Nicole Juliette Powell

Nicole Juliette Powell is a leading voice in the environmental justice movement and a contributing author to Earth Harmony Press’s anthology, Guardians of Gaia: 21 Visionaries on Ecology, Activism, Animals, and The Ethics of Sustainable Living. She has co-authored "The Interplay Between Urban Green Spaces and Community Well-being," featured in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Nicole writes for various publications that champion ecological sustainability and social equity.

Nicole founded and directed the Roots & Shoots Initiative, an organization aimed at fostering sustainable practices within communities, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human health, animal welfare, and environmental stewardship. Through this initiative, she developed and oversaw the creation of the manuscript for the book Flourishing Together: Essays Bridging Human and Planetary Health, edited by Dr. Jane Goodall.

Nicole earned her Master of Environmental Management from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, focusing on community resilience against climate change. She received her Master of Public Policy from Harvard University in 2020. She also holds dual Bachelor's degrees in Environmental Science and International Relations from Boston University.

Nicole started her journey as an advocate for environmental justice in the early 2000s, volunteering with a local conservation group in her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. By the mid-2000s, she was working with urban planning departments in New York City, promoting green infrastructure and educating residents about sustainable living practices. During this period, she also led workshops on renewable energy at a grassroots organization, initiating the first solar panel installation training program for low-income families.

In the late 2010s, Nicole coordinated environmental education programs at both Duke University and Stanford University, receiving the Stanford Sustainability Award in 2018 for outstanding contributions to campus sustainability. She served as faculty for environmental studies at Santa Monica College and was elected President of the California Chapter of the Sierra Club.

In 2023, Nicole took on the role of director for the California Coastal Commission's Climate Adaptation Program, where she spearheaded efforts to protect coastal communities from rising sea levels. There, she was instrumental in forming the California Coastal Resilience Network, a coalition dedicated to implementing the state's coastal adaptation strategy.

From 2024 onward, Nicole provided national-level consultancy on climate action plans, primarily for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She then joined forces with Terraform Studios, a design studio in San Francisco known for its eco-friendly architecture projects. Since 2022, Nicole has been teaching environmental science at Santa Monica College and public policy at UCLA since 2023. Currently, Nicole continues her academic pursuits as a Ph.D. candidate at the Yale School of the Environment, researching the intersection of climate policy and social justice.

Today, Nicole remains committed to bridging the gap between environmental advocacy and practical solutions, teaching at Santa Monica College, and shaping policies that prioritize both people and the planet.