Honoree Receives Audubon/Toyota TogetherGreen Fellowship
New York, NY —A Dayton, Ohio man 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.
Tom Hissong 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.
For his fellowship, Hissong will focus his efforts on piloting a new project named Plan-it Green that will engage students, teachers, and parents from Kiser Elementary School in Dayton, Ohio with challenging educational experiences focused on the planet. Students will participate in multiple field trips, conservation actions and scientific investigations at the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm north of Dayton. Through simple action projects like monitoring use of paper towels in classrooms / restrooms and investigating ways to reduce waste during lunch, students will become environmental stewards creating measurable conservation change and help lead their teachers, families, friends and communities in becoming more environmentally-aware.
Involved in conservation efforts for 32 years, Hissong is currently the Education Coordinator for Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. In his current role, Hissong introduced more than 20,000 children to nature and farming during the 2006-2007 school year alone – encouraging a whole new generation of environmental stewards to explore their natural environments. Previously, at the Dayton Museum of Natural History, he had the opportunity to educate thousands of students, young and old, on the natural history of their local community, through topics such as geology, trees, insects, birds, nature sketching, astronomy and many more
“Tom 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 truly honored to be selected for the Audubon/Toyota TogetherGreen Fellowship and am excited about using my new conservation leadership skills in my home community.” said Tom. “I hope that I can be the spark that ignites a passion to protect and nurture our natural world in young students, just like someone did for me when I was young. My goal for this project is to take students with little knowledge about the natural world, lead them to a sense of wonder and excitement for the natural world, to conservation action on behalf of the natural world and the environment that sustains us.”
Hissong has been affiliated with Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm and Park District since 1994. Half of the TogetherGreen fellows come from within Audubon’s far-reaching national network; half channel their environmental efforts through other organizations.
He received his Bachelors degree in environmental education from The Ohio State University. A dedicated environmental educator, Hissong received the 2007 Tamar Chotzen Audubon Educator of the Year Award.
“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.
<>
Dayton Man Singled Out for Environmental Leadership
