About

The Green Youth Alliance (GYA) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization officially supported by State Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell and the California Climate Champions Program (a joint endeavor by the California Air Resources Board and the British Council).

Our mission is to :

1. Educate youth about the importance of environmental preservation
2. Change behaviors that are destructive to our environment
3. Offer environmental community service, networking, and leadership opportunities to youth
4. Work with parents, school officials, local government officials, and local communities to create healthy, environmentally-conscious communities

Principals:

Sue Chow, Ph.D

Sue is an educator, environmentalist, and community activist. She is the founder of the Green Youth Alliance and a member of the Executive Committee of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club. Sue has worked with youth and community activists on a variety of projects ranging from community outreach programs seeking to educate communities about environmental issues such as wetlands preservation, and transit-oriented development to youth outreach projects involving habitat restoration, low carbon transportation, and youth-led environmental advocacy programs. In all her advocacy and community organizing work, Sue has sought to involve the stakeholders and to use the organizing process to strengthen community bonds. Trained as a sociologist, Sue has always been interested in helping to create strong, healthy local communities in which residents feel a sense of ownership and connectedness. To forward this goal, the Green Youth Alliance has recently launched a Wellness Watch program, which focuses on alternative transportation, healthy diets, and strong communities. Sue received her Ph.D in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania and has taught at Stanford University.

Gladwyn d’Souza

Gladwyn d’Souza is the former chair of the San Jose Bicycle Advisory Committee, Los Gatos Trails, Bike-ways Committee, and Santa Clara Valley Traffic Safe Communities Network bike pedestrian work group. He was past president of Walk San Jose and served on the boards of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, the Peninsula Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition, and California Walks. Gladwyn served on the Downtown Access Task Force, Pedestrian Component of the General Plan, and Coyote Valley Task Force for the City of San Jose. He is a member of the Belmont Green Advisory Committee and the San Mateo County trails master plan task force. He is presently on the board of Sustainable San Mateo County. Gladwyn has a degree in physics from UC Berkeley and retired as an electrical engineer in 2006. In 2004 he built a sustainable house in Belmont, CA that was recognized for its use of recycling, low energy, sustainable location, and low toxicity design elements in the construction. He is a regular commuter by transit and bicycle.

Jason Bade

Jason has worked with the California Air Resources Board and the British Council’s International Climate Champions program, for which he represented the United States at the UNESCO World Youth Festival in Stuttgart, Germany in 2009. Jason was also a youth presenter for the Alliance for Climate Education and the Vice-Chair of the City of Foster City Environmental Sustainability Task Force, where he helped draft a comprehensive recommendation report for city officials. In 2010, Jason received one of five annual Sustainability Awards from Sustainable San Mateo County, an award seldom given to individuals. In June, Jason was a recipient of the prestigious Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award, a $36,000 prize for his service to the community. Jason is an undergraduate at Stanford University, where he founded Behavioral Economists at Stanford (BEAST) and is studying macroeconomic philosophy, mechanical engineering design, and behavioral economics. At Stanford, Jason serves on the Committee for Undergraduate Standards and Policies, the IHUM Student Advisory Panel, and the campus board of Engineers for a Sustainable World. In addition, he is particularly passionate about sustainable agriculture and the Slow Food movement.