BROWER YOUTH AWARDS

Honoring Youth Leadership in Conservation, Preservation and Restoration

SHORT DESCRIPTIONS

1. Barbara Brown, age 14, Don't Be Crude, at age 11 founded an oil
recycling program in rural Texas which she continues to oversee

2. Tamica Davis, age 18, Anti-Idling Campaign, at age 14 organized
and led an air-quality protest in inner-city Boston, which led to the
founding of an air quality campaign

3. Matt Ewing, 20, IowaSTEP, runs a state-wide network of university
students who use direct action, campaigning, and training to impact
local and national environmental issues

4. David Karpf, 21, Sierra Student Coalition, runs a nationwide
network of university environmentalists who use training and
campaigning to impact national environmental issues

5. Ariana Katovich, 22, Shoreline Preservation Fund, founded a
student-financed and student-run fund supporting preservation and
restoration projects in coastal wetlands

6. Bethany Larue, 16, Wetland Protection, saved a six acre wetland
from take-over by Marathon-Ashland, Inc for the installation of a
gas-pipeline

 

LONG DESCRIPTIONS

Barbara Brown, age 14, Don't Be Crude
"Did you know that our 'Don't Be Crude' program rural Victoria
County, Texas has collected over 6000 gallons of used oil and
hydraulic fluid since our program began?. . Many rural people use oil
as a weed killer by pouring it alongside the barn or a fence post,
and that pollutes miles of ground water. We decided to find out how
to properly dispose of used oil. . . We found out a grant was
available to set up recycling centers. We talked to businesspersons,
county commissioners, and county judges about locations for five
do-it-yourself recycling centers. On April 18, 1998, our dreams
became reality when five centers opened for recycling used oil and
hydraulic fluid! Once the sites opened, farmers and other rural
residents seemed to more appreciate the value of natural resources.
We have made a six year commitment to this project and will maintain
the sites through our senior year in high school."

Tamica Davis, age 18, Anti-Idling Campaign
"In 1997, I organized the Anti-Idling March. The March was created
in the memory of Walter Reid Kirnon, a little boy who died from an
asthma attack. Since the death of this young man, asthma has been a
big issue in my community of Roxbury. Roxbury is a neighborhood of
Boston, and is primarily a neighborhood of color. Asthma rates here
are six times the state average. . .one of the problems contributing
to our bad air quality could be from so many vehicles. We knew we
could not tell people to throw away their cars, buses, and trucks, so
we decided to have a march to inform the diesel bus drivers of the
impact of their exhaust. [From the march and the campaign] we had
significant results: The transportation authority pledged not buy
diesel busses; they are testing hybrid electric and compressed
natural gas fuels; they are enforcing idling limits, and a new
coalition of adult organizations has formed as a result of our work."

Matt Ewing, age 20, Iowa STEP
"Iowa Students Toward Environmental Protection (IowaSTEP) is a
statewide network of college environmental groups. . .As a network,
IowaSTEP allows students to coordinate actions and exchange
information. . . There are nearly a dozen successful IowaSTEP
actions, the including a non-violent direct action aimed against
Menards' home improvement stores . . . and a Lobby Day with students
from five colleges speaking to more than 15 Iowa legislators and the
Lt. Governor about upcoming environmental bills. . . IowaSTEP has
spread the word that the environmental movement is not only composed
of radicals on the East and West coasts. Rather, citizens all over
the country, and especially people in the heartland of America, are
concerned with the state of environment and more importantly, we are
acting on that concern. While out of touch politicians may believe
students are apathetic, cynical and unwilling to participate in the
system, the work of IowaSTEP has shown that students are passionate
about the world we live in."

David Karpf, age 21, Sierra Student Coalition
". . . the Sierra Student Coalition (SSC) plays a unique role in the
student environmental movement. It serves as a bridge between
enthusiastic youth who are eager to take part in David Brower's
vision for "Global CPR" and the Sierra Club's expansive network of
environmentalists. My involvement with the SSC began three years ago,
as a student at their High School Environmental Leadership Training
Program. . . [my involvement] led to being electedNational Director
in 1999. . . This year, my role has been as Trainings Director and
Roadless Campaign Coordinator. . I have trained over 250 student
environmentalists. They know how to organize now. . [for example]
Emily Cikanek, a 17 year old from Chicago, had never organized before
the 1999 summer training. During the Roadless Campaign, she led a
standout effort that collected close to 2000 public comments. Emily
and the other students know they don't have to be apathetic about the
destruction they see in the world. They can change things."

Ariana Katovich, age 22,.Shoreline Preservation Fund
"The Shoreline Preservation Fund (SPF) was originally a ballot
initiative for the students at UCSB as a lock-in fee. The Shoreline
Initiative asked for $3.00 per student per quarter for shoreline
protection, preservation, restoration, education and research. The
initiative was passed overwhelmingly and was implemented and now
distributes over $180,000 a year to graduate and undergraduate
students, as well as the community at large. . . The result of our
project is that many others with expertise, passion, dedication, and
vision get the tools they need to preserve, protect, and restore the
natural world and its complicated systems. . . [For example] Thanks
to SPF, we have students counting birds, and one student found a
Burrowing Owl, an endangered species, and took a picture of it. The
media coverage was extensive and brought lots of attention to the
issue. The discovery was enormous in the movement to save the North
Parcel from development, and it has done just that.

Bethany Larue, age 16, Wetland Protection
"Ohio has a terrible record of wetland destruction ranking second in
the nation in percentage of wetlands that been drained, dredged, or
filled since Ohio's settlement. Ohio had about five million acres of
wetland and today has only about 500,000. Only California has lost a
higher percentage of wetland. . .My project is to save a fragile
six-acre wooded wetland. Its destruction was imminent by
Marathon-Ashland, Inc., which wanted to construct a high-pressue
14-inch fuel pipeline directly through the middle of the wetland. The
preservation of this wetland was very important due to the large
ecological biodiversity found there. Our discovery of an Ohio
Endangered Plant species [Ravensfoot sedge, carex cruscorvi] added to
the necessity to preserve the wetland's unique character. I am proud
to say my efforts to save the wetland have not gone unnoticed.
Indeed, what at first seemed impossible has now resulted in the very
likely re-routing of the pipe around the wetland."

 

"Life on Earth is imperiled by human degradation of the biosphere.
Earth Island Institute develops and supports projects that counteract
threats to the biological and cultural diversity that sustains the environment.
Through education and activism, these projects promote the conservation,
preservation, and restoration of the Earth.

- EII Mission Statement

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