Global Green News
Volunteer Spotlight: Global Green's Simon Warren and Marie Cita
CAUSECAST.ORG. AUGUST 4, 2009.
Yale student and environmental activist Simon Warren has been interning with Global Green USA in New Orleans for the past three months. His work in the Lower Ninth Ward and on sustainable home building projects makes him a prime candidate for the first installment in our month-long series on Volunteers and Public Service.
Read our interview with Simon below and see how this college student found a life-changing experience with Global Green. You can also hear from Global Green volunteer Marie Cita and read her contribution.
How did you originally get involved in interning with Global Green?
I first encountered Global Green through an internship program through my university. I’ve always been interested in the environment, and the job seemed to be a pretty good fit. At Global Green, I wound up working in the policy part of the office, namely working with the City of New Orleans (and a former GG staffer) to compile the city’s greenhouse gas emissions report, and applying for a grant to make a plan to lower GHG emissions. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it kept me pretty busy. Along the way, I also wound up working at the Holy Cross Project site, and at outreach events in the Lower Ninth Ward.
So, as far as new experiences go, you must have learned quite a bit.
The impact on me has been huge. First of all, I came to Global Green knowing next to nothing about homebuilding, let alone green building, or any of the processes involved in making a new, sustainable home. While I’m not an expert now, I’ve learned a tremendous amount about the materials involved, the choices that are out there, and the processes that go into the design and building of a home, and more importantly, how to make a structure more energy efficient. I’ve also learned a great deal about how environmental policy works in a city—how you have to go through twice as many people to get a job done than you’d expect, and how everyone knows each other. In many ways, New Orleans is a small city, and I’m pretty sure we’ve crossed paths with every person involved in any way in energy, building, or the environment.
