Tamarac man wins national green award

A Tamarac man is the recipient of a national fellowship designed to advance the work of individuals with outstanding leadership potential to help shape a brighter environmental future.

Doug Young is one of 40 individuals nationwide selected as a 2009 TogetherGreen Fellow. The TogetherGreen Fellowship offers 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 receives $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, Young will help his Audubon Chapter advance its Global Warming Initiative to begin the greening of city government. “The Greening of City Government: Environmental Responsibility Practices for Cities” is a one-day workshop for Broward County and South Florida cities to discuss implementation of the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and how each municipality can use their existing staff and resources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Young hopes participants will not only reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their municipalities, but take steps to become environmental leaders in their communities.

Young currently serves as South Florida Audubon Society’s president. In that capacity, he forms partnerships with South Florida Audubon and other NGOs, green businesses, government and academia by providing advocacy, outreach and education opportunities in the community.

“Doug 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.”

“The TogetherGreen Fellowship aligns well with the mission and goals of the South Florida Audubon Society but is particularly timely in marching many of the goals and actions to be presented by the Broward County Climate Change Task Force to the County Commission for approval,” said Young. “This makes the ‘greening of the cities’ relevant and should allow for effective implementation of innovative and immediate change leading to lowering of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Young has been affiliated with South Florida Audubon Society since 2004. Half of the TogetherGreen Fellows come from within Audubon’s far-reaching national network; half channel their environmental efforts through other organizations.

Young received his Master’s degree in environmental studies from York University and his Bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from McGill University. A dedicated conservationist, Young serves as a member of the Broward County Climate Change Task Force and Chairs the Greenhouse Gas Reductions Subcommittee. He is an active member of the Everglades Coalition working towards Everglades Restoration and is on the Leadership Advisory team of the Green League of Broward.

A distinguished advisory committee – composed of conservation professionals and experts in environmental education, communications, outreach, and conservation planning - selected the fellowship beneficiaries from a competitive pool of scores of highly qualified individuals. Qualified applicants must have at least six years of experience in conservation, environmental education, policy, or environmental issues, as demonstrated through current and past work experience, academic studies related to conservation, and/or volunteer work. Candidates must have a passion for conservation, the desire to learn and grow, and demonstrate a proven ability in reaching previously unengaged audiences.

“We must engage the best and brightest leaders representing the broadest and most diverse communities in this country to solve our ever more complex conservation challenges,” said Diane Wood, President, National Environmental Education Foundation. “TogetherGreen is a creative program  that uncovers such leaders, nurtures their talents, supports their dedication to conservation and holds them up to inspire others to follow.”

A complete list of the 2009 TogetherGreen Fellows can be found at www.TogetherGreen.org/fellows.

Related posts:

1. Whole Foods Market Receives EPA Green Power Partner of the Year Award
2. Tamarac Certified a Gold Level Green Local Government
3. Tamarac Parks and Recreation wins two awards
4. Broward principal wins top state education award
5. Schools, students, teachers can apply online for green awards from Florida

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Posted by Andrea Freygang on Dec 28 2009. Filed under Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, Local news, Tamarac. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry