Gen Z for the Trees

Rosie is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she quintuple-majored in Plan II Honors, economics, government, international relations and global studies, and Asian languages and cultures - Chinese. She joined Rainforest Partnership following her experience studying abroad in Costa Rica, and was immediately introduced to the idea of launching a global youth engagement program. Rosie’s interests lie at the intersection of China as a major importer of forest risk commodities, international trade policy, and their ultimate goals of protecting rainforests, Indigenous communities, agricultural workers, and biodiversity. She also represents Z4T on the Forest Declaration Platform Advisory Committee.

Jamie is a Master of Public Administration candidate at the University of Washington in Seattle and received her bachelor’s degree in natural resources and environmental sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She joined Gen Z for the Trees shortly after its founding in order to increase focus on forests in the global conversation about climate change. Through her experiences in ecosystem management, political administration, and GIS/data management, she hopes to elevate the youth perspective on the world agenda in order to protect the globe’s most precious resources.

Hana is a senior in high school in Austin, Texas. She joined Gen Z for the Trees because she wanted to get involved in educating and empowering youth about deforestation. Hana was introduced to climate activism through Austin Climate Coalition, where she organized a letter writing workshop to help youth write to legislators. Through Z4T, she helped design and maintain the website, as well as create initiatives such as the call to action program, getting youth involved and active in environmental policy. Hana hopes to major in environmental studies with a concentration in youth advocacy, and eventually become an environmental scientist.

Eduardo is a senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He joined Gen Z for the Trees because he wanted to become more involved in protecting endangered ecosystems across the globe, not just at home. Eduardo has worked to lower the impacts of climate change and has been involved in various projects focused on land management, ranging from engaging in ecological restoration of prairies to conducting research on plant invasions and plant extinction vulnerability.

Carolyn is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in geography and sustainability studies. She joined Gen Z for the Trees because of her passion for natural conservation and sustainability efforts. Carolyn developed a particular interest in forests when visiting Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State on a family vacation. She is especially excited to be a part of a youth-led nonprofit, which can use both research and GIS to hold companies accountable and spread awareness of deforestation through enhanced traceability and transparency efforts.

Lily is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in geography and sustainability. Lily joined Gen Z for the Trees because of her interest in natural resource protection. In Z4T, she has spearheaded the team’s research on global restaurants’ sourcing policies for forest risk commodities.

Meilin is a Master of Environmental Management candidate at Duke University, and received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston University. She joined Gen Z for the Trees because of her passion for transparency and responsible sourcing within supply chains. She is excited to be part of a group of young people using their passion for the environment to enact lasting change in the world. Meilin fell in love with trees after seeing a redwood for the first time during a family summer vacation.

Joshua is a senior in high school in Santa Clara, California. He joined Gen Z for the Trees to become more involved in environmental activism, specifically issues relating to deforestation and unsustainable agriculture and cattle farming practices. Within Z4T, he has worked on infographics detailing nutrient pollution associated with cattle farming practices. He has also worked on an educational presentation about the ecological impacts of cattle farming.