Switzer
Fall 2014
Newsletter
From the Executive Director
Lissa Widoff
Welcome to our NEW biannual newsletter, sent to our nonprofit, academic and public sector friends and colleagues. This format and our new website highlights not only our 2014 Switzer Fellows and recent grants, but the depth of experience, activism and innovative problem-solving work of our over 550 Switzer Fellows in the US and internationally. The website makes it easier than ever to Find an Expert in a specific issue area and the new Issues section assembles stories about our Fellows leadership in dozens of current topics. Read the stories about our Fellows' leadership in the News section and learn more about how to collaborate with Switzer Fellowships through our Grant Programs. But read our top news below and tell us what you think!
Committing to Fossil Fuel Divestment
 
In August, the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation Board voted to join the Divest-Invest Philanthropy movement, pledging to divest from fossil fuels within five years and to reinvest in a new economy fueled by clean energy and sustainable practices.  Executive Director Lissa Widoff and Board Chair Jen Sokolove wrote a post describing the imperative for this decision.

Meet the 2014 Fellows!

The core program of the Switzer Foundation, the Switzer Fellowship Program, supports highly talented graduate students in New England and California who show outstanding leadership potential, and who are working towards environmental improvement.  This year twenty environmental leaders, comprising the 28th class of Fellows, joined the Switzer Network of 550 Fellows located across the country and around the world.  Learn about Fellows' work in geothermal energy, stakeholder involvement in the science of marine protected areas, energy efficiency technologies, science shops, community development in Ghana and more.
Recent Leadership Grants

The Switzer Foundation helps advance the professional careers of Fellows by awarding Leadership Grants of up to $40,000 to qualified organizations that can benefit from Fellows' expertise on critical environmental issues.  Read about our two most recent grants:

Supplying San Francisco Bay Area Land Managers 

with Climate Data 

$30,000 grant to the Pepperwood Foundation (under the guidance of Switzer Fellow and Executive Director Lisa Micheli) to hire Nicole Heller as its Climate Adaptation Coordinator for the Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative (TBC3).


Conserving the Character and Biodiversity of the Sierra Nevada Region 

$40,000 grant to Sierra Watch to hire Issac Silverman in a new position of Staff Attorney where he will provide legal review and guidance on Sierra Watch's conservation campaigns.


See all recent recipients of Leadership Grants 

Recent Network Innovation Grant

The Switzer Foundation supports Fellows working together across disciplines to solve complex problems through the Network Innovation Grants program.

Environmental Justice and Water Management  

in California 

Dr. Carolina Balazs, Post-doctoral researcher at UC Davis, and Mike Antos, Program Director for the Council for Watershed Health in Los Angeles, are involved in California's Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) program. Balazs, whose work centers in California's Central Valley, and Antos, whose focus includes the urban environs and watersheds of Los Angeles, will use this $11,500 award to convene key members of the seven sites that are working with disadvantaged communities to bring best practices and policy recommendations to California's Integrated Water Resources Management Program to ensure greater social equity in California water infrastructure investments.

 

See all recent recipients of Network Innovation Grants 

The Switzer Network in Action

Several Switzer Fellows participated in September's People's Climate March in New York City, just days before the United Nations climate summit.  We collected their impressions of the march in a post on our website.

 

Towards Better Worker and Public Safety

Evan Hansen and Michael Wilson testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works in March, arguing for better safety standards in the aftermath of the Elk River chemical spill in January and the Chevron refinery fire in 2012.

 

See more stories about Fellows in the News 

Switzer Foundation fall retreats

The 2014 Fellows and Switzer Fellowship alums gathered at NatureBridge in Marin Headlands and the Warren Center outside of Boston for our two annual fall retreats that focused on leadership and networking. We partnered with Rockwood Leadership Institute for our leadership training and Fellows deepened their connections with one another through peer learning on a variety of topics and career plans.

Upcoming Events
Switzer Foundation Webinar Series
Water Quality and Environmental Justice in the Central Valley
November 12, 2014 - 9:30 AM Pacific

Hundreds of small, rural communities in California and across the United States rely on unsafe drinking water sources that their modest means cannot mitigate. But why do such conditions exist in a country where most of the population has access to piped, potable water, and despite a history of investment in sophisticated infrastructure and drinking water laws? This webinar will focus on drinking water quality and environmental justice issues facing communities in California's Central Valley.

More information and to register

2015 Switzer Environmental Fellowships
January 9, 2015 - Application Deadline
Switzer Fellowship guidelines

Leadership Grant Deadlines - Spring Cycle:
February 1, 2015 - Concept letters due
March 1, 2015 - Selected proposals due
Leadership Grant guidelines

A vibrant community of environmental leaders
Contact Us

Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation
P.O. Box 293 / Belfast, Maine 04915
207-338-5654 / [email protected] / www.switzernetwork.org
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