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Guam Green Growth launches G3 Conservation Corps

Guam Green Growth launches G3 Conservation Corps

What do a retired corrections officer, a former journalist, a teacher, and an indigenous artist have in common? They are all part of the first cohort of G3 Conservation Corps members of the Guam Green Growth (G3) initiative.  

 

The University of Guam announced the 12 members of the G3 Conservation Corps at a program orientation last Wednesday at UOG. Following the orientation, the group participated in its first village cleanup in Mangilao. 

 

Last month, the university embarked on an island-wide recruitment process for the program. The program received hundreds of applicants, and 12 were selected through a comprehensive review process for the five-month program.  

 

From June to November, the G3 Conservation Corps members will participate in workforce development training and activities focused on island beautification, circular economy and recycling, invasive species removal, energy efficiency, and agriculture and aquaculture. 

 

At the orientation, UOG Center for Island Sustainability Director Austin Shelton said the program is aligned with the current island-wide efforts to achieve sustainability and other United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

 

“This is one of our implementation projects for the overall Guam Green Growth initiative, which was established in 2019 in partnership with the Office of the Governor and the University of Guam to implement — in locally and culturally effective ways — the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. This G3 Conservation Corps program is meant to prepare our community for the emerging green economy. Sustainability is an important component that we want to make sure is part of the conversation and the action for the economic diversification of our island,” Shelton said. 

 

Lusech Ngirakesau, a recent UOG business administration graduate and G3 Conservation Corps member, said the program would benefit Small-Island Developing States, or SIDS. Coming from Palau, a small island nation, he said he sees the importance of the program for participants to acquire skills and develop a sustainability mindset.  

 

Meanwhile, Madeline Bradley, the youngest G3 Conservation Corps member at age 18, said the program is an amazing start to promote sustainable action.  

 

“For the next nine years, we have to conserve our world, basically,” she said, speaking of the 2030 target date for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. “But it is a great start for Guam to realize that we need to start doing things for Guam a lot faster. And we need to do things for Guam more efficiently. I feel that this is going to be a wakeup call for a lot of villages and a lot of village mayors — just people in general.” 

 

UOG President Thomas W. Krise, in the past, had described the program as an engine of innovation developing tangible solutions to sustainability challenges in our island region. He said growing the island’s skilled workforce is a solution to support the diversification of the island economy. 

 

At Wednesday’s launch, Krise emphasized the program’s importance as Guam transitions out of the pandemic and recovers its economy.  

 

“This is a great time to be pressing the kinds of things that the G3 initiative is pressing across the board in terms of economic activity, sustainability, education. It is really important to build that capacity in people to think about sustainability, the circular economy, and the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.  

  

 

The G3 Conservation Corps program is made possible through the Recycling Revolving Fund following approval from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency Board of Directors. 

 

About G3

 

Aligned with the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, the Guam Green Growth Initiative, or G3, cultivates an ecosystem for transformative action to achieve a sustainable, prosperous, and equitable future for Guam. The University of Guam facilitates the island-wide initiative in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Guam and the 99 members of the G3 Working Groups, representing all sectors of society.  

  

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Have You Met… Lauren?

Feature: Have You Met... Lauren?

Since its inception in 2019, Guam Green Growth has been an advocate for change and sustainability on Guam. Over the years, the initiative has expanded with the inclusion of innovative programs, new focuses, and numerous opportunities for people to do their part to help Guam get on the track to sustainability.  

 

Lauren Swaddell has been a big contributing member of the Guam Green Growth team and has huge hopes for what the group can accomplish in the years ahead.  

Armed with the knowledge and wisdom gained from working in sustainability for over a decade, and an unrivaled passion for her home island, Swaddell is poised to be a driving force in Guam’s future for years to come. 

 

Have You Met Lauren? 

After growing up and living on Guam her whole life, this island girl moved to New York City for college, a dream of hers since childhood, but it was not all it cracked up to be. While living it up in the Big Apple, Swaddell was on the receiving end of a bigger reality check. 

 

“I really missed Guam. I saw how important it was to preserve our environment,” explained Swaddell. “When I was in New York I saw this landscape that was paved, and all the urban sprawls. People did not want to swim in the rivers and were disconnected from the land. I had taken that for granted and I realized I took the environment for granted.”  

 

Following her epiphany, Swaddell changed her college major from psychology to environmental studies and realized her true calling.  

 

“I switched my whole life plan. I originally planned to stay in New York, but the whole realization of Guam’s natural resources being something I valued and appreciated, I decided I was going back to Guam, and I am going to try my hardest to protect our resources and make Guam more sustainable. I wanted to figure out ways to get the community more engaged in sustainability because I didn’t feel like I had that growing up,” added Swaddell. 

 

Focused and ready to make an impact, Lauren Swaddell returned home following her college graduation in NYC and pursued her master’s degree at the University of Guam, graduating in 2018. 

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping her goals in sight, Swaddell has contributed to the sustainability movement as a student, fellow, volunteer, employee, member, or supporter of several of the island’s most prominent sustainability groups.  

 

Her tenacity and passion landing her in a leadership role as the Coordinator of Guam Green Growth, a private-public partnership aimed at improving Guam’s sustainability on a local level while also connecting with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

 

While Swaddell acknowledges that all the SDGs are especially important in the overall sustainability movement, she also notes that two are remarkably close to her heart.  

 

“Partnership for the Goals – SDG17 is vital because it really takes collective effort to make things happen, which is why the G3 movement and initiative is so important,” said Swaddell. “Another SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) that speaks to my heart is Reduced Inequalities, because there is such an interconnected relationship between the way we treat the environment and the way we treat other people.  Many of the reasons we have to work so hard on conserving our resources right now, is because there is a lot of greed and not enough thought and consideration given to other people and communities in so many ways.”  

 

At the end of the day, it all comes down to love for Swaddell. She has an obvious love for her environment, love for her island, and love for her people.  

 

“Guam is awesome, and it’s only awesome as long as we keep it awesome. How beautiful our oceans are, how interesting our jungles are, the local food and culture of our community – all these things are things we have to actively be a part of. These are all things we care for.”  

 

Swaddell continues her work as the Program Coordinator for Guam Green Growth and is currently preparing for a slate of events to kick off soon. Guam Green Growth recently launched its Conservation Corps, a five-month program aimed at environmental work, clean ups, aqua and agriculture and developing and educating members on the emerging sustainable economy.  

 

QUICK HIT: Q AND A

1. Favorite Guam Food?
Hagan suni on red rice 

2. Favorite Guam Hang out spot?
 Tumon Bay 

3. Hobbies?
Hiking, yoga, and now roller skating, also karaoke!  

4. If your life were a movie what would it be called? 
You ready? Let’s go! 

5. What is the one word, people would use to describe you?
Enthusiastic 

*Have You Met… is a feature with the Guam Green Growth digital platforms. It is a 3-part series that will introduce you to a different member of the G3 team every month and give you a glimpse into why they are passionate about Guam Green Growth and other things too. * 

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#InTheNews: OUR VIEW: Our View: Kudos to mayors who committed to fight poverty, hunger

Our View: Kudos to mayors who committed to fight poverty, hunger

From The Pacific Daily News

Guam is renowned for its generosity and hospitality, especially when it comes to the sharing of food. A common refrain is “come eat.” 

We encourage going back for seconds and thirds. We implore our guests to balutan, to take food home with them. We want to ensure everyone is well fed.

And yet it’s a sad reality on Guam that there are many people, including children, who don’t get enough to eat every day and often go hungry.

The G3 Commitment Badge Program, part of the islandwide Guam Green Growth initiative facilitated by the University of Guam’s Center for Island Sustainability, hopes to change that. And it has turned to our island’s mayors to make that happen.

 

 

 

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Guam Green Growth to hold Listening Sessions

Guam Green Growth to hold Listening Sessions

 

 

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UOG Conference on Island Sustainability connects 57 countries together

Photo of Austin Shelton

UOG Conference on Island Sustainability connects 57 countries together

More than 2000 participants from 57 countries, states, and territories were brought together virtually for the 12th annual University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability from April 6 to April 9, 2021. With “Islands Are Rising” as its theme, the event focused on the resilience of island communities and how they are rising to achieve a sustainable global future.  

 

Organized by the UOG Center for Island Sustainability, conference speakers shared examples of island leadership and innovation regarding human society, the natural environment, and the economy.  

 

The conference also featured special events such as a symposium to recognize the start of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, a series of CIS SEED Talks, and the biannual Guam Green Growth meeting.  

 

The conference, which gathered 527 attendees daily, has been rated favorably by its participants. Around 70% of attendees commended the quality and diversity of the conference’s speakers, who included representatives from Palau, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other island communities. In addition, around 90% of participants said that after attending the conference, they will help their communities achieve a sustainable future and take action for the natural environment.  

 

“It was amazing to have all of these island communities come together to talk about how they’ve been overcoming adversity using locally-informed solutions to build a sustainable future,” said Austin Shelton, the director of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability. “I feel encouraged by the feedback from our attendees and hope they will create change in their communities.”  

 

Next year, the conference will take place from April 4 to 8, 2022.  

 

Recordings of the conference are available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKY61AP86EXanz77isxgiqW1EYmh2WAyF.   

 

For updates about future events from the UOG Center for Island Sustainability, please visit https://www.uog.edu/center-for-island-sustainability/index.php.  

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