John Romano, OWU ’10, Addressing the UN Open Working Group on the topic of sustainable cities, speaking on behalf of the Major Group for Children and Youth, a global constituency of young people working on sustainable development at the United Nations. “Truly sustainable development is only possible within cities if it is inclusive and representative of the needs and priorities of its people ā particularly young people. Without this, our collective effort to achieve sustainable development within cities will undoubtedly fall short.” (January 2014; source)
John Romano graduated from OWU in 2010 with a double major in Environmental Studies and Geography.
John’s interest in sustainability and environment at Ohio Wesleyan focused on a series of projects he undertook as part of courses and independent study projects – theory-into-practice. John completed projects on LEED certification (and obtained a basic level LEED certification as a student), GeoThermal energy (focused on the Meek Aquatic Center on Campus), rainwater recycling potential on campus, Earth Day events, and he helped compile the Green Map of the OWU Campus and Delaware.
After graduation, John interned as aĀ Sustainability Coordinator and Environmental Assessment Intern inĀ Lakeside, Ohio. From there, he got a job as anĀ Sustainability Advisor at a private school (Peddie School) in New Jersey, Nautica, and eventually began a master’s program in Sustainabilty Management at Columbia University. Along the way John has worked for and with a broad array of sustainability organizations, including:
- The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education
- The Clinton Global Initiative
- The United Nations Division of Sustainable Development
- The Columbia University Coalition for Sustainable Development
- The United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth
- The National Resources Defense Council
- The Stakeholder Forum
More information on John and his work can be found at: