Category: Impact Stories

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Bees and High Tech: Kian Nikzad Creates a Buzz

Kian Nikzad was a computer science student at UCLA when he signed up for the Green Foothills Leadership Program to learn how to make a difference for the environment. “I’ve always had a really deep passion for sustainability, but in college I got interested in computer science. I viewed information technology (IT) as a path...

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Building Bridges Over Barriers

Mel Sarmento’s passion is connecting people with the outdoors. This 2020 graduate of the Green Foothills Leadership Program works for Guadalupe River Park Conservancy in San Jose as a Program Director. As a direct result of her participation in the Leadership Program, she now also serves as an Associate Director with Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District...

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Learning By Doing: How One Concerned Citizen Deepened His Impact

Bryan Beck is an accomplished computer engineer who has always been passionate about helping the environment. His first foray into local environmental advocacy also happened to be his introduction to Green Foothills: when the Cargill company was fighting to build 12,000 homes on salt ponds along the bayshore in Bryan’s hometown of Redwood City. Bryan...

woman pointing out plants to children
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From Retirement to Reach Codes

After a long career at the Environmental Protection Agency, Kathleen Goforth had a 35-year backlog of personal projects to do.  Yet, she decided to add one more to her list: she applied to the Green Foothills Leadership Program. “I was just starting to consider retiring and thought it would kick-start my thinking about what I...

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Kyra Brown: More Than Just a Bench

Kyra Brown had been working at Youth United for Community Action (YUCA), a social justice and environmental justice organization, when her supervisor  suggested the Green Foothills Leadership Program.  “Oh, hey look. Is this something you’re interested in?” she quotes. “I had never heard of the program, but when I saw the words ‘community advocates,’ I...

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Ray Larios: Leading from the Back, For Now

Author: David Simon “You don’t just gain knowledge; you gain wisdom,” says Ray Larios of his experience in the 2020 Green Foothills Leadership Program cohort. Before applying to the Leadership Program, Ray was getting settled in his role with the Citizens Advisory Committee for Peninsula Clean Energy, and he thought the Leadership Program would be...

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