Erin Chacey (Executive Director) was the director of Earth Day 2010: The Update in which about 3,600 people volunteered at 130 worksites planting over 8,000 trees, collecting over 2,000 bags of liter, and more. Prior to her move to Columbus in 2009, Erin worked in the arts and national and community service industries. Erin’s progressive experience in program management, event planning and grant writing combined with a passion for bridging gaps and finding common ground is serving her well in her pursuit of the tipping point where sustainable values and practices are the status quo in society.  Freelance clients in Columbus have included Habitat for Humanity, the Ohio Environmental Council, the Waste Not Center, and Simply Living.

Green Columbus Interns

Katherine Koutsourelis is a student at The Ohio State University majoring in environmental science. She has been involved in sustainability efforts in the residence halls at OSU and is the service chair for Sigma Epsilon Phi, a Greek-orthodox cultural fraternity.  Katherine loves being the social media guru, bringing you the latest on Green Columbus and all things “eco” via facebook and twitter.

Green Columbus is honored to have the following individuals participate on our board of directors:

Tad Dritz is an active environmentalist in Central Ohio. Tad hosts Green Drinks, serves on the Mayor Coleman’s Green Team and likes to dream up new ways to promote involvement in green causes. In his professional life, Tad helps cleantech companies, non-profits and economic development organizations plan for the future and raise funds to meet their goals

Emily Plews is an original organizer of Columbus Green Drinks and was instrumental in the success of Earth Day 2007: A Year in a Day. She is currently transitioning her career from public accounting and consulting to something more personally and environmentally sustainable . To this end, she is currently studying the intersection of business and the environment at the University of Michigan.

Michael Schwarzwalder grew up in Columbus and graduated from The Ohio State University with both a political science degree and a JD. He served in the Peace Corps in Tanzania and was elected to two terms in the Ohio Senate, where he chaired of the Judiciary Committee. Michael was also an adjunct professor of law at Capital University and the Columbus’ first Environmental Steward.

Jed Thorp works as a Public Involvement Coordinator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to joining the EPA, Jed worked as a political organizer and campaign coordinator with such groups as the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action and Ohio Citizen Action. Jed’s advocacy work has focused mainly on global warming policy at the local, state and federal levels.

Dan Weisenbach is a life-long resident of Columbus, and President of Weisenbach Recycled Products. His company manufactures consumer goods, promotional products, and awards — all made of recycled materials. In addition to Green Columbus, Dan serves on the Advisory Council at ODNR Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention and is on the board of Keep Ohio Beautiful.