Miranda Wang takes on plastic pollution, which traps wildlife, contaminates water and food, and leads to human health problems. With BioCellection, she has pioneered an invention that accepts and breaks down multiple kinds of shredded plastic waste in a way that is cheaper and more sustainable than current alternatives. The company is partnering with stakeholders including the cities of San Jose and San Francisco, GreenWaste Recovery and Recology to scale up her operation 200x to demonstrate the effectiveness and practicality of the technology, which will be modularized in standardized machines that can process 5 metric tons of waste per day. Prior to her current endeavor, she organized University of Pennsylvania’s first TEDx conference and founded the nonprofit Good Food Box Program to deliver groceries to McGill Enactus for students facing food security issues. Miranda’s work has been featured in CNN and the New York Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from University of Pennsylvania.

Matt Mulrennan, as CEO of Kolossal, an ocean exploration and conservation nonprofit in Venice, California, conducts high-profile and challenging expeditions to film exotic marine life while campaigning to protect their habitats. Kolossal aims to find a colossal squid, the largest squid in the world, and film the species in its natural habitat to document and make them a symbol for ocean preservation. Matt is also director of the ocean initiative of XPRIZE Foundation, a ten-year commitment to launch five prizes to achieve healthy, valued and understood oceans. He previously worked as a research associate for the Integrative Oceanography Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He has served on the national advisory council to the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, an ocean-based trivia competition for high-school students, and on the national advisory panel for the U.S. International Trade Authority’s Maritime Export Initiative. Matt holds a master’s degree of advanced studies in marine biodiversity and conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, and bachelor’s degree of philosophy in environmental studies form Miami University of Ohio.

With an estimated two-thirds of the Earth’s population living in cities by 2050, Kahlil Kettering works for urban development and natural infrastructure that benefits both ecosystems and human residents. With The Nature Conservancy, Kahlil is leading efforts in Washington, D.C. that have created the first Stormwater Retention Credit market in the world, which requires development projects to retain most of the stormwater it generates from impervious surfaces. Kahlil manages all aspects of this program, raising money for projects and selecting design and construction contractors to ensure maximum environmental benefit and return on investment. Previously, Kahlil worked as strategic consultant for Water Reuse Association in Alexandria, Virginia, and as the Biscayne Restoration Program Analyst for National Parks Conservation Association in Hollywood, Florida, which protected sensitive lands around Everglades National Park. He holds a master’s degree in public management from University of Maryland, and a master’s in global environmental policy and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University.

José González is an experienced and passionate speaker, artist, nature-lover, science communicator and educator who founded Latino Outdoors. Through his work and organization, he aims to build a cross-community network of nature inclusivity groups to connect people of all races, genders, orientations, socio-economic statuses and religions. Through the Primavera Initiative, José plans to support local community-based groups and grow a nationwide movement of nature lovers. In addition to Latino Outdoors, he worked in Latino outreach and education for the Tuolumne River Trust, and wrote as the main contributor for the environment desk of Latino News Daily. José holds a master’s degree in natural resources and environment from University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree from University of California – Davis. He is recipient of the National Wildlife Foundation’s National Conservation Education Award, the Kenji Award and the Murie Center’s Rising Leader Award. His work has been featured by Outside Magazine, The Hill, Sacramento Bee and NBC News.

(Thematic image by José González – Siembra. This piece refers to the idea of “planting the seeds” of cultural values along with conservation ethics. It takes time and effort to plant and nurture). Profile photo by José González-Recycling por la Causa.

Jamielyn Wheeler is a political advocate and communicator who elevates diverse perspectives to raise awareness, shape campaign strategies and spur action. She works with Fuse Washington as a campaign director, where Jamielyn creates strategic campaigns around climate change initiatives and mobilizes support by building coalitions of partner organizations. She also serves as a Washington state captain for Common Purpose, a civic participation program that seeks to increase citizen education, voting and elections. Jamielyn holds a bachelor’s degree in political communication from University of Washington. Her work was featured in a Vox article that described divisions within the United States around carbon policy. One of her current focuses is activating a network of organizations.

Gavin McCormick developed Automated Emissions Reduction technology, which gives people and companies the ability to choose cleaner energy. The technology uses real time data on power plants and electricity demand to time consumption to avoid times when usage would use dirtier sources of energy like coal. With WattTime, he is developing methodology with the Verified Carbon Standard to quantify carbon saving technologies. Gavin also promotes opportunities to slash greenhouse emissions by 4 billion tons per year by helping institutions site renewable energy projects where they will displace the dirtiest fossil fuel power pants. Gavin is pursuing a Ph.D. in energy and behavioral economics from University of California – Berkeley, where he got his master’s degree in resource economics. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Williams College. He was named a Grist 50 “Fixer” for environmental innovation, and has finished in first place or as a finalist at numerous hackathons. 

Erin Barnes is CEO/Co-founder of ioby, a crowd-sourcing platform that blends the concepts of crowdfunding and resource organizing to address climate change and promote health equity solutions tailored to individual communities. Funded by citizen philanthropy, the organization provides training, support and resources for community organizers, as well as a peer-to-peer network that provides technical assistance. ioby also mobilizes emerging leaders at the neighborhood level to increase civic participation, and partners with existing organizations and municipalities to translate that organization into action. Erin is also one of the inaugural Obama Fellows (2018), and has previously worked as a freelance writer for New York Magazine, Men’s Journal and National Geographic’s “The Green Guide.” She also developed a user-friendly web platform for the United Nations Development Programme. She holds a master’s degree in environmental management and water resource economics from Yale University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in arts, English and American studies from University of Virginia.

Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota & Dińe) leads the Keep It in the Ground Campaign of the Indigenous Environmental Network. He is the son of Tom B.K. Goldtooth, the globally recognized activist and founder of the Indigenous Environmental Network. Dallas represents a new generation of leaders who organize using social media to amplify on the ground activism. He travels extensively across Turtle Island to help fossil fuel and hard rock mining impacted communities tell their stories through social media, video, and other forms of communication. Dallas is an Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) media team lead, working with IEN staff, board, and organizational partners from a diverse group of climate justice networks. Along with his many tasks and duties with IEN, he is also a Dakota cultural/language teacher, non-violent direct action trainer, and was one of the outstanding Water Protectors at Standing Rock/Oceti Sakowin Camp fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline. In addition, he is a co-founder of the Indigenous comedy group, The 1491s, a poet, journalist, traditional artist, powwow emcee, and comedian. Dallas’s advocacy and work on issues like the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, Al Jazeera and Los Angeles Times.

Chioma Ukonu founded RecyclePoints Nigeria, an organization dedicated to tackling growing environmental and health challenges, and addressing the waste crisis in her home country of Nigeria. A team of 28 full-time workers runs household, corporate and school recycling programs. With nearly 10,000 subscribers on their platform, the organization recycles or diverts 75 tons of waste every month, using an incentive model that offers household items and cash. RecyclePoints recently launched iRecycle Kiosk — refurbished, solar-powered shipping containers that serve as recyclable waste drop-off points, environmental education centers and places where community leaders can offer other social services to various communities. A graduate with a bachelor’s degree in industrial physics from the Federal University of Technology – Owerri Nigeria, Chioma’s recent accolades include: 2017 winner of the LEAP Africa Social Innovator Award for 2017, 2017 Chivas Ventures Global Finals runner-up, and as a 2017 USADF grant awardee.

Brian Gitta invented Matibabu, a medically non-invasive device that detects malaria in two minutes. As CEO of thinkIT Limited, Brian aims to use this and other science-based innovations to help people adapt to survive climate change — which has been found to be a major driver of malaria in Africa by recent, peer-reviewed research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The next step for spreading the Matibabu technology, which has the capacity to save hundreds of thousands or even millions of lives, is to get it approval for use in various countries. In addition to Brian’s work at thinkIT, he is a teaching fellow at Young Disaster Resilience Leadership, a program that helps young people address conflict and disaster challenges in schools, communities, and at home. He previously served as a software developer at United Nations Population Fund and worked in business management at Merck Group. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree from Makerere University and was awarded a United Nations Empowerment Award.