SustainUS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. Through proactive education, research, and advocacy at the policy-making and grassroots levels, we are building a future in which all people recognize the inherent equality and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

How to Blog

1. www.sustainus.org/login - enter the username and password you've been given
2. click "Add a Blog Entry" in the "User Menu" on the left side
3. Create a Title
   scroll down
4. Section:  Agents of Change
5. Category:  AoC Blog (this should be the default)
   *THIS NEXT STEP IS CRITICAL, IF YOU DON'T DO IT YOUR BLOG ENTRY WILL NOT APPEAR'
6. Published:  yes
7. Show on front page:  no
8. Access level: public
9. Now write your entry! (best written IN this interface, copying from Word could give you errors)
10. Click 'Save' at the top (be careful not to hit cancel!!)

Optional: add an image (must have an URL)

If you want up include a new photo with your entry, upload it first (three options)

• Upload the image to any flickr account, tag photo with SustainUS
  • You can then insert the image in your etnry by linking to URL of your image
  • Uploaded image can then be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sustainus/
• Upload directly to the SustainUS flickr account
  • contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.    for the username and password, or email her your file directly, subject line: please upload to SustainUS flickr
• Use an existing image
  • Go to the flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/sustainus
  • find an image you like (or upload one, see above)
  • click all-sizes
  • click a size (probably "small")
  • copy the section that says "copy and paste this html
  • open a new browser window and use the new window for the next step
  • (this works for any image with an html address)

• go back to the flickr window and do the following:
  
  • copy that stuff underneath where it says "Copy and paste this HTML into your webpage:"
  • switch to the window where you're adding your blog entry
  • look for the little icon underneath "Intro Text (Required):" that says "html" - click that
  • paste that stuff you copied from flickr in the popup
    click the "update" button in the bottom left - window goes away
• copy the html of any image and look for the little icon underneath "Intro Text (Required):" that says "html" - click that and paste that stuff you copied

If this doesn't work, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , to trouble shoot.

UN Climate Negotiations - Bali, Indonesia December 2007

In December 2007, SustainUS sent a delegation of 20 youth age 19-26 to the UN Climate Negotiations in Bali, Indonesia. 

The team, selected through a competitive nation-wide process, devoted countless volunteer hours in the seven months prior to the conference to educate themselves about the issues, network with other youth and organizations, and fundraise to cover their costs. For SustainUS, the delegation represented the most ambitious Agents of Change endeavor to date.

By many measures, the delegation was a success. To learn more, follow the links below.

Bali Delegation Links:
SustainUS Delegation on YouTube 
It's Getting Hot in Here 
Bali Buzz 
Delegation Profile
UNFCCC Policy Submissions
Media Hits 
Photos  

For more information about the Bali delegation, contact Agents of Change Coordinator Lauren Nutter at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The delegation would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support:

Aaron Kemp, Adam Travis, Aditya Nochur, Allison Archambault, Allison Rogers, Alyssa Speece, Amanda Fencl, Amy Anderson, Andrea Rivera, Andrew Davis, Anke Green, Anushka Shenoy, A.P. Wegner, April LaCroix, Barbara Reed, Becca Orrick, Benson Gabler, Betty Greenman, Billy Parish, Bobby Greenman, Bonnie Boostrom, Breton Kosciak, Cara Wolfgang, Cat Manzo, Catherine Martin, Charlotte Greenman, Chloe Greenman, Chris Winchester, Chris Kenzie, Christine Irvine, Christine Lindstrom, Christopher Wells, Claire Welo, Corey VanWoert, Cortlandt Sener, Cynthia Liebman, Dan Kenzie, Dan Bungert, Danielle Ziff, Darcy Verwys, Daryl Goldberg, Dave Brown, David Alig, David James, David Swank, Deborah Edge, Devin Greenman, Donald Graves, Eileen Roche, Elizabeth Shope, Ellen Veazey, Elmer Ornstein, Emily Lucas, Emily Hamilton, Emma Kosciak, Eriall Steiner, Eric Gladstone, Eric Hammond, Eva Carol Beck, Frank Powell, Franklin Greenman, Garo Manjikian, Geena Berry, Gena Taylor, Gloria Krueger, Gregory Taff, Helen Rose, Hester Graves, J. Michael Sesko, Jacob Alstadt, Jacob Phelps, James Garbutt, James Burns, Janie Kaminer, Jason Babbie, Jean MacCormack, Jeanne Leccese, Jeffery Barber, Jeffrey Liebman, Jenna Boostrom, Jennifer Brooks, Jennifer Hughes, Jennifer Munyer, Jeremy Emerson, Jeremy Friedman, Jesse Jenkins, Joan Prigian, John Deans, John Glick, John Schott, Jon Adams, Jonathan Slason, Josh Tulkin, Juan Hoffmaister, Judith Manzo, Julie Larsen, Kara Carlson, Karen Nutter, Karni Bhati, Kate Christison, Kate Davenport, Katharine Baylor, Kathleen Greenman, Kathleen Petersen, Katie Lozo, Kristen Hite, Kristine Butler, Kurt Naser, Kyle Gracey, Kyle Sadlik, Laura Bartolomei-Hill, Laura Russello, Laur Fischer, Linda Forstedt, Linda Fox, Lisa Dameron, LIsa Wozniak, Lois Hayes, Lorna Strutt, Lucienne Aroesty, Manuel Katz, Marc Asch, Meg Boyle, Maria Salgado, Maria Elena Arana, Marilyn Waite, Mark Orlowski, Martha Ward, Mary Nicol, Mary Sweeters, Matthew Sellwood, Maureen Goodwin, Maxwell Ciardullo, Megan Cook, Michael Greenman, Michael Gale, Michael Manzo, Michael Moses, Michael Norelli, Michele Meleen, Mike Thiedke, Mike Wolf, Mina Makarious, Mitch Anderson, Monika Kerdeman, Nathan Porter, Neal Mann, Nicholas Cruden, Nick Abrash, Nickolas Elsner, Nikki Paschal, Paige Black, Paul Kenzie, Penny Swank, Peter Greenman, Peter Swank, Phillis Engelbert, Rachael Hsin, Rebecca Mann, Rebecca Reid, Rebecca Smith, Rebecca Swank, Richard Greenman, Richard Rutkowski, Riley Neugebauer, Roldolfo Valladares, Roger Fox, Ryan Backus, Sandra Burnett, Sarah Clader, Sarah Evingham, Sarah Park, Scott Kramer, Scott Paul, Sheila Condit, Shirley Ma, Stephanie Blanch, Stephanie Hood, Stephen Fox, Steven Swank, Summer Rayne Oakes, Susan Greenman, Susan Linney, Susan Nuni, Susan Swank, Susannah Lach, Thomas Holly, Timothy Den Herder-Thomas, Todd Kuchta, Tonya Poole, Travis Teale, Tristan Brown, Vijaya Thakur, Vivian Stockman, Wendy Golnitz-Santilli, Wes Farrow, Yochi Zakai, Zoe Caron, Zoe Chafe, and all of our anonymous donors. 

And a special thanks to:
Be Carbon Neutral, The Little Cupcake Bakeshop, TerraPass, and the United Nations Foundation 

Carbon offsets for our delegates were graciously provided by:

Delegates to COP-13

Delegates to the UN Climate Negotiations (COP-13) were selected through a competitive national selection process.  To learn more about the delegation, contact Agents of Change Coordinator Lauren Nutter at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

 Rishikesh Bhandhary

Erin Condit-Bergren is originally from Los Angeles and studied public policy and theenvironment at Sarah Lawrence College.  She spent a year abroad in Oxford, where she met her husband.  Erin currently work for CAFOD, aninternational development agency, where she works in the campaigns section. She was one of the founding members of SustainUS, although since moving to England she has been a little out of the loop!  She is looking forward to shaking things up in Bali and putting some real pressure onthe US government to clean up its act.

 Alex Dewar is currently a Master's student at the University of Oxford, where he is a Rhodes Scholar. His research focuses on the public discourse around climate change and on international climate policy. While completing his BA at Wheaton College in Massachusetts (Class of 2006), Alex served as President of the Student Government Association for two years. In that office he promoted an agenda of environmental sustainability, college affordability, and integration of student voices into college governance. In 2005 Alex volunteered in a Ugandan village where he taught sustainable agriculture practices and facilitated the development of the community's first nursery school, an experience that raised his awareness about the global social justice implications of climate change. Alex has been named a Udall Scholar and a Truman Scholar for his leadership in promoting environmental sustainability in college and Oregon, his native state. In addition to SustainUS, Alex has worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Foundation for Sustainable Development, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and the Oregon Bus Project.

Gabriel Elsner grew up in the heart of West Los Angeles, the home of SUVs, traffic and overwhelming pollution. When he moved to Berkeley he decided to act by promoting a clean energy economy to stop global warming. Now he is interning with the Energy Action Coalition planning PowerShift 2007, the first national youth climate summit and continues to work as Vice Chair of the California Public Interest Research Group. Now he is ready to take the momentum of the American youth climate movement global.

J. Jackson Ewing 

Dominic Frongillo is the youngest elected Councilmember in the Town of Caroline, New York. A lifelong citizen of Caroline, near Ithaca NY, he works for the Program of International Nutrition at Cornell University.  Dominic graduated from Cornell's College of Human Ecology in 2005 with an independent BS in Sustainable Community Development.  A Cornell Urban Scholar, Dominic worked for the Association of Communities Organized for Reform Now (ACORN) in Brooklyn, NY, and for a community development program in rural Costa Rica. He helps lead Energy Independent Caroline, a community group dedicated to achieving local energy independence. Dominic attended CSD-14 in 2006 and looks forward to stepping it up with the SustainUs Bali delegation in 2007!

Richard Graves is the blogmaster for It's Getting Hot in Here: Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement and the New Media Fellow for the Energy Action Coalition. He helps over a hundred youth leaders from around the world tell their stories in the fight against global warming and for a more just and sustainable world. Richard graduated from Macalester College after winning campaigns for green building, green roofing, renewable energy investment, and energy conservation. When he isn't organizing against global warming, he likes to make Italian, Mexican, and Japanese food, read books, and to sculpt.

Kelley Greenman, originally from Marathon, Florida, is a junior at Washington University in Saint Louis majoring in environmental studies with minors in economics and writing.  Her interest in climate change stems from working with other energized youth from the Florida Keys on federal lobbying initiatives for climate change legislation to protect their local coral reefs.  Currently, she is the program leader for Verde, an environmental education program that reaches out to Saint Louis youth.  Kelley is also very interested in international water issues, specifically in India, where she has focused her research for the past year. After attending COP11 in Montreal, Kelley witnessed the power of a coalition of youth lobbying for change and is very enthusiastic about being an agent of change in Bali!

Originally from Costa Rica, Juan Hoffmaister is currently completing a post-graduate research fellowship on adaptation to climate change in Fiji, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Maldives, and Namibia. He has worked for SustainUS for the past 4 years and has served for 2 years as regional advisor to the United Nations Environment Programme on issues youth and environment.  Juan is currently completing an institutional and capacity building assessment for the United Nations Development Programme in Fiji for the implementation for UNFCCC and UN Convention on Biological Diversity goals. He completed a BA in Human Ecology and Environmental Policy at College of the Atlantic in Maine, and has done research on the role of international standards to reduce GHG emissions and the role of the GEF-UNDP Small Grants Program to conserve water and reduce pollution. Juan also has a coffee-drinking problem, and enjoys making smoothies.

Whit Jones is a recent graudate of Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where he majored in International Relations and minored in Political Economy and Environmental Studies. Whit has been studying the role of the developing world in international climate change policy, and he has done internships on this subject with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in Switzerland and The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) in India. As the co-chair of Carleton's Environmental Advisory Committee, he worked to make his campus carbon neutral. As a youth delegate at COP12 in Nairobi and CSD-15, Whit saw how incredible youth involvement can be, so he is incredibly excited about working with everyone in Bali. 

Erin Kenzie has been involved in the Agents of Change program since CSD-13 in 2005 and was recently elected as the Chairperson of SustainUS. Originally from metro Detroit, Erin received a BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Western Michigan University. Two years ago, she moved to a small town in rural Colorado to serve as an AmeriCorps volunteer at a homeless shelter. For the past year, she has worked at a small nonprofit organization in the field of youth violence prevention and mediation. Erin is also passionate about increasing youth participation in the political process, and blogs for several progressive sites in her spare time.   

Stephanie Kwan received her B.S. in Environmental Studies and Political Science in December 2004 from Emory University. During her time at Emory, Stephanie worked for a grassroots environmental group, an environmental consulting firm, and a government environmental agency. In August 2005, Stephanie began her M.S. in Environmental Engineering with a focus on Air Quality Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research focused on the effects of air pollutant emission sources and meteorology on air quality in Shanghai, China, as well as on the implications for local and multi-jurisdictional air quality management in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region. Following receipt of her M.S. in December 2006, Stephanie began working at Trinity Consultants. She was also a SustainUS delegate to the Commission on Sustainable Development last April. Stephanie aspires to pursue a career in international environmental policy, focusing on the development and implementation of environmental policy frameworks and governance programs concerning air pollution issues on local, regional, and global scales.

Hannah Lee is an undergraduate student at Columbia University. She is an earth and environmental engineering student, with a designed concentration in engineering for developing countries! She is most interested in alternative and sustainable energies, and in the future hopes to work in the field, on finding solutions to energy-related problems for developing regions. With regards to academics, her research focus is on CO2 sequestration below the deep seafloor. On campus and outside of school Hannah is passionate about  students' roles toward living sustainably, and runs Columbia University's Eco-Representatives program (RA's for the environment. Most recently, she attended CSD-15, participated in an ATHGO Youth Forum at the UN on the Environment and Climate Change, and will be traveling to Ghana for her first field-work experience!

Dominic MacCormack graduated in 2006 from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Environmental Policy and Planning. At Davis, Dominic served on various committees dedicated to educating students about environmental and political issues on campus and across the country. While participating in SustainUS's Agents of Change program for the first time in 2006, he realized how diligent we all must be in order to get sustainability issues and social responsibility into the mainstream - and he has no plan on giving up. Dominic has since returned to his native San Francisco and works as an environmental educator for Save the Bay, a non-profit dedicated to protecting, restoring, and educating the public about San Francisco Bay. In addition to playing trumpet in his spare time, Dominic is currently one of two policy coordinators for SustainUS, and served as a delegation leader at the Commission on Sustainable

Matt Maiorana recently completed his first year at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Here he is working towards his B.A. in Human Ecology with a focus on Policy, Environmental Science, and Activism. He has been very involved with SustainUS in the past year and will take on the role of Maine Geocluster Co-Facilitator in the fall as well as SustainUS Policy Co-Coordinator. He has worked on multiple local, state, national, and international climate action campaigns through SustainUS, Sierra Student Coalition, Energy Action, and his own initiatives. Currently, Matt is working with the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming in the House of Representatives. When not going climate crazy, he likes to backpack, eat ice cream, and climb trees.

Lauren McGrath currently works with communities in Appalachia fighting the devastating effects of mountaintop mining and coal extraction on their homes, water and lives.  As a student ran successful clean energy campaigns, served as the legislative issues director for her university, and worked for the Midwest renewable energy association.  Her undergraduate thesis focused on the gendered division of labor within renewable energy; she is currently working on a digital video that highlights human rights issues associated to fossil fuel extraction in the United States. 

 

Lauren Nutter studies at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine and is an active member of SustainUS Maine. She is also a member of a communication and PR committee for College of the Atlantic carbon neutral initiative. She is also a leadership trainer for a non-profit, the Student Leadership Training Program. Through SLTP she has spent the past several summers teaching leadership skills to high school students throughout the New England area, tackling issues of bullying, abusive relationships, and issues of hate that students deal with every day. Lauren was an Agents of Change delegate at the Commission for Social Development earlier this year, and a delegation leader at the Commission on Sustainable Development in April. Beginning in August 2007, Lauren will be the Agents of Change program coordinator.

David Solheim is a fifth year senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying economics and international studies. The student body president, David has been active in numerous campaigns emphasizing the empowerment of young people and promoting civic activism at the grassroots level. Because most of his research background involves rural economic development issues, David became interested in the development and future of alternative energy sources and their impact on rural America, particularly wind and biofuels. Internships with the Nebraska Bureau for Business Research and Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems solidified his conviction that America should be quick to embrace a cleaner, more equitable energy future because doing so promises a form of rural economic renewal which the nation currently lacks.

Logan Yonavjak is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned her B.A. degree in Geography, with a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) concentration. While still an undergraduate, she was involved with many activities on her campus and in Chapel Hill, NC, including active membership in Student Government, working at a local non-profit, serving as an undergraduate representative on several sustainability-focused committees on campus, and helping to plan a state-wide conference during the fall of 2006 for students in North Carolina to learn ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy projects.  Currently her primary focus is applying environmentally friendly and sustainable ideas, models, and techniques to city planning and hopes to obtain a masters degree in City and Regional Planning in the next few years. Logan currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She enjoys learning about new and exciting ways to promote sustainability.

SustainUS Partners with Be Carbon Neutral™

Be Carbon Neutral™, in partnership with SustainUS, is now offering a special "Bali Edition" Wind Turbine Brooch as a gift to donors contributing $699 or more to the Bali delegation.

Be Carbon Neutral™ features Al Gore and Summer Rayne Oakes donning select jewelry made by Anthony Aletto from reclaimed metal using carbon-free processes. Be Carbon Neutral™ will offset the donor's emissions for one month and an accompanying greening guide provides solutions to continue the green journey. 

To make a donation, click the orange button on the righthand sidebar, or go to our donate page to pay using paypal or check. For more information, contact Erin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  

 Be Carbon Neutral and SustainUS Press Release