About

Erin Schrode is a green girl and ecopreneur. As the “face of the new green generation,” the co-founder of Turning Green promotes global sustainability, youth leadership, environmental education and conscious lifestyle choices. Since 2005, her youth-driven non-profit has worked to raise public awareness about environmental and social responsibility for individuals, schools, and communities through education and advocacy – inspiring the transition from conventional to conscious for millions of high school and college students worldwide, as well as the greater public.

This “incredible synthesizer and orator” speaks internationally and consults with corporations and organizations – including Apple, the US State Department, The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, Unilever, Chipotle, the United Nations, EPA and more – on millennials, sustainability, social consumption, digital tendencies, and purpose to drive positive impact and better business. Honoring her commitment to lead through action worldwide, The White House called Erin “a dynamic, passionate and ambitious young woman committed to creating big change everywhere she goes.”

A “sustainability prodigy,” Erin has been featured in and tapped as an expert for the New York Times, Vanity Fair, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Post, Seventeen Magazine, Teen Vogue, National Geographic; on ABC, NBC, BBC, CNN, FOX, MTV, PBS, Discovery, E!, CurrentTV, Sundance; on The Huffington Post, AOL, HelloGiggles, GOOD, Slate; in various books, publications, and other multimedia outlets. The “juggernaut in the nonprofit and green world” hosts digital programs, leads events, and writes for The Huffington Post, her own ecoRenaissance blog, twitter, and others. CNN profiled Erin as a Green Pioneer, naming her one of six “leading lights in the environmental movement; [a] role model for young environmentalists inspires others to follow in her footsteps,” while Participant Media elected her one of ten Inspiring Climate Leaders alongside Al Gore, Bill McKibben, and global luminaries.

The “nationally recognized speaker and leader among next generation social entrepreneurs” hosts events, conferences, and digital programs with diverse stakeholders for wide audiences. An award-winning “juggernaut in the nonprofit and green world,” Erin has worn many hats: brand ambassador for will.i.am’s EKOCYCLE, spokesperson for leading organic brand Nature’s Path, face of Seventh Generation’s personal care line, advisory board member for Myspace, Intel, Run for America, and SHFT Mobile Kitchen Classroom, lead witness before California congress and DC lobbyist, creator of a green skincare collection with Whole Foods Market nationwide, “eco-activist-cum-runway-model” in New York Fashion Week, and collaborator with top designers on eco lines.

“One of the leading young green movers in the country,” Erin addresses influential global leaders at forums like The White House Summit on Environmental Education, Mashable / UN Foundation Social Good Summit, World 50, Sustainable Brands, and One Young World where she serves as US Ambassador. Erin was elected to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, named a Young Challenger at Nobel Laureate Yunus’ Global Social Business Summit, honored with the Diller Tikkun Olam Award for outstanding leadership in community service and commitment to improving the world, given the Natural Products Innovator Award.

After working in disaster response in Haiti, she founded and launched The Schoolbag, a youth education project to provide tools and materials for students in need, as well as initiate active citizenry and environmental stewardship. The program has reached over 30,000 students in Haiti, in addition to deliveries in East Timor and South Africa. The “young green-inspired heroine” has received numerous awards for her ongoing work in Haiti, as well as environmental curriculum development in Jordan and urban recycling infrastructure in Ghana.

She recently graduated from New York University as a prestigious DEANS Scholar – spending terms abroad in the Middle East, West Africa, South America, and Europe – with a degree in Social and Cultural Analysis. Having visited over seventy countries, Erin has developed a keen global perspective and hopes to inspire her peers to take action and make the world a more sustainable and just place for future generation.