GTS’s Story
Green Tower Sustainability began as an idea in late 2009 when Ian Bevan and Greg Romey were carpooling to attend their classes at Presidio Graduate School. Often sharing stories of the past, Ian explained how working in sustainable student organizations had changed his life for the better in many ways. As President of the Enviro-Business Society at San Diego State University in 2005, he and his team of dedicated students were able to help ban trans fat on campus, grow the organization from 20 members to nearly 200 members, help create the SDSU Senate Committee for Sustainability, orchestrate incredible earth day events, and much more. Many of Ian’s associates in the Environmental Business Society (including Ian) were hired directly after graduation into green jobs due to their experience and accomplishments as student leaders. During this time, Ian discovered that doing what is right can make you very happy and successful.
Ian also explained to Greg how students have passion, determination, a strong sense of ethics, and ability but often lack basic organizational and leadership experience. As a result, students tend to have some level of self doubt when stepping into a leadership role as most student leaders are also first time leaders.
If you ask any former student leader what they would do different, I guarantee they would have a laundry list of things come to mind immediately. Quite simply–student leaders could use a mentor to help guide them, reassure them, and to help connect them with the best practices they need to succeed.”
- Ian Bevan in his Conversation with Greg Romey
Sensing the excitement and passion in Ian’s voice, Greg suggested that he create an organization to help students maximize their sustainability efforts on campus. Immediately after that trip, Ian put his efforts and energy to creating GTS. He assembled a diverse team of former student leaders who all saw incredible potential in connecting current students to former student leaders to share resources, stories, and ensure that current student leaders have a mentor to help them when they hit bumps in the road. The team that made GTS possible also saw the bigger picture that current students are the future business, government and civil society leaders, yet few organizations existed to help connect or empower them.
Today, GTS has worked with dozens of college students and university employees at 20 college campuses and is currently mentoring several student groups. GTS is now working hard to attain grants and sponsorship so that they can expand their now proven model of virtual mentorship. GTS has also recently expanded their programming beyond just providing mentorship and project support to also providing “mini-grants” to student groups for their on or off campus projects of up to $250. This option will be available to all GTS members who take advantage of GTS’s FREE mentor services. We hope that this option will encourage students to take advantage of GTS more as well as help alleviate one of the biggest hinderances to student project success–lack of funding.
If you are a student interested in receiving a mini-grant, please contact us: greentowersustainabilty@gmail.com. This program is not currently operational but we expect this to change very soon.