NEW YORK, June 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toyota and the National Audubon Society announced that a TogetherGreen Fellowship award will be given to a New York City-based educator and environmentalist. After a competitive nationwide selection process, Molly Delano will receive an award to initiate a project with the bold goal of creating a network of youth conservationists from disparate communities—Astoria and Long Island City, New York and rural Southern West Virginia.
TogetherGreen, a conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society and Toyota, selects 40 high-potential local leaders annually to receive a $10,000 grant. With the funds, Fellows conduct community projects to engage diverse audiences in habitat, water, or energy conservation. In addition to receiving support launching their conservation initiatives, the Fellows also benefit from specialized training and the opportunity to become part of an exciting alumni network of conservation professionals.
"Molly is an environmental hero. She and the other TogetherGreen Fellows help people engage with nature. They look like America: diverse, passionate, and patriotic," said Audubon President David Yarnold. "Molly is a leader, and we're pleased to give her a chance to invent the future."
Delano, Director of Human Rights Education for the NYC and D.C.-based non-profit Global Kids, plans to use her fellowship status to create the "Youth Energy Exchange" (YEE), a program that will network teens aged 15-18 from communities in Western Queens, NYC and Southern West Virginia in conservation action. The project includes a number of activities centered upon exploring energy efficiency and public policy advocacy through community engagement, and the two participating areas were chosen for deliberate reasons.
The project includes a number of activities centered upon energy efficiency and community engagement, including the creation of educational materials on energy efficiency reflecting energy usage and production. The policy roles of the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy will also be covered, culminating in a student mini-toolkit to guide policy advocacy. Additionally, YEE will launch a digital social media platform to help share and publicize its work, and finally, NYC and West Virginia youth leaders will work together through a retreat to develop a collective vision for energy efficiency and conservation.
The TogetherGreen Fellowship Program invests in high-potential individuals from all backgrounds, providing them with resources, visibility, and a growing peer network to help them lead communities nationwide to a healthier environmental future. To date, 200 environmental leaders from across the country have been awarded TogetherGreen fellowships. These leaders have worked with nearly 500 organizations and engaged over 100,000 people in community-based conservation action, achieving results in habitat, water, and energy.
A complete list of the 2012 TogetherGreen Fellows and details about their conservation projects can be found at www.TogetherGreen.org/fellows.
About TogetherGreen
Audubon and Toyota launched the TogetherGreen initiative in 2008 to foster diverse environmental leadership and innovative conservation ideas. TogetherGreen funding recipients have helped protect 250 species of birds and other wildlife, improved 10,000 acres of habitat, mobilized 220,000 individuals, collected two million pounds of recyclables, and captured $5 million worth of volunteer time. For more information, visit www.togethergreen.org.
About Audubon
Now in its second century, Audubon connects people with birds, nature, and the environment that supports us all. Our national network of community-based nature centers, chapters, scientific, education, and advocacy programs engages millions of people from all walks of life in conservation action to protect and restore the natural world. Visit Audubon online at www.audubon.org.
About Toyota
Toyota established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants and has a network of nearly 1,500 dealerships. Toyota directly employs over 30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services, and design
Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. The company supports numerous organizations across the country focusing on education, the environment, and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed over half-a-billion dollars to philanthropic programs in the U.S.
For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit www.toyotainaction.com/community or www.toyota.com/community.