Mentor in Action: Serena Alstrom, Saint Mary's

Serena is the EPA Director of the Yupiit of Andreafski Tribe in Saint Mary's. She hosted an AYEA Youth Environmental Leadership training in St. Mary's in 2002 and has been an active trainer with AYEA ever since.

Serena Alstrom is the recent winner of the Tribal Environmental Leadership Award for her immense effort and success in the City of Saint Mary's. Working with the city's tribal government, the Yupiit of Andreafski, Alstrom promotes recycling, youth involvement, awareness, and environmental education.

As the Tribal Government's Environmental Program Director, Alstrom has organized numerous successful campaigns in the city. In 1999, the city passed a resolution to ban plastic bags in grocery stores to reduce solid waste. In the six-month Recycling Challenge of 2003, 715 pounds of aluminum, 55 car batteries, and 23 pounds of household batteries were collected from 30 households. The winning household received two round-trip tickets to Honolulu, Hawaii! Alstrom often solicits money and prizes from local businesses and grants, to provide incentive and rewards for individuals who participate proactively in the environmental program.

Most notably, Alstrom has encouraged awareness and youth leadership in her community through activities, contests, and guest speakers in schools. The tribal staff has organized numerous initiatives for environmental education, that specifically foster cooperation between the city's youth and elders towards solid waste solutions. Alstrom hopes to continue to create a working relationship between schools and businesses and the tribal environmental program.