Youth Climate Resiliency Series 2025
April 9th, 2025 | 7pm Youth Climate Action Networking
Hear from youth activists regarding events and activities they are engaging in during Earth Week (April 21-25, 2025). Share your ideas and connect with other youth around the state!
Watch the recorded event HERE!
April 30th, 2025 | 7pm How to Ease Eco-Anxiety Through Joyful Daily Action
Join our intergenerational panel for an interactive conversation on understanding eco-anxiety, how to manage it, and how to lean into hope through action.
Watch the recorded event HERE!
Heather White
Heather White is the founder of OneGreenThing.org and author of Eco-Anxiety: Saving
Our Sanity, Our Kids & Our Future (Harper Horizon 2024), 60 Days to a Greener Life
(Harper Horizon 2024), and One Green Thing (Harper Collins 2022). She directed environmental
education advocacy at the nation's largest conservation organization, served as executive
director to an environmental health watchdog in Washington, D.C., and led the nonprofit
partner to Yellowstone National Park. She worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative
counsel to Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and a presidential campaign staffer
to Vice President Al Gore. Heather graduated with a J.D. from the University of Tennessee
College of Law and earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University
of Virginia. She's a frequent spokesperson in the national media on environmental
issues and has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, PBS, ABC, and quoted in
the New York Times, The Guardian, and Teen Vogue. She’s been voted Bozeman’s Favorite
local author, and Eco-Anxiety was voted the favorite new release by a local author
in the Bozeman Choice Awards. Her book, One Green Thing, was highlighted as a 2024
Silicon Valley Reads selected work.
Dr. Leslie Carr
Dr. Leslie Carr is a clinical psychologist with a passion for educating the general
public about the effect that our environment has on our mental health. She's the host
of a podcast called The Nature of Nurture, which explores how our emotional lives
are impacted by our relationships, our culture, and even by government influence.
She believes strongly that the climate crisis is a mental health crisis. Dr. Carr
serves on the OneGreenThing board. More information can be found at www.lesliecarr.com.
Chris Hill
Chris Hill (pronouns: she/her) is the Chief Executive Officer for the Conservation
Lands Foundation. Chris's passionate advocacy for a just, equitable, and sustainable
future–one in which all people benefit from clean air, clean water, and equitable
access to the outdoors–is rooted in community-based organizing. Chris has developed
a distinguished career as a public policy advocate, adeptly navigating state, regional,
and federal landscapes. With over a decade of experience as an environmental lobbyist,
she has demonstrated a profound commitment to advancing environmental causes. Most
notably, Chris served as the first Chief Conservation Officer at the Sierra Club,
where she led the organization’s legacy campaigns focused on land conservation, water,
and wildlife, as well as outdoor access and outdoor equity. In this role, she made
history as the first Black woman to head this work at the Sierra Club, reflecting
her exceptional leadership and dedication to environmental conservation. In 2019,
Chris collaborated with The Outbound Collective to share her story through the film
"Where I Belong" shedding light on her affinity for fly fishing, her advocacy endeavors,
and the importance of outdoor equity. The film won the American Conservation Film
Festival’s 2021 Best Short Film. Watch Chris's story here. Chris serves on the boards of Trout Unlimited and One Green Thing and holds a B.A.
in broadcast communications and electronic media from Appalachian State University
in Boone, NC and a J.D. from Vermont Law School. When Chris isn't working, you can
find her outside on the river fly fishing with her dog Sammy and husband Greg. She
currently splits her time between Haines, AK and Washington, D.C.
Helena Mazzarella
Helena is currently working towards a degree in Environmental Sciences as a junior
at Montana State University in Bozeman. With a concentration and special interest
in Water Resources and Freshwater Ecology, she is hoping to work towards a career
in hydrology or water policy. Originally from Bend, Oregon, she has spent extensive
time in the outdoors and growing a love for the environment and passion for freshwater
research. Helena is eager to learn more working with One Green Thing, and work towards
educating others on what can be done to help the climate crisis.
Jorja McCormick
Jorja McCormick, a 17-year-old junior at Park High School in Livingston, Montana,
loves nature, animals, and spending time with her dog, Alfie, as well as reading and
horseback riding. Passionate about environmental protection, Jorja has been an active
member of her school’s Green Initiative club since freshman year. She has previously
spoken on an Earth Day panel with Heather White, spent a summer as an intern with
the Park County Environmental Council, and she raised over $5,000 for electric school
bus charging stations. She is currently planning a learning day to teach middle schoolers
about different power systems and their impact on the environment.
Maiya Roelen
Maiya Roelen (she/her) is currently an undergraduate honors student at the University
of Montana pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology with a minor in Climate
Change Studies and dual certificates in Global Leadership and Nonprofit Administration.
Originally from Seattle, Washington, Maiya’s upbringing in the Pacific Northwest inspired
a passion for wildlife and the outdoors, and she is committed to pursuing a career
in service to the planet. In addition to being a dedicated environmental and climate
activist, Maiya is enthusiastic about service and youth leadership. She has served
as a volunteer for many nonprofit organizations including Ecology Project International,
Families for a Livable Climate, and 21 Acres Center for Local Food and Sustainable
Living. In 2023, Maiya served as a Max S. Baucus Climate Scholar and interned at The
Climate Reality Project in Washington, D.C. Maiya is excited to be collaborating with
Families for a Livable Climate and One Green Thing for the youth resiliency series
to empower young people in the climate and mental health space.
May 14th, 2025 | 7pm Youth Legislative Update
Hear an update from local experts from Our Children's Trust, Western Environmental Law Center, Held v. State of Montana plaintiff Eva Lighthiser, Montana American Indian Caucus Director Lance Fourstar,the Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club, and Montana Environmental Information Center, onbills passed or pending from the current Montana Legislature that may impact the Held v. State of Montana Supreme Court ruling.
Please Register at this LINK
Help Us Promote the Series!
Download and Share the Series Flyer HERE
This series is in partnership with ResilienceMT, Families for a Livable Climate, Park County Environmental Council, University of Montana, and Montana State University.
For more information, contact Paul Lachapelle at: [email protected] or (406) 994-3620