{"id":27477,"date":"2019-01-22T17:59:11","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T01:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northstarmoving.com\/blog\/?p=27477"},"modified":"2024-02-21T16:15:55","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T00:15:55","slug":"people-who-move-us-judi-shils-founder-executive-director-of-turning-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northstarmoving.com\/blog\/2019\/people-who-move-us-judi-shils-founder-executive-director-of-turning-green\/","title":{"rendered":"People Who Move Us: Judi Shils – Founder & Executive Director of Turning Green"},"content":{"rendered":"

Judi Shils is the Founder and Executive Director of<\/span> Turning Green<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote all aspects of an eco-conscious lifestyle while empowering grade school through college students across the United States and around the world. Supported by an impressive list of partners and strong social media following, Turning Green encourages our future leaders to create positive change, impacting not only personal but also global environmental health.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Inspired Judi?<\/h2>\n
\"Turning
Judi Shils.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were significant events that led to the current version of Turning Green. It all began in 1989 when after 25 years as an Emmy Award-winning television producer with ABC Sports, Fox and Oxygen in New York and Los Angeles, Judi moved to Northern California to get married and take a job working at PM Magazine. Judi\u2019s life continued to evolve when she discovered she was going to become a mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Early in her pregnancy with her soon-to-be daughter, Judi read<\/span> Diet For A Poisoned Planet<\