Meet The Next Wave of Emerging Environmental Leaders
In the first part of our series, we introduced you to three exceptional Youth Crew Leaders who are helping to shape the future of environmental justice in Yonkers. These leaders, some of which are alumni of Groundwork Hudson Valley’s Green Team, are now guiding a new generation of young environmental advocates through the challenges and triumphs of climate resilience work.
We’re thrilled to continue this journey by introducing Brianna Rodriguez, Raymond Foster, and Navaiya Williams. Each of them is making a significant impact, bringing unique perspectives and unwavering passion to their roles. In this second part of the series, we explore their stories, motivations, experiences, and the transformative work they are leading this summer.
Q: What is your current school, year, and major?
Brianna Rodriguez: I am in my senior year at SUNY New Paltz, majoring in Environmental Studies with a double minor in Black Studies and Urban Planning.
Navaiya Williams: I am entering my fourth year at Brown University, studying Computer Science, Theatre Arts and Performance Studies.
Raymond Foster: I am a rising senior attending SUNY Binghamton, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Ecosystems.
Q: How many years have you been a part of the Green Team?
Brianna Rodriguez: I was a Green Teamer for three years, and this is my first year as a Crew Leader.
Navaiya Williams: I was a Green Team member in the summer of 2021.
Raymond Foster: This is my first year as part of the Youth Program at Groundwork Hudson Valley, and I have had incredible experiences so far. The staff at Groundwork Hudson Valley (GWHV) have been amazing in helping me learn the ropes of the Green Team program.
Q: How and why did you initially get involved with Groundwork Hudson Valley?
Brianna Rodriguez: I was in high school when someone from GWHV did a presentation in one of my classes, and I felt drawn to the organization’s mission. I wanted to make a positive change in my community, but I felt like there weren’t many opportunities for me to do so at 15 years old. I felt that GWHV was the perfect way for me to learn more about my community while having a direct impact on climate revitalization efforts.
Navaiya Williams: I have always tried to be environmentally conscious, which has influenced everything from my diet to my spending habits. However, I struggled to see how making these changes in my life could help the community around me. The impact felt so minor compared to the vastness of global climate change. So, when Groundwork Hudson Valley’s (GWHV) Youth Programs Manager visited my high school and informed me that I could make a positive, tangible change in my community, I was all in.
Raymond Foster: I got involved with Groundwork Hudson Valley because of my passion for the environment. The Green Team Program allows me to spread awareness about the importance of climate change to youth. I saw an opportunity that aligned with my personal and professional goals, and I was fortunate to join such an amazing organization!
Q: What drew you to becoming a Youth Crew Leader?
Brianna Rodriguez: I wanted to join GWHV again as a Crew Leader because I had a desire to empower the new generation of Green Teamers in the same way the program empowered me as a teenager. Having quite literally been in their shoes a few years prior, I felt that I could share my experiences and be an example for them to realize all they can achieve during and after their time in this program.
Navaiya Williams: My memorable time on the Green Team, albeit for one summer, pulled me back into GWHV’s orbit. I applied to the Crew Leader position as soon as I heard about it through an email sent to Green Team alumni. To be honest, I missed being outdoors and hadn’t had significant time working in nature since my summer on the Green Team.
Raymond Foster: At Binghamton, I am a part of the Sustainability Hub, which has similar goals to those of Groundwork Hudson Valley. The Sustainability Hub works to better the Binghamton community, chartering buses to local farmers' markets and implementing more sustainable dining hall options. Groundwork Hudson Valley allows me to make an even larger impact through activities like invasive species removal, trail maintenance, and Green Infrastructure projects.
Q: How has Groundwork Hudson Valley expanded your knowledge of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies?
Brianna Rodriguez: Extreme heat was something I had experienced but never knew about until I became a Green Teamer. I learned what urban heat islands were and the negative health impacts heat had on residents living in such circumstances during my first year. Not only did I become knowledgeable about extreme heat, but also the ways we could mitigate the high temperatures certain communities faced, using things like green roofs or cool pavement.
Navaiya Williams: Throughout my time with GWHV, I’ve become increasingly aware of the history of systemic disinvestment in lower-income neighborhoods in Yonkers, resulting in devastating environmental consequences like extreme heat and flooding. It’s the elephant in the room: each summer brings stronger, more dangerous flash floods that destroy not just basements and gardens but also critical city infrastructure, like public transportation and the sewer system, and even claim lives. Rather than let climate anxiety take over, I work with Groundwork Hudson Valley toward climate justice, helping to build climate resilience through Green Infrastructure projects throughout Yonkers.
Raymond Foster: Groundwork Hudson Valley has helped me expand my knowledge of air quality and extreme heat. Thanks to our work done with the NYS DEC Tree app, I have gained more knowledge as to why trees are essential to combat extreme heat due to the shade they provide and the oxygen released into the atmosphere. The knowledge I have gained will allow me to implement these ideas at my club at Binghamton, ultimately benefiting my community.
Q: How do you define environmental justice?
Brianna Rodriguez: Environmental justice, to me, is making decisions to ensure that the construction, distribution, disposal, or implementation of any materials does not disproportionately impact one community over another. It is also making sure that people who are already experiencing the impact of previous unjust practices have a direct say in the policies that govern their daily livelihoods.
Navaiya Williams: I see environmental justice as an intersectional movement for climate mitigation and resilience through a socially and racially conscious lens. The climate crisis doesn’t affect everyone equally, so we must combat it with these inequalities in mind. In American cities, this means righting the historical wrongs of redlining that have locked low-income and largely Black, immigrant, and Latino communities into neighborhoods with sweltering heat and few safe green spaces.
Raymond Foster: I believe environmental justice means everyone has the right to equal environmental protection, regardless of ethnicity. Groundwork Hudson Valley does an amazing job at this by helping vulnerable people like MHACY residents living in urban heat islands and flood zones, along with the implementation of Green Infrastructure projects at high schools like Lincoln, Riverside, and Barack Obama School for Social Justice. This commitment to environmental justice is one of the many reasons I was drawn to join the organization.
Q: Do you have a favorite memory of working with Groundwork Hudson Valley?
Brianna Rodriguez: My favorite memory is probably making deer fences at the Westchester Land Trust’s Frederick P. Rose Preserve. That was the first project all of the Green Team was able to work on together, and we all really enjoyed being able to see new places and learn new things about areas beyond Yonkers.
Navaiya Williams: One of my favorite memories was during my Green Team year’s camping trip. It was one of the first times I was completely surrounded by nature, and it was the most vibrant green I had ever seen. I had never felt more connected to the world around me. Now, I hope to be part of the current Green Teamers’ own discovery of the vital healing power of nature.
Raymond Foster: My favorite memory as part of the Green Team was the Green Infrastructure project at Lincoln High School. It was my first experience with a community-building project, and I found it truly fascinating. Improving the community by creating a biobed and bioswale to channel rainwater and provide nutrients for future plant life was an amazing experience.
Q: What are some words about Groundwork Hudson Valley that you would like to leave the people with?
Brianna Rodriguez: My experience with Groundwork Hudson Valley has taught me so much about the power of my voice and the voices of young people as a collective. Oftentimes, I thought that there wasn’t much I could do as a young person to make a difference in my community, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Youth leadership is essential to much of the change we see in the world today, and I am grateful to still be part of an organization that champions and empowers young leaders.
Navaiya Williams: Groundwork Hudson Valley’s Green Team can be life-changing for kids in Yonkers where, depending on the neighborhood you live in, you may grow up thinking nature — forests, safe parks with trees, mountains, a clean ocean — is inaccessible to you. But, along with providing children with knowledge on climate, GWHV teaches youth that nature is there for them to embrace and, no matter what anyone tells them, that they belong there.
Raymond Foster: Groundwork Hudson Valley is an organization with an amazing staff who genuinely care about one another and will do anything to support each other, both within and outside of the workplace.
Brianna, Raymond, and Navaiya exemplify resilience, innovation, and a deep commitment to environmental justice. Their stories remind us that the future of our environment lies in the hands of leaders like them — those who are willing to step up, take action, and inspire others to do the same. Their contributions this summer are not only addressing immediate challenges but are also laying the groundwork for future environmental advocates in Yonkers.
