Honoree Receives Audubon/Toyota TogetherGreen Fellowship
New York, NY: A Gainesville, Florida woman is the recipient of a new national fellowship designed to advance the work of individuals with outstanding potential to help shape a brighter environmental future.
Jennifer Seitz is one of only 40 people selected from competitors nationwide for the TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Program, part of a new conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society with support from Toyota. Fellows receive 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 will also receive $10,000 towards a community-focused project to engage local residents in conserving land, water and energy, and contributing to greater environmental health.
Seitz will focus her efforts on working with community members in a predominantly black Gainesville neighborhood that enjoys significantly fewer green spaces and tree cover than the rest of the city. Through her project, she’ll talk with residents to find out what kinds of green spaces they’d like to have and then work with them to determine how best to create and maintain them. Seitz feels passionately that all Gainesville residents should be able to enjoy the benefits of tree cover and vegetation in their neighborhoods – shade, air purification, beauty, and more.
Involved in conservation efforts for a decade, Seitz is currently an Urban Forestry Extension Associate and the State Coordinator of Project Learning Tree at the University of Florida , where she helps Florida citizens statewide learn about urban forest ecosystems and natural resource conservation through outreach and engaging educational materials.
“Jennifer is the kind of person who 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.”
“I am thrilled to be part of this amazing network of Fellows,” said Seitz. “I look forward to the opportunity to work with residents in Gainesville to better understand how I can help them create healthy greenspaces in their neighborhood.”
Seitz has been affiliated with the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida since 2004. Half of the TogetherGreen fellows come from within Audubon’s far-reaching national network; half channel their environmental efforts through other organizations.
Seitz received a Masters degree in education from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelors degree in wildlife ecology and conservation from University of Florida. In addition to her duties for Project Learning Tree, Seitz serves as the President-Elect of the League of Environmental Educators in Florida and the Urban Forestry Extension Associate at the University of Florida.
“Toyota believes in the power of grassroots efforts to develop the environmental leaders of tomorrow,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, Group Vice President, Toyota Motor North America. “These 40 TogetherGreen Fellows will receive invaluable training for the future while immediately making a difference today with on-the-ground community projects.”
A complete list of the 2008 TogetherGreen fellows can be found at www.TogetherGreen.org/fellows.
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Gainesville Woman Singled Out for Environmental Leadership
