacts of global warming.Selection process
The Brower Youth Award recipients are selected by an independent panel of judges, including activists, educators, journalists, and environmental advocates. The Selection Committee changes for each cycle of the Brower Youth Awards. Each jury is made up of experts from a range of disciplines. Supported by a committee of Brower Youth Awards alumni and the Earth Island Institute staff, the Selection Committee ensures that award recipients are engaged in bold, visionary, and powerful leadership and activism. Since 2000, more than 50 experts have served on the Brower Youth Awards Selection Committee. The 2009 Selection Committee consisted ofPast winners
2000
* Barbara Brown, 14, Victoria, TX: Launched the "Don't be Crude" program to stop people from using oil as a weed killer * Tamica Davis, 18, Dorchester, MA: Organized an Anti-Idling March in memory of Walter Kirnon, a young boy who died from asthma * Matt Ewing, 20, Chicago, IL: Coordinated Iowa Students Toward Environmental Protection (IowaStep), a statewide network of college environmental groups * Dave Karpf, 21, Philadelphia, PA: Directed the Sierra Student Coalition * Ariana Katovich, 22, Berkeley, CA: Created the Shoreline Preservation Fund, a ballot initiative for the students at University of California Santa Barbara * Bethany Larue, 16, Groveport, OH: Set out to change Ohio's destruction of millions of acres of wetlands2001
* Deland Chan, 16, New York City, NY: Became the prime mover of the Roots and Shoots project at the 92nd Street Y in New York City * Angela Coryell, 19, Baring, WA: Came up with the idea for, produced, and directed an award-winning documentary film called An Oily Sky * Jared Duval, 18, Lebanon, NH: Founded and coordinated Students for a Sustainable Future * Robert Fish, 23, Bar Harbor, ME: Led campus activists in a non-violent direct action campaign against old-growth forest product retailers * Heide Iravani, 18, Charlotte, NC: Founded and led a school-based chapter Free the Planet!, serving as a local organizer * Grayson Schleppegrell, 13, Charleston, SC: Led a campaign to rescue endangered swordfish populations off the coast of the East United States2002
* Jessian Choy, 21, Santa Cruz, CA: Founded the Student Environmental Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz * Max Harper, 20, Hotchkiss, CO: Developed a Sustainable Living Theme House at Colorado College to engage students in environmental sustainability * Stephanie Lacy, 17, Bandera, TX: Initiated a2003
* Rachel Ackoff, 18, Claremont, CA: Organized trainings to give activists tools to work for a global trade system that protected the rights of the environment and working people * Andrew Azman, 21, Owings Mill, MD: Founded CU Biodiesel, to switch University of Colorado buses and City of Boulder buses from petroleum diesel fuel to vegetable oil biodiesel fuel * Whitney Cushing, 16, Homer, AK: Founded Homer Alaskan Youth for Environmental Action (HAYEA) who successfully stopped oil and gas development near native villages * Andrew Hunt, 22, Bethesda, MD: Established a Maryland-wide network of college and high school student environmental activists to affect public policy * Illai Kenney, 14, Jonesboro, GA: Cofounded Georgia Kids Against Pollution in response to the growing numbers of local children with asthma in the Atlanta metro area * Thomas Nichols, 14, Corrales, NM: Conceived and implemented a program to preserve the fragile Rio Grande ecosystems2004
* Lily Dong, 16, South Pasadena, CA: Protected and restored the last remaining undeveloped area in Los Angeles, the Arroyo Seco * Hannah McHardy, 17, Seattle, WA: Founded The Old Growth Project to persuade her high school to switch from using virgin fiber paper to 100 percent post-consumer-waste paper *2005
