Born and raised south of Seattle, Natalie has always had a deep appreciation for the natural land- the beach close by, mountains, and waterfalls in almost every corner. It wasn’t until Natalie moved away to attend school at Washington State University that she experienced a different kind of natural beauty- it was subtle. The gentle rolling hills soon became her favorite part about eastern Washington, even more so when she found out the rarity of the native grasslands. While attending WSU Natalie studied Science Communication, and Environmental Science, with the goal of being able to effectively communicate environmental issues to a diverse audience. She quickly realized while attending school the disconnect from easter and western Washington, which fueled a new passion- engaging with different stakeholders, communicating, and figuring out how to come together to align interest, and support one another. After graduating, Natalie found Sustainable Seattle, and was an intern for S2 for quite a few months. Natalie couldn’t seem to part ways with S2, because of the org’s refreshing, yet true take on sustainability. Natalie’s passions directly aligned with S2 with how the org is actively engaging and amplifying communities often left out of the conversation on climate impact. “There are countless organizations that can put community driven work, or equitable practices in their mission or on their website – but S2 actually walks the walk. We look at resilience as the art of bouncing forward, not back, and I am excited to be apart of an organization that is moving forward as we build a movement that empowers individuals so they can empower their communities.”
