The Carbon Zero Youth Initiative was born out of a project started by Troops 1477 and 1952 of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Badgerland. Their nationally recognized project, Concrete Climate Ideas: Girl Scouts Talk Building Materials and Embodied Carbon, highlighted the importance of engaging youth in the sustainability of the built environment and showcased how young voices can inspire industry action.

In early 2020, the fifth grade girls of Troop 1477 decided to do a project to address climate change and searched for a less commonly discussed, high-impact topic. They spotted building materials on a Project Drawdown list and met with building industry experts to learn key messages to share.

The troop, along with sister Troop 1952, created a video, presented at local building industry events and meetings, inspired a test project with their city engineering department, and advocated for embodied carbon action in the Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan. They produced a second video, this time singing their message, to share at the opening of the American Concrete Institute Convention in spring of 2022. Later that year, they traveled to Greenbuild in San Francisco, where they hosted a booth and presented on stage.

Throughout the project, troop leader Julia Pooler, MBA, LEED AP BD+C, saw a need for simple, accessible materials to introduce green building ideas and jumpstart youth engagement and advocacy towards sustainable design and materials. She founded the nonprofit Carbon Zero Youth Initiative to highlight the importance of green buildings and celebrate the people and career opportunities that make buildings better for all.  

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