About us

Hi! We are Gillian and Paige- two best pals who love to discuss complex, often-frustrating natural resource problems over hot cups of coffee (for Paige) and tea (for Gillian). We met in college at Cornell University and immediately bonded over our love for all things outdoors (and baking and wine and dogs and coffee shops and adventures and birkenstocks). Though we have similar passions and are both ultimately striving to make a difference in the environmental policy landscape of the United States of America, we have chosen different paths. 

We have four main goals for "Friends, Trees, and Legalese":

1. Share our lessons and experiences along our respective paths to making a difference.
2. Highlight people or organizations doing inspiring and important work.
3. Gather our favorite environmental books, movies, podcasts, and other resources to learn from.
4. Provide insightful and relevant commentary on current events that may influence the American environmental policy landscape

And here's some more information about each of us:

Paige grew up in sunny Southern California with the Pacific Ocean as her backyard. She now works as a Wilderness Fellow with the Society for Wilderness Stewardship in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest. She is curious about how the legislative landscape does, or does not, support sustainable conservation. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in natural resource management with a focus on public service, and maybe law school (she's waiting to see how it goes for Gillian).

Gillian was raised in New York City, just a short walk from Central Park. 
Having just graduated from Cornell University, where she deeply enjoyed the rural and "gorgeous" setting that built a stark contrast to her life in the Big Apple, Gillian has returned home for the summer to intern with BFJ Planning, an urban planning firm. In the fall, she will be attending Vermont Law School as a Mission Scholar where she hopes to learn how to use the law to create and defend effective environmental policy, promote sustainable practices, and protect humanity's right to a clean environment.