Middle school students from Inyo and Mono counties gathered at Cerro Coso Community College Bishop campus on Thursday for the fourth annual Future Green Leaders Summit. The event, presented by the Los Angeles County Southern California Regional Energy Network (SoCalREN), aimed to expose young students from under-resourced schools to green career opportunities and educational pathways. This year marked the first time the summit was hosted in Bishop, drawing participants from Mammoth Middle School, Lo-Inyo, and Owens Valley Elementary schools.
During the immersive learning event, students engaged in various hands-on activities, including collaging posters, storyboarding film ideas, and designing backpacks. Classroom tables were spread with stickers, markers, glue, and sticky notes as groups rotated through workshops. These sessions, led by experts and educators in film, art, innovation workshopping, and game-based learning tools, emphasized environmental science and climate education.
According to a SoCalREN press release, for many attendees, this summit provides their "first such exposure" to green career fields. Since its inception in 2023, the summit has engaged 2,700 students, including those who participated this year. Julie Du Brow, media lead for the summit on behalf of SoCalREN, confirmed the local school participation.
A key part of the program involved students completing bingo cards by asking questions at exhibitor booths hosted by government and industry partners. Attendees also heard from AY Young, a global touring pop artist, United Nations Young Leader, and founder of Battery Tour, which his tour website describes as the "world’s longest-running clean-energy concert series." These interactions, combined with hands-on experiences with clean energy technologies, are designed to prepare students for meaningful careers in sustainability and energy efficiency, SoCalREN stated.
Several students from Mammoth Middle School shared their perspectives on the day. Seventh grader Izzy Rotse noted her family’s background in environmental and electric vehicle technology. Rotse expressed her intention to continue considering how the world can become more green-certified, with increased solar adoption and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
Seventh graders Camila Hernandez and Ellery Wisner, also from Mammoth Middle School, both acknowledged that they had not extensively considered these types of careers before the summit. Beyond contemplating future professions, they discussed their desire to make a difference. Wisner shared a key takeaway, stating that no matter what path one chooses, "you can always do something to help someone in some way." She added that they learned how individuals can change the world in their own ways. Hernandez agreed that the world "definitely" needs changing.
The summit is part of a broader initiative by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to assist communities in becoming more energy efficient, according to Tessa Charnofsky, special services assistant for Los Angeles County. Charnofsky explained that the CPUC utilizes utility ratepayer money to fund program administrators across the state for this type of energy efficiency work. She highlighted that regional energy networks possess a unique capacity to reach deeper into communities and rural areas, addressing educational and sustainability gaps that investor-owned utilities might not.
SoCalREN emphasized the importance of supporting top employment and economic sectors in the region, such as tourism, public land management, and outdoor recreation. This support is crucial for protecting areas more vulnerable to pollution and climate change. As the region faces challenges like declining Sierra Nevada snowpack and increased wildfire risks, skills in resiliency workforce development are increasingly in demand. The summit aims to equip future generations with the knowledge and tools needed to address these critical local and global environmental issues.