* Kayla Carpenter, 17, and Erika Chase, 17, Hoopa, CA: Organizing the Salmon Run Relay to educate the community about the Klamath and Trinity Rivers, their fish populations, and native diet and cultures * Andrea Garza, 21, Albuquerque, NM: Founding Esperanza Unida, a group focused on social and environmental justice in her hometown Brownsville, Texas * Jessica Rimington, 19, Cotuit, MA: Launching th2006
* Jessica Assaf, 16, San Rafael, CA: Creating "Operation Beauty Drop" during which large bins were placed in public malls for teenagers to drop off their toxic beauty products *2007
* Rachel Barge, 21, Berkeley, CA: Creating The Green Initiative Fund, a student fee referendum passed by the students at the2008
* Marisol Becerra, 18, Chicago, IL: Mapping and inventory of industrial toxins * Jessie-Ruth Corkins, 17, Bristol, VT: Leadership of the Vermont Sustainable Heating Initiative * Timothy DenHerder-Thomas, 21, St. Paul, MN: Spearheading the creation of the Clean Energy Revolving Fund (CERF) at Macalester College * Kari Fulton, 22, Washington, DC: Co-founding the Loving Our City, Loving Ourselves (LOCLOS) campus and community initiative, as well as training young leaders of color through the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative * Phebe Meyers, 18, Woodstock, VT: Co-founding Change the World Kids, which focuses on permanently creating a migratory corridor in the Costa Rican rainforest, restoring it with native trees, and inspiring others to protect the global environment * Ivan Stiefel, 22, Mullica Hill, NJ: Co-creating an alternative spring break for university students to stand in solidarity with communities affected by coal industry abuses2009
* Robin Bryan, 21, Winnipeg, MB: Helped save nearly of boreal forest from industrial logging{{cite web , url=http://www.broweryouthawards.org/userdata_display.php?modin%3D50%26custom2%3D2009 , title=New Leaders Initiative , accessdate=2010-06-16 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112172106/http://broweryouthawards.org/userdata_display.php?modin=50&custom2=2009 , archivedate=2010-11-12 * Sierra Crane-Murdoch, 21, Middlebury, VT: Co-founded Power Past Coal to spotlight communities impacted by the mining, processing, and burning of coal * Alec Loorz, 15, Ventura, CA: Speaks to thousands about the2010
* Freya Chay, 15, Kenai, AK: Energizing the Alaskan legislature * Marcus Grignon, 21, Keshena, WI: Encouraging Sustainability on the Menominee Reservation * De’Anthony Jones, 18, San Francisco, CA: Fostering Service Learning * Ana Elisa Peréz-Quintero, 20, San Juan, PR: Promoting Environmental Education * Varsha Vijay, 22, Coralville, IA: Empowering Amazon Tribes with Information * Misra Walker, 18, Bronx, NY: Getting People to the Park2011
* Victor Davila, 17, Bronx, NY: Making environmental education fun and engaging for young folks * Alexander Epstein, 20, Philadelphia, PA: Mobilizing New York City high school students around the parallel struggles of New Orleans and their own communities * Rhiannon Tomtishen & Madison Vorva, 15 and 16, Ann Arbor, MI: Petitioning palm oil plantations (for Girl Scout cookies!) which are one of the leading causes of orangutan habitat destruction * Tania Pulido, 21, Richmond, CA: Running a community garden for youth in a city of high crime and industrial pollution * Kyle Thiermann, 21, Santa Cruz, CA: Shifting local economy away from coal-funding banks using video marketing tactics * Junior Walk, 21, Whitesville, WV: educating people about the long-term environmental, health and community degradation caused by coal mining2012
* Martin Figueroa, 21, Los Angeles, CA: Reducing water use and improve energy efficiency on his college campus * Jacob Glass, 21, Glastonbury, CT: Created a film to document grassroots efforts to save an 88,000-acre wilderness area * Ryland King, 22, Goleta, CA: Started a program that recruits college students to teach elementary school kids about their environment * Asa Needle, 16, Worcester, MA: Leading a youth-run cooperative that offers residents soil testing, remediation, and lead-free landscaping services * Maya Salsedo, 19, Santa Cruz, CA: Creating a Youth Food Bill of Rights intended to give local communities more control over the food they eat * Brittany Stallworth, 21, Washington, DC: Founded "Green is the New Black" — a food and environmental justice campaign at Howard University2013
* Amia Odeh, San Juan, PR: Fostering sustainable water consumption at the University of Puerto Rico’s Rio Piedras campus * Chloe Maxmin, Nobleboro, ME: Challenging one of the oldest higher education institutions in the U.S. to divest from fossil fuels * Cassandra Lin, Westerly, RI: Connecting the dots between community needs and biofuel waste for an unconventional solution * Alex Freid, Durham, NH: Launching resourceful student led programs on college campuses to reduce waste and encourage reuse * Jonathan Ferrer, Brooklyn, NY: Generating climate awareness and resiliency amongst New York City's youth * Arielle Klagsbrun, St. Louis, MO: Mobilizing communities to create a healthy future free of dependence on big coal2014
* Sean Russel, North Port, FL: Launching an educational campaign about marine debris * Doorae Shin, Honolulu, HI: Working towards a ban on Styrofoam use in Hawai‘i * Tsechu Dolma, Woodside NY: Creating a model for sustainable food security in Upper Mustang, Nepal * Jackson Koeppel, Highland Park: MI: Building community resilience through solar powered infrastructure * Lynnea Shuck, Fremont, CA: Propelling childhood curiosity into lasting environmental stewardship * Tiffany Carey, Detroit, MI: Engaging youth in solutions-based, citizen-science projects2015
* Celeste Tinajero, Sparks, NV: Making impactful and lasting changes through greening a high school campus * Ryan Camero, Stockton, CA: Using creative storytelling to chronicle a fragile delta and the communities that surround it * Kate Weiner, White Plains, NY: Creating an alternative space for environmental media through a student-run arts collective * Dyanna Jaye, Charlottesville, VA: Mobilizing a civically engaged environmental youth coalition * Jess Grady-Benson, Claremont, CA: Fostering fossil fuel divestment campaigns on college campuses through student training * JP Viñals, Bronx, NY: Energizing a campaign for urban green spaces through youth engagement2016
* Heidi Kritz, Dillingham, AK: Fueling a decade-long fight to protect Bristol Bay * Erica Davis, Knoxville, TN: Advocating for frontline communities in Tennessee * Susette Onate, Hialeah, FL: Fostering stewardship through a native butterfly garden * Karina Gonzalez, Flagstaff, AZ: Leading inclusive divestment efforts in Arizona * Xerxes Libsch, White Plains, NY: Restoring and creating an educational wild space * Will Amos, Irvine, CA: Engineering possibility for impactful change2017
* Anthony Torres, Babylon, NY: Inspiring communities to demand climate action * Charlie Jiang, Washington D.C.: Pushing Wall Street to make just investments * Dejah Powell, Chicago, IL: Fostering a love for the environment * Anne Lee, Sammamish, WA: Challenging schools to adopt low carbon solutions * Dineen O'Rourke, East Quogue, NY: Encouraging non-violent, direct action * Mercedes Thompson and Claire Wayner, Baltimore, MD: Working towards a plastic-free Maryland2018
* Stephen O'Hanlon, Downingtown, PA: Communicating the need for political action * Tina Oh, Sackville, New Brunswick: Amplifying narratives of frontline communities * Valeree Catangay, Long Beach, CA: Advocating for a more inclusive environmental movement * Rose Whipple, St. Paul, MN: Speaking up against oil pipelines on Indigenous lands * Mishka Banuri, Salt Lake CIty, UT: Intersectional organizing for2019
* Isha Clarke, Oakland, CA: Fighting the development of a coal plant in West Oakland * Mackenzie Feldman, Honolulu, HI: Working to ban pesticides in schools * Lia Harel, Minnetonka, MN: Organizing a youth environmental movement in Minnesota *See also
* List of environmental awardsReferences
External links
* http://www.broweryouthawards.org/