People

Michael Band is an Education Grant Specialist in the Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education (OPEEE) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Carmen M. Reyes-Colón is part of the Biology Department faculty and is the Environmental Sciences Program Coordinator at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce Campus (PCUPR). Carmen previously worked as an environmental consultant and for the last 17 years has taught college-level courses. Carmen has a genuine commitment to environmental education with not only her students but also her local community in the southern region of Puerto Rico. She created the Environmental Sciences Conference Series at PCUPR. With these biyearly conferences, Carmen has been able to invite environmental specialists to lecture and share their research projects with the faculty, students, and community. Carmen also acts as a mentor to the Environmental Science Student Society (SECA) at PCUPR, a student association that serves as a liaison for environmental education among students, scientists, and the community. Carmen’s mentorship made it possible for SECA to receive the 2015 EPA Environmental Champion Award for Environmental Education. In 2016, Carmen was honored with the EPA Environmental Champion Award for her contributions to environmental education in her community. Carmen holds a Master’s degree in Science from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus. As a result of the NAAEE scholarship and her participation in different workshops and webinars, she enrolled in an online course on the Sustainable Development Goals offered by the Argentine Senate. During the summer of 2019, Carmen was certified as a Sustainable Development Goals Promoter. In her free time, Carmen bakes desserts and enjoys the beach with family and friends. 

About Carmen‘s ee360 Community Action Project

Carmen's ee360 Community Action Project consists of the creation of an urban garden at a public school in the municipality of Ponce. The creation of this project will allow residents of the community to have access to fresh food during the year but more importantly during a natural disaster. The project's main goal is to elevate the importance that urban gardens represent in their daily lives and in times of emergencies, especially due to the dependence that Puerto Ricans have on imported food. Carmen has helped build community resilience by having local residents produce their own fresh food, available during emergencies such as hurricanes. The project has included a series of workshops, selection, and preparation for the area, seed selection and planting, and eventual harvest of the crops. The purpose of this project is to create awareness of the importance of emergency preparedness for the school communities within Ponce and southern Puerto Rico. Carmen has collaborated with multiple organizations like USDA Farm Service Agency, the Department of Agriculture of Puerto Rico, Sierra Club Student Coalition (Puerto Rico Chapter), and local farmers.