Philly Green Ambassadors
Since 2021, Overbrook Environmental Education Center, through the Philly Green Ambassadors program, has worked to grow the next generation of environmental leaders by connecting Philadelphia-area youth with educational opportunities and work in the environmental field.
Designed to help students explore careers in the field, the Philly Green Ambassadors program has a broad educational focus and covers areas ranging from environmental health and safety, to horticulture and water utility management. Each annual cohort also delivers key services to the local community. The 2023 cohort tested air, water, and soil in West Philadelphia residences, installed air monitors, and provided elementary-level environmental education at local schools. In 2025, the cohort collaborated with American Rivers to collect environmental data and gather community feedback in and around Cobbs Creek Park.
Cobbs Creek Restoration Project
Learn more about the restoration of Cobbs Creek led by the Philly Green Ambassadors and American Rivers
Vanessa Wimberly, Program Manager at Overbrook Environmental Education Center, has only praise for the accomplishments of the 2025 cohort. “We are so proud of the interactions of the Philly Green Ambassador Corps and Intern Nicole Gilliland with Community and University Partners, observations and investigations of creek life, and conversations with passers-by as they sought to collect preliminary data to help transform this carbon sink that we call Cobbs Creek for the betterment of the flora and fauna, neighbors and visitors, and the Philadelphia green community at large,” she said. “Thank you Jerome Shabazz from Overbrook Environmental Education Center and Lia Mastropolo from American Rivers for this investigatory learning opportunity.”
To learn more or work with a future cohort of Philly Green Ambassadors, contact Jerome Shabazz, Executive Director, Overbrook Environmental Education Center: info@overbrookcenter.org
Science
Career Exploration
Outdoor Fun
Service
Main Page Image: The 2025 cohort of Philly Green Ambassadors are, from left to right: Marc-Anthony Harley, Micah Davies, Qadan Johnson, Program Manager Vanessa Wimberly, and Zion Jones. (Not pictured: Intern Nicole Gilliland) | Mini Studio in Collaboration with Matt Stanley Photography