E4A Community Scholars are NGO activists, community leaders, Elders with traditional knowledge, or sustainable business entrepreneurs. Their work includes outreach, community-based education, organizing and/or policy development related to water, energy and climate justice. They share their unique on-the-ground experience, perspectives and knowledge with students and researchers as real world problems are tackled through the lens of Ecological Economics.
WATER COHORT
Dr. Harm Sloterdijk, a retired aquatic ecotoxicologist, serves as vicepresident of international relations with E4A partner COVABAR (Conseil de concertation et valorisation du basin de la rivière Richelieu – the Richelieu River basin organization in Southern Quebec). He has more than 30 years of professional experience, primarily involving multidisciplinary environmental evaluation studies in the aquatic environment and management of watersheds. In Quebec, his work has involved the Saint-Lawrence River and Transboundary Waters, including the Missisquoi Bay and the Richelieu River, which connects Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence River. He participated in the planning and implementation of the water field course May – June 2015.
Sue Chiblow (ogamauh annag, or “Leading Star”, in Anishinabe) advises First Nation communities on environmental and educational matters. She grew up in the Garden River First Nation with her father, four brothers and four sisters. Her experience from many family hunting, trapping and fishing excursions led Sue to become a strong advocate for co-existence of all life forms. She has worked for 20 years with First Nation communities in Ontario on environmental issues, advising them and their leaders on issues concerning water, forestry, contaminants, energy and species at risk. Sue has a Master’s in Environment and Management (Royal Roads University). She participated in the water field course May –June 2015, sharing her indigenous perspective to the complex issues regarding water quality in Lake Champlain.
ENERGY COHORT
Clayton Thomas-Muller is a member of the Treaty #6 based Mathias Colomb Cree Nation also known as Pukatawagan located in Northern Manitoba, Canada. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Clayton is the Stop It At The Source Campaigner with 350.org, for the last twelve years he has campaigned across Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 states collaborating with hundreds of First Nations, Alaska Native and Native American communities in support of grassroots Indigenous Peoples to defend against the encroachment of the fossil fuel industry. This has included a special focus on the sprawling infrastructure of pipelines, refineries and extraction associated with the Canadian tar sands. Clayton is an organizer, facilitator, public speaker and writer on Indigenous rights & environmental and economic justice. He participated in the energy field course May 2016.
Vanessa Gray is a 23 year-old Anishinaabe kwe from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, located in Canada’s Chemical Valley. Vanessa has been working with community members to bring awareness to the health issues resulting from her reserve’s toxic surroundings. She is an organizer with Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia Against Pipelines (ASAP). She participated in the energy field course May 2016 and was subsequently an invited panelist and speaker at McGill and UVM events.
Linda McGinnis has dedicated her professional life to seeking concrete solutions to sustainable development challenges, globally and locally. She worked for 20 years as lead economist and senior manager for the World Bank, advising governments and investors across 5 continents on policies and projects promoting sustainable economic development. Since moving to Vermont in 2010, her focus has been on state-level climate change strategies, renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and programs. She directed Governor Shumlin’s Energy Generation Siting Policy Commission (2012-2013), and served as an analyst to the leadership team at the Agency for Natural Resources on climate change strategy and the President’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience (2013-2014). In 2015, she joined Vermont’s Energy Action Network as Program Director working on issues ranging from regulatory reform to technology innovation in helping Vermont reach its goal of 90% renewables by 2050. She currently serves on the Boards of the Clean Energy Development Fund (co-chair) and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (Chair Emeritus). She and her husband are the proud parents of three children: Maya, Misha and Sean, who she hopes will inherit a world as beautiful as she has experienced.
CLIMATE JUSTICE COHORT
Nancy Winship Milliken is an environmental sculptor creating site-specific work in urban and rural landscapes. Her work explores the tension of man in the landscape, and his desire to belong and be a part of the landscape. Communing with the earth is where this art lies. Milliken’s environmentally performative sculptures reveal the actions of wind, rain and sun as they transform shapes and alternative materials, adding an element of time. Her work may be seen on her website. She participated in the climate justice field course May-June 2017.
Maeve McBride is the Director for 350Vermont. She worked on soup to nuts: grassroots organizing, event planning, outreach, fundraising, and operations. Maeve’s academic background is in river science & engineering, and she completed a Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering at UVM. Although she is still involved with river projects in the Northeast, she is a devoted mom, climate activist, yoga teacher, gardener, and bike commuter. She participated in the climate justice field course May-June 2017.
