who we are
what we believe in
the Earth Friends board
Meet the humans who are working together to bring environmental education into early childhood classrooms through wonder, possibility, and love—and a good dose of tenacity.
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FounderJanna has been steadfast in her care and concern for the world around us since she was a little girl, and as an adult she continues to encourage and support others in finding ways to live in harmony with our environment and each other. Janna is a book editor, published author, and registered yoga teacher with a master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from New York University.
She believes that all young children should have the chance to be educated about the interconnectedness of our world and be given the opportunity to exercise their self-agency to make it a healthy, vibrant, happy place for all. She has infused Earth Friends with her passion for planet and people, her expertise in business, writing, and program development, and her enthusiasm for endless possibilities.
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Co-ChairTiffany's demonstrated commitment to equity and the environment can be seen in the work she does for a living, but also in her conversations, dedication to her personal work, and the connections she makes with others. Tiffany is the Director of Energize Careers at SEI where she works to build climate leaders and connect people with opportunities for a thriving future.
Tiffany helped to start Landforce, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that invests in people through restoring the environment. Landforce provides workforce development training and support for individuals with barriers to employment. The training is focused on work readiness skills and land stewardship hard skills while also fostering a love for the environment and a passion for caring for our earth. Tiffany built on her experience with Landforce to co-author the American Forests’ Arboriculture Pre-Employment curriculum, the national standard for urban forestry workforce development programming. She also created a first-of-its-kind national network of urban forestry workforce programs called the Tree Equity Workforce Network, where programs learn together and from each other. Tiffany brings a focus on equity and inclusion to the environmental movement and believes that we won’t move the needle unless diverse voices are heard, and we are all invested in making an impact. Tiffany received her master’s in social work in 2016 from the University of Pittsburgh where she studied macro social work focused on working with communities, organizations, and using social action.
Instagram: @tiffanymrotek
Email: tiffanyekim@gmail.com
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Treasurer
Megan centers inclusive community in everything she does. Her wholehearted commitment to equity and wellbeing for all is evident in her work and way of living. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Programming of the nonprofit organization Open Up. Open Up’s mission is to teach mindfulness tools through movement and expressive arts practices that center individuals living with disabilities but are for every body. Her longest-running program Open Schools brings mindfulness and movement to students ages PreK - 21 in many schools in the city of Pittsburgh.Megan is a graduate of The University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Marketing. She runs a registered yoga school and empowers participants with disabilities by teaching them to become yoga facilitators and leaders in wellness spaces. Her passion and ability to connect with people by meeting them where they are is her superpower.
email: msicheri@open-up.org
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Creative CollaborationsSuzie is an award-winning filmmaker, author, and television host, specializing in climate and environmental communication for kids of all ages. As an Aspen Institute Future Leader and a Grist 50 Fixer, their work combines children’s media, music, and playful learning to highlight climate solutions and emotions. Suzie connects youth advocates and educator allies to role models advancing climate justice all over the world. Big public media nerd.
Instagram: @suzie_hicks_climate_chick
website: suziehicksclimatechick.com
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Co-ChairComing to the field of Early Education in 2006 from a career in corporate marketing and management, Valerie attained her Master of Science Degree in Education, with a Specialization in Early Childhood Education upon making this career switch.
Valerie is the Owner/Director of The Peppermint Tree Child Development Center, in Toms River, NJ, a state licensed center with a four-star rating in Grow New Jersey Kids, the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Her center has also been selected by the state of New Jersey to implement the Pyramid Model, to support social emotional development of young children. She serves on the board of the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young (NJAEYC) children, running a local chapter of the organization to support early education in Ocean County, New Jersey.
As an organizational leader, motivator and provider of professional development both locally and nationally, to this board she contributes early childhood education expertise and a driving force to do the best we possibly can for young children.
Valerie is embracing, supporting, and piloting the Earth Friends curriculum. She is, admittedly, new to a focus on environmental education but is grateful to be learning and growing through this collaboration.
email: val@pepperminttree.com
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SecretaryAnna is a community organizer, educational advocate, and parent of 3. She sits on the Board of multiple organizations, including the J Los Angeles where she holds leadership roles on various committees.
She is passionate about building community and empowering people to become agents of change within them. Anna is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.
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DevelopmentKaty is passionate about sparking positive change globally. She holds a BS in Intelligence and National Security and an MS in Environmental Studies from Point Park University and has had diverse professional experiences that have taken her around the globe. Throughout her studies and career, Katy has focused on connecting food security and national security, sustainability, and innovation, finding simple solutions to serve as powerful tools for social and economic development. Katy firmly believes that building effective organizations with robust infrastructure is the key to making a measurable impact.
Katy is the Managing Director of Global Operations, People, and Culture at The Build Up Companies, where she is responsible for managing its processes and operations around the globe. She directs a portfolio of projects to strengthen the Companies’ internal infrastructure and ensures that systems, processes, and policies are in place to support internal operations as well as their clients’ work.
Outside of the office, Katy is a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher, specializing in yoga for addiction and recovery. When she is not working or on her yoga mat, you can find her getting lost in a good book and exploring the world around her.
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Brand & International OutreachVictoria O'May (she/her) is an art director and graphic designer and a passionate advocate for environmental sustainability and social impact. She believes design and communication are powerful tools that can (and should) drive positive change for people, nature, and the planet. Originally from Brazil, she lives in Spain with her partner, daughter, and a giant rescue cat.
Instagram: @victoriaomaystudio
website: victoriaomay.com
Earth is our home.
All life on our planet matters.
Cultivating a love of where we live, an understanding of how we live, and an awareness of who we live with builds a bridge between the natural environment and the (human) built environment. This life-affirming foundation of learning will be a necessity for our coming generations and the collective ecological and humanitarian challenges they will face.
Mission & Vision
MISSION: to give children a deeper connection to nature and empower them to lead their happiest, healthiest lives
VISION: Earth Friends are the future of positive human impact.
Values
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Earth Friends celebrates the relationships found throughout all of life—the interconnected awesomeness. We are in a constant flow of give and receive with every being and every thing around us. The simple act of falling in love with our planet is an act of reciprocity.
“Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.” Robin Wall Kimmerer
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Earth Friends learning affirms life. When children pay attention to the source of our food, they learn to nourish their body. When children deepen their love for nature, they nourish their soul. A generation of happy, healthy, caring humans will nourish our society.
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Earth Friends believes that the children of today are going to be the doers, dreamers, artists, architects, leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers of tomorrow. Only through seeing our world through the lenses of love, curiosity, and wonder will they invent a happy, healthy, and vibrant future for all.
There are many great organizations making a difference for children, their futures, and all life on our planet. Earth Friends is honored to share and nurture collaborations and partnerships with those featured below.
Peppermint Tree’s mission is to be a caring community, working together to provide the highest quality in early care and education in a nurturing home-like setting. We serve not only the child, but the whole family, providing ongoing programming for the whole family, including educational and fun family events, parent workshops and opportunities to create community. Our staff is well-trained and we utilize a research-based curriculum, offering hands-on experiential learning through intentionally planned play experiences, to assure a well-rounded and developmentally appropriate education opportunities. We focus on the development of the whole child, including building social-emotional capacities and skills, as well as teaching children about the world we live in so they learn to love and care for our planet. We provide enriching classroom spaces with a myriad of learning materials right within the children’s reach and children explore our park-like playground and gardens to learn about the natural world, providing engaging environments both indoors and outdoors.
Education is the Core of Our Mission.
WQED Multimedia’s educational programs for children offer free and effective educational tools that can make dramatic differences in how children perform and achieve. Through television programs, multimedia toolkits, and community collaborations, WQED programs ensure that, “anytime is learning time.”
Gaia Scholastic's mission is to cultivate a generation of environmentally-literate global citizens by integrating nature and environmental concepts into the learning experiences of students of all ages and abilities. We build interdisciplinary content in a way that challenges students to make connections: with themselves, with each other, and with nature, across content areas. We train teachers across the country on how to re-shape their curriculum through an environmental lens, coach students on how to turn their climate anxiety into climate action, and foster environmental connection in and out of the classroom.
SubjectToClimate is your connector to free climate resources for all K-12 subjects. We envision a world where everyone feels empowered to take action in solving climate change. To create this future, climate action begins in the classroom. Our work centers around two primary programs: core platform and customized regional hubs. We connect educators to resources, and we collaborate with localized stakeholders to integrate our platform to their needs.
The goal of Sol Refill is to help you bridge the gap between current habits and the new sustainable, healthy ones you aspire to embrace by providing pantry, body, and home doorstop delivery service in Pittsburgh, PA. Founder, Sydney Shoff believes that we need less stuff and more meaning in life and become curious about the zero-waste movement, quickly realizing it’s not easy or accessible in day-to-day reality. Sol Refill believes in a much more accessible low waste lifestyle.
Sydney (of Sol Refill) and Janna (of Earth Friends) write The Imperfect Green Guide blog together.
Jetty Ink specializes in eco-conscious screen printing, and produces “great art, the best apparel & soft prints.” It all started with DIY screen printing to build a brand. Over twenty years later we’re still printing for that brand and countless other customers using our signature water based inks with an eco-conscious approach. Our expertise has been gained through years of hands-on experience learning our craft and gathering talented and passionate individuals that staff our operation. We are custom apparel experts that help our customers from design inspiration to delivery of premium custom goods.
If you’re wearing an Earth Friends shirt, then you’re wearing Jetty Ink!
Meet our lesson collaborators.
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Bat Conservation International
Bat Conservation International works to protect the world’s bats and the ecosystems they depend on, ensuring a healthy planet for all. Guided by science and powered by community, we follow bats to the most important opportunities to conserve nature and inspire people to care for the world around them.
We believe learning is essential to conservation. Through hands-on education, outreach, and partnership, we help people of all ages—and especially young learners—understand the value of bats and the natural systems we all share. Our team is passionate, inclusive, and collaborative, creating engaging experiences that connect people to bats, spark curiosity, and empower the next generation of environmental stewards.
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Mangrove Action Project
MAP’s mission is to partner with communities and organizations worldwide to conserve, manage, and restore mangrove forests. Through science, training, and environmental education, we provide nature-based solutions for people and our planet.
“Healthy Mangroves Sustain Life. Mangrove forests are vital yet extremely complex ecosystems.”
MAP provides the restoration training and education programs needed to effectively protect these vital ecosystems – now and into the future.
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coming soon
more pay-what-you-can lessons soon
