Celebrating the 2022 Brookie Award Recipients

Noela Altvater of the Passamaquoddy Reservation at Sipayik

Noel grew up on the Passamaquoddy reservation at Sipayik. For decades, water in the community has been dirty, full of pollution, and undrinkable. Instead of ignoring the problem, as many have done over the years, Noela utilized the Passamaquoddy tradition of storytelling and modern technology in the form of a storymap to amplify the voices of her community and advocate for change. Noela creatively wove pictures, videos, scientific research, social statistics, and personal stories into a compelling virtual storymap to highlight the daily struggle for clean water in her community. Noela is proud to continue the work her grandmother, Denise, started many years ago and to fight for the rights of her community and for water, which her people consider sacred.

Noela overcame self-doubt at the outset of the project, gathered strength and direction from her mentors, and gained confidence and determination as a leader as the project took shape. Noela is a powerful young woman who is making a difference for her community by using creative tools, powerful storytelling, and speaking out for justice.

Hear from Noela:

Kiara Frischkorn of Biddeford

Kiara grew up in Los Angeles and has experienced the impacts of climate-fueled natural disasters firsthand. She and her family have had to flee their home in LA because of the threat of wildfires, and her family’s native country of the Philippines has been ravaged by climate-fueled typhoons in recent years. These disasters motivated Kiara to become a climate advocate.

As a marine studies major at the University of New England and president of the campus sustainability team, Kiara is deeply passionate about reducing plastic waste in our oceans. She has organized several successful beach cleanups during her four years on campus. She implemented creative strategies to promote the cleanups and raise funds to transport volunteers to and from the events. She is also empowering other youth in Maine to use their voices and tell their personal stories by speaking at climate rallies and trainings. As a member of student government, Kiara often meets with the dean of students regarding sustainability and DEIJ initiatives. During the summer of 2021, Kiara interned with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and pictures a career at a nonprofit making a positive environmental impact.

Kiara leverages her lived experiences, her empathy for others, and her passion for storytelling as a young environmental leader on and off campus.

Hear from Kiara:

Lucas Healy of Castine

During his four years at Maine Maritime Academy, Lucas’ leadership has helped grow the campus sustainability club and expand the environmental consciousness on campus. As president of the campus environmental club, Lucas has organized community cleanups and helped establish a bottle recycling program on campus. His leadership has helped reduce the stigma of being involved in the club and built bridges to students of all majors and backgrounds.

Lucas took on an internship focused on offshore wind development for no academic credits, on top of his other academic responsibilities, to set himself up for a career in the wind industry. At the conclusion of his internship, he worked with professors and the dean of students to advocate for new renewable energy courses to be offered on campus and to incorporate renewables into existing curriculum. For his senior capstone, Lucas built an operational wind turbine and testing facility on campus which will be utilized for curriculum for many years to come.

Lucas’ leadership and determination is helping to shift the thinking of Maine Maritime Academy to prepare their students for careers in the renewable energy field.

Hear from Lucas:

Kosis Ifeji of Bangor

Kosis is the co-chair of the Nature Based Education Consortium’s Climate Education Policy Advocacy Working Group. Kosis and her group identified that Maine’s public-school students lack adequate education on the causes, impacts, and solutions to climate change. Kosis led an effort to ensure climate education was included in the Maine Climate Council’s top recommendations.

Going a step further, Kosis and her team organized a climate education summit to bring students, teachers, and allies together to develop solutions. The concept for a $3 million climate education policy emerged, and the group developed legislation to meet the needs of Maine students and teachers. Kosis played a key role in getting the bill introduced and passed at the Legislative Council, ensuring strong support at the public hearing, and strong votes in the House and Senate. The bill received strong support in the legislature and was funded at $2 million and was signed in to law by Governor Mills. Kosis is a demonstrated leader who works effectively with partners of all ages.

Kosis developed a creative solution and mobilized students and teachers statewide in support of their cause. Kosis is a proud person of color who hopes to serve as a role model for other people of color to use their voices to fight for what they believe in.

Hear from Kosis:

Greg LeClair of Waterville

Greg is the founder and lead organizer of Maine Big Night (MBN), a citizen science project focused on collecting data on road-crossing amphibians in Maine. He initially started the project in 2018 as a Unity College student. Now in grad school, Greg continues to manage MBN as a passion project. Greg recruits and trains volunteers of all ages and backgrounds statewide to participate in data collection and assisting amphibians across roadways, especially during spring migration season. Over the years he has recruited more than 400 volunteers and monitored 200 survey sites statewide.

Greg’s findings and research derived from Maine Big Night have been published; the project is helping to identify amphibian road mortality hot spots and prioritizing infrastructure solutions, and the project helps move and save thousands of amphibians across roadways annually. When the Covid pandemic hit just weeks before the big spring migration, Greg’s quick problem-solving ensured volunteers could participate safely. He is assisting similar efforts in New Jersey and New Hampshire and is collaborating with the Maine Department of Transportation to secure funding for wildlife crossings from the federal infrastructure bill. Greg is putting his passion for science and conservation into practice by mobilizing Mainers to protect Maine wildlife.

Hear from Greg:

Anna Siegel of Yarmouth

A passionate birder since childhood, Anna first got involved in climate advocacy after learning about the impacts of climate on birds. Anna started ME Strikes in 2019 and worked with youth statewide to pass climate emergency declarations at city councils and select boards. She is a founding member of Maine Youth for Climate Justice, a statewide network of young people advocating for climate solutions. 

In 2021, Anna got involved in the legislative process for the first time. She worked directly with State Representative Maggie O’Neil, pensioners, adult allies, and other youth to introduce LD 99 and helped lead a youth coalition to generate grassroots communications for lawmakers. While fossil fuels divestment movement has largely been worked on by college students on college campuses, Anna learned from adult allies and finance experts about how Maine’s pension fund was complicit in the climate crisis and took action. Now she is collaborating with divestment movements in other states to divest their state employee retirement systems from fossil fuels. Anna is a demonstrated climate leader who employed creative tactics, motivated her peers, helped pass legislation, and is now working to ensure it is implemented along with other key projects.

Hear from Anna: