On April 15th, Councilmember Mike O’ Brien will be making a guest appearance to speak with the youths of YouthCAN. He will be discussing on what inspired him to take leadership on the environment. It’s all part of his Leadership Project. Here is a brief history of Mike O’ Brien and some of his work:
He was born and raised in the Seattle area of Washington State. After earning his economics degree from Duke University and a MBA from the University of Washington, he spent his professional career working in financial management. He served for 10 years as the chief financial officer at local firm, Stokes Lawrence, where he oversaw budget, financial reporting and forecasting. At this time, he helped out with the environmental issues that were going on through the Sierra Club. At the club he assumed role of chairman and used his leadership and knowledge to help Seattle’s environment and ultimately helped make the city an eco-friendly example for the rest of the nation.
Carbon neutrality is one of the main aspects of the environment that Mike helps raise awareness for. He helped in the creation of many events such as a Global Climate work. He and the rest of the city council came up with a Zero Waste strategy that took effect a couple years ago. Strategies are being used to help out the environment like the disposal of unwanted phone books and finding ways to dispose of constructional and demolition waste.
In addition to his committee work he is focusing on:
-Exploring a carbon neutral Seattle
-Empowering communities to get involved in government
-Participating in the Race and Social Justice Initiative
For more information about Councilmember Mike O’Brien and his efforts in environmental leaderships, check out these sites:
http://www.seattle.gov/council/obrien/
http://carbonneutral.seattle.gov/2010/07/20/about-carbon-neutral-seattle/
http://obrien.seattle.gov/category/environment/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seattle-City-Councilmember-Mike-OBrien/371975827682
on 
on 
on 