The Environmental Justice Leaders program brings leaders working in environmental justice into collaboration with the UC Davis research community. The program is a collaboration between UC Davis Feminist Research Institute, the Institute for Transportation Studies, and the Energy Efficiency Institute.
Zoë Temple (she/her) is an environmental educator who works directly with high school-aged youth from frontline communities across the Los Angeles region. With five years of formal teaching experience in a high school Environmental Science classroom, Zoe has a deep understanding of pedagogical strategies and curriculum development. As Eco Opportunities Program Manager at TreePeople, Zoe provides meaningful experiential learning and green career development opportunities for young adults. In this role, she works with students in Compton, CA who have been doubly affected by environmental and educational inequity, and through field trips and hands-on service learning centered around themes such as tree planting, soil quality testing, food sovereignty, and green infrastructure design, offers avenues to achieve both a high school diploma and environmental career experience simultaneously. She also holds the volunteer position of Advisory Council President for Youth on Root, an organization dedicated to providing low-income youth and youth of color across California with tools and opportunities for learning to promote environmental justice. In all of her roles, Zoe's focus on the design and delivery of relevant, engaging, and justice-oriented curriculum aims to empower young people to be environmental changemakers in their communities. Zoe is passionate about building inclusive spaces to redistribute power to marginalized communities through citizen science, youth empowerment, and community-based research.