Who We Are

About Us

Greenstitch is a committed group of teens who work together to educate and empower themselves and the community about the climate crisis. During the coming year, interns will work together to put on several community education events, participate in Bay Area climate actions and create art to motivate people to take action on the climate crisis. Everyone in the internship is encouraged to contribute with their ideas, use their strengths and learn new skills.  This makes the Greenstitich internship an exciting, evolving, collaborative process.

Intern Bios

My name is Ben DeAndrade, I was born and raised in Fairfax, but I have been loving my time in the San Geronimo Valley. In my free time, I love to dance and walk in the forest. Caring about the environment has always been an integral part of my experience; throughout most of my life, I have been in love with the environment, and the people that are there to protect it with me. This internship is just a continuation of that love into action!

My name is Buddy Faure and I’m grateful to have spent most of my life in West Marin. I have enjoyed many things about living here and two of the driving forces behind this have been nature and community. This is what led me to apply for Greenstitch in November 2020 and it is also what  has been a major influence in my activism. Being creative within activism is also important to me and Greenstich has given me many opportunities to do that especially when it comes to my passion of creating and playing music. This has been an awesome experience for me.

Hi, my name is Julia Ng-Heth. I’m a senior at Tamiscal High School in Larkspur, and I have lived in Marin my whole life. Climate change and the way it will affect our future has been one of my major anxieties for a long time. Greenstitch is a way for me to get involved in the climate activist community and be able to take action in a more consistent way. I love nature, the outdoors and activities related to that -especially camping and climbing. I also have a passion for dance, and love making connections with new people.

My name is Sam Podoll, and I am a climate intern here at Greenstich. I have lived my entire life in San Geronimo, and am currently a Highschool student. I love being outdoors, and I spend a lot of my time in the hills surrounding the valley. Along with spending time in nature, I also play basketball and lacrosse, and the piano.  I believe that educating our community can truly bring us together, to make a change for good. I am so grateful for this beautiful earth, and I feel that being a part of this internship is not only strengthening my connection with the community and my peers, but also giving back to this wonderful planet.

Anna Jensen was the lead artist for our Greenstitch Climate Mural.  She grew up in the San Geronimo Valley and is a skilled visual artist. She had a special role as an intern in which she worked many hours each week for 9 months to guide the mural creation process.  She distilled the group’s ideas to create a thought provoking image about our current climate situation into a concise and powerful art piece.  The success of our mural is largely due to her skill as a designer, ability to integrate the ideas of our group, her artistic talent and her dedication to this project from start to finish.   She also designed our Greenstitch logo. We are very grateful for all she has done with Greenstitch.

My name is Cory vanGelder. I have a deep, lifelong love and gratitude for nature. Over the past 10 years I have increasingly focused on addressing Climate Change, from bicycling approximatley two thousand miles with Climate Ride events in order to raise money for climate organizations, to producing and co-creating five aerial dance Climate Benefit shows with my students. Being a climate activist feels like the most important work I can do in these times. Currently, I’m grateful to be the mentor and creator of the Greenstitch  Climate Internship program here at the Community Center.   I love being able to combine my 35 years of teaching experience and emotional literacy facilitation with my passion for healing the planet.  I believe as a community we need to actively engage in taking care of each other and all life on earth to save what we can for a livable future for generations to come.

My name is Ella Broome, and I’ve lived in San Anselmo since I was born. I love having the opportunity to be a part of Greenstitch because climate action and sustainability mean a lot to me. When I’m not at school or working, I love being outside on a hike, run, surfing or just walking my dog. I believe it is important to educate the community on climate change and share how we can be kinder to mother earth, and that is why I chose to be a part of Greenstitch.

My name is Amanda and I have always lived in West Marin.  In my free time, I enjoy spending time in nature, hiking and riding horses. Growing up surrounded by nature has made me always have an interest in helping the planet. Being an intern with Greenstitch is an incredible way for me to connect with other people also interested in the environment. Interning with Greenstitch also inspires me to help educate the community and make a positive impact on the earth.

Hello my name is Bridget and I am a frosh at Archie Williams high school.  I love our planet but have never really known how to help. I felt helpless and it seemed that no-one was doing anything to save our planet. Though greenstchitch I have been able to make a change about what I care about. I love skating, running, art, painting, reading, hiking with my family, and standing up for what I care about, our planet.

Hi 🙂 name is Julia Arthur, I have lived in Marin county my whole life. I Joined Greenstitch because I really care about the future of this planet. It makes me angry to see the way that we as humans have become so disconnected with nature and our roots on this earth. I personally feel a deep sense of connection to the earth and nature and am so appreciative of all it has to offer us. I am happy to be in this group and be surrounded by other people who care and share this sense of gratitude with me. I appreciate the work we do in Greenstitch because it is about making a difference through art and community. Which are both aspects of life that make me feel whole and energized.