Lorenza develops and manages the Accelerate Sustainability workshops, one-on-one assistance, and tracking of our partner’s sustainable impacts. She believes taking sustainable actions large and small can create a more secure, fair, and prosperous future for our community and beyond. Lorenza was a dedicated volunteer with Sustain Dane for years before accepting this position. She holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Operations and Sustainability. Prior to her work with Sustain Dane she ran WSUM 91.7 FM Madison’s student radio station. Reach out to Lorenza for more information on engaging with sustainability at your organization.

Kai coordinates the Naturally Occurring and Affordable Housing (NOAH) projects at Sustain Dane. He also is a video producer and content creator with a passion for sustainability. His personal experiences with poverty and race drew him to the affordable housing sector, an area where improving sustainability metrics can improve both financial wellbeing and personal health. That is why he holds dual roles as a housing advocate and media personal, to help tell the stories of the most vulnerable people who are fighting for our planet. As an environmental storyteller, his secret for creating compelling narratives is to focus on human subjects and their relationships with their communities and the Earth. Kai graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Environmental Science – Geospatial Focus. Additionally, he creates content for the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and produces a morning talk show on WORT Radio. Reach out to Kai for questions on NOAH incentives and home-installations or photography & video project proposals.

Valora engages directly with community members as the Efficiency Navigator and Natural Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) Outreach Specialist. She advocates for energy efficiency in low-income and workforce housing, in order to foster economic and environmental sustainability. With a holistic vision of environmentalism, she is committed to serving under-resourced residents of Dane County. Growing up in California, environmental justice issues are quite literally close to home for her. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she double majored in Environmental Studies and Geography with an emphasis in People-Environment Interaction Studies. While there, Valora was a Chancellor’s Scholar. Prior to her work with Sustain Dane, she researched habitat conservation and mitigation banking in UW-Madison’s Geography Department. More recently, she managed environmental health and safety campaigns within the Wisconsin Environment and WISPIRG nonprofit network. Reach out to Valora for questions about energy efficient home upgrades and how we can build a more equitable, resilient future.

Jamie is a junior at Northwestern University majoring in Environmental Science. He is passionate about fighting climate change, and believes the kind of sustainability work Sustain Dane is doing is key to protecting our planet and ourselves. He is helping Sustain Dane manage and present its data. In his spare time, he enjoys playing Magic: the Gathering and spending time with his cats.

As a development intern, Chrissy assists with grant editing and research, membership research, data analysis, and communications. Chrissy recently graduated from UW Madison with a degree in Sociology. She believes that there is a place for all individuals, regardless of their career or background, to work to create a society set up for sustainability success. In addition to contributing to Sustain Dane, she also currently serves as a Volunteer Coordinator through AmeriCorps with the Goodman Community Center.  

As an artist intern, Amanda works on designing materials that help the public engage in Sustain Dane’s mission.  She is currently a Graphic Design and Digital Studies student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and works for the university at the Center for the First-Year Experience as a graphic design intern.  She strives to live sustainably, and enjoys the connection that art brings to communities in both positive and trying times.

Pyper is a UW-Madison undergraduate student from Elm Grove, Wisconsin. She is studying Fashion & Textiles while also pursuing a certificate in Entrepreneurship. As a fashion student, she is very focused on the sustainability movement within the fashion industry. She believes that the current state of the fashion industry is not sustainable in terms of resources or the environment and hopes to be part of the change as she continues her education and eventually finds a career within the industry. Pyper also believes in small sustainable adjustments that each individual can make to better themselves and the planet such as a plant-based diet, thrifting, public or no-emission transportation, etc. In her free time you can find Pyper browsing pinterest, coming up with new recipes, playing tennis, and spending time with friends and family.