VANESSA TAVERAS DALMAU
Environmental Scientist | Researcher | Sustainability Strategist
NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS
I worked with 350.org as Program Director of the local 350 Dominicana chapter in the Dominican Republic. 350.org is an international NGO that is working towards building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis. I involved people in the global movement by recruiting volunteers for conservation projects and events to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change. Below are the highlights of my journey working with 350.org.
350 EARTH
350 EARTH was the world’s first ever global climate art project. In over a dozen places across the globe, massive public art installations showed how climate change is already impacting our world. Each art installation was large enough to be seen from space and documented by satellites generously provided by Digital Globe. My team organised the local Dominican event.
DOMINICANA RECICLA
Our team launched the first recycling program in the Dominican Republic, mostly in public schools. With help from sponsors and strategic partnerships with the Dominican government, we fund-raised more than DO$100,000 pesos, which allowed us to purchase new bins and label them. The project started with 3 pilot schools. Overall, more than 42,000 kilos of waste were collected during the pilot. After a trial period of 6 months, the project expanded to include more schools. Dominicana Recicla is still ongoing.
ATTENDING COP16
In 2010, I joined the 350.org Global Team in the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Cancun, México. During this time, I liaised with different stakeholders and took part in several manifestations to advocate the need for an ambitious, just and legally-binding agreement that prevents future run-away climate change. The experience allowed me to interact with many youths from around the world, as well as help me develop an international perspective to policy-making.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE
The aim of the workshop was for participants to understand climate change and transform that knowledge into community action through leadership training. We also drafted a declaration reflecting the youth’s position on climate change, which I later took to the COP16 in Cancun in Nov. 2010 and gave to the Dominican negotiating party. With funding from Oxfam, the three-day workshop brought together 30+ young people from 25+ provinces across the Dominican Republic.
BEACH CLEAN UPS
Community outreach events included beach clean ups in different locations across the country, to engage locals and raise awareness about marine debris and its adverse effects on wildlife. I established an ongoing relationship with a sponsor, who funded buses that drove participants from the city to the beaches, as well as gloves, plastic bags and other equipment.
EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS
I organised dozens of presentations in educational and government institutions. Part of our strategy was reaching out to other organisations, including churches, schools, private companies, youth groups, and other NGOs whose work related to ours. Our purpose was to spread the word about the work 350.org was doing and recruit volunteers. These presentations, along with other events, garnered support from more than 5,000 fans on Facebook and 700+ active volunteers.