Friday, June 5, 2015

Student Leaders Join White House Climate Change Dialogue

Ashley King (left) and Tammy Blankenship attended The White House Youth Leadership Conference on Climate Change



When The White House convened a summit on climate change for select college student leaders on June 2, Baldwin Wallace student body president, Ashley King '16, and sustainability major, Tammy Blankenship '16, had a seat at the table. The pair plugged into the conversation as representatives to the White House Youth Leadership Conference organized by the National Campus Leadership Council (NCLC).

Student body presidents and sustainability advocates from colleges around the U.S. met to discuss campus sustainability including best practices and challenges ranging from funds, to education, to student behavior. Under the hashtag #ActOnClimate, conferees were invited to meet with an impressive list of key administration officials, including EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, and senior White House advisor Brian Deese.

"The conference was great to learn about White House initiatives on climate change, while also learning about what other colleges are achieving and where BW stands in its accomplishments compared to these other institutions," Blankenship reports.  "Someone did the math and we found out that all of the universities present at this conference represented 1.2 million people in the U.S.--pretty astounding!"

“I enjoyed this experience because it allowed me to take part in a national conversation that impacts BW students and allows me to bring ideas back to our campus to make a difference,” said King, a Ravenna, Ohio native double majoring in health care management and human resource management.

Blankenship, who hails from Rocky River, Ohio, is on track to earn both the human and social science and science of BW's sustainability majors.
White House Senior Advisor Brian Deese (front and center) met student leaders at the White House Climate Youth Summit; look for BW's Ashley King and Tammy Blankenship in the middle of the pack