Roots
Roots Fellowship
With our Focus Roots Fellowship program, Focus the Nation works closely with a small number of young leaders who are using high levels of creativity and innovation to activate their community around the urgency of how we extract and use energy in our towns, the environmental footprint of our energy lifestyle and new approaches to sustainable design and multi-sector collaboration.
In the summer of 2008, Focus the Nation created a pilot program for the Focus Roots vision called "Project Slingshot" with support from our friends at Clif Bar and 1% for the Planet. Since 2008, we have launched three classes of our Roots Fellows.
If you are a Millenial or young adult working to activate your community around new approaches that accelerate your town's transition toward renewable energy, please sign up for our email list to stay informed of upcoming Roots Fellowship opportuniites.
2011 Projects
The Perennials Project is an exploration of individuals and communities working toward a sustainable future by bridging divides. Perennials are people working across complex generational, professional, class and other cultural boundaries. To reach sustainability, the world needs technological solutions -- it also needs Perennial people. Like perennial plants, these people grow deep roots and nurture relationships across boundaries in the communities where they work. They are change-makers, they are persistent and they are looking for recruits.
2009 Projects
“By launching this bike co-op in Spearfish we will be able to provide a space for the community to connect and learn both about bikes and other choices to power their lives with clean solutions,” -- Jeremy Smith, 2009 Focus Roots Fellow
"In order to see real change in the way we use our environment, work can't strictly be done on a top-centric, legislative level, but must engage and empower all communities to make this shift,” -- Amanda Hass, 2009 Focus Roots Fellow
2008 Projects
Fired Up is a periodical 5-minute video news segment on climate change, energy, and activism produced by a network of young producers/editors from around the country.