Our 2017-18 Planet Forward Correspondents

Learn more about the talented team of students selected to be 2017-2018 Planet Forward Correspondents, and be sure to click through to see their full profiles:

  • Mariam Abdallah, SUNY Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh, New York): A junior studying broadcast journalism, with a minor in political science, she hopes to become an international correspondent.

  • Katherine Baker, Columbia University (New York, New York): A graduate candidate seeking an MPH in Environmental Health Science, who hopes to focus her work on sustainable food systems and clean water.

  • Gillian Elizabeth Daley, Florida International University (Miami, Florida): A sophomore in International Relations and Political Science, with a strong interest in the environmental changes seen in the ocean.

  • James Ian Duffy, Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey): A senior studying Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, who says our challenge, moving forward, is to mature into the role of sustainable “planetary planners.”

  • Conner Elliott-Knaggs, Elon University (Burlington, North Carolina): A senior in Policy Studies, minoring in Human Services, he finds a challenge in getting engagement in sustainability issues and hopes to inspire action through his work.

  • Terrius Harris, University of Mississippi (Oxford, Mississippi): A senior studying International Business Administration, French, Environmental Studies, International Studies; and Entrepreneurship, is interested in sharing the stories of indigenous communities that are losing their homes because of climate change.

  • Alaine Johnson, Yale-National University of Singapore (Singapore): A senior in Environmental Studies is interested in effects from climate change-related flooding and the exploitation of animals and the issues stemming from it.

  • Austin Keating, Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois): A graduate student in Journalism, focusing on Interactive Storytelling, said we should look at the shift in optimum growing conditions for plants due to climate change - and what that means for agriculture and food supplies.

  • Dakotah Kimbrough, Warren Wilson College (Asheville, North Carolina): A senior in Environmental Policy, he would like to focus on the cultural and individual disconnect from the natural environment that has arisen in our age.

  • Matilda Kreider, The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.): A sophomore in Political Communication is interested in public lands conservation and outdoor recreation, which, she says, is at the core of the American environmental story.

  • Maizy Ludden, Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York): A junior in Biology/Geology wants to look at the diverse stories behind how different cultures connect to the environment physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

  • Navya Pothamsetty, University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, California): A sophomore in Public Health and Public Policy hopes to highlight the stories of people who are working toward ways to make the planet better, and also what you can do as an individual to help the environment.

  • Hailey Smalley, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (Syracuse, New York): A junior in environmental studies, she said she believes that we can combat climate change through continued small scale efforts.

  • Olivia Urbanski, Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, Illinois): A senior with a dual major of Environmental Studies and Global and International Studies, she wants to share the different ways communities are confronting climate change and how they are working together — far and wide — to make their communities and nations more sustainable.

  • Gavin Winter, Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts): A junior in Chemical Engineering, and coming from a science background, he’s interested in energy security issues, and issues with sourcing of materials for next-generation technologies.

All Correspondent work will be featured here. Check back frequently!

How do you move the Planet Forward? Tweet us @planet_forward or contribute to the conversation with your own story.

Hub Content

ANWR intrinsic value

Polar bears are one of the many wildlife residents of ANWR (Alan D. Wilson/Wikimedia Commons).

George Washington University
Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has value that exceeds the benefits we could reap from drilling or even visiting. Correspondent Matilda Kreider explains why intrinsic value is important to keep in mind in conservation. 
Azzizia Desalination Plant

Azzizia Desalination Plant in Saudi Arabia. (Waleed Alzuhair/Flickr)

Northeastern University
Q&A with Sarah Fletcher, a Fellow for Water Solutions, about large desalination plant infrastructure projects and alternatives such as water rationing.
Immokalee worker holding a bucket

Workers carry buckets of produce on their shoulders. (Fair Food Program)

George Washington University
Farmworkers have suffered for too long as the backbone of an agricultural system that ignores them. It's time to include them in our debates about sustainable agriculture.
Monarch butterfly
Florida International University
Following your dreams is a luxury that most people never get to experience. But Susette Onate, one young girl with a dream of protecting her local butterflies, not only lived her dreams, she saw them exceed her wildest imagination.
Woman experiencing the wilderness

(Photo courtesy Ambreen Tariq, founder of Brown People Camping.)

George Washington University
Environmentalism has been historically very white, but that's changing at many professional organizations. Here's an inside look at diversity at The Wilderness Society.
Stormwater and sewage are often spilled into creeks after heavy rains.
SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry
Traditional stormwater management practices often lead to local pollution and can negatively impact nearby residents. A research team in Syracuse, NY, is studying how rain gardens may help manage stormwater through green infrastructure.
A glimpse at the words we need to start using for the future
A glimpse at the words we need to start using for the future
Eco-Business
Envisioning an inspiring future requires the right vocabulary to build this world — the upcoming "Loanwords to Live With" is a collection of ecotopian words that should exist in English to talk about the environment, but don't yet.
Syracuse University
Can changing the way we think about our planet help us fight back against the erosion of our most treasured natural areas?

Toxic embalming fluids can seep into the ground in traditional burial.

Florida International University
Everyone dies eventually. By utilizing the new process of alkaline hydrolysis, or water cremation, at least we don't have to kill the planet too.
Eco-Business
Singapore's 21st century "school of life" aims to ground urbanites, forge deep connections to nature, and educate for a sustainable future.

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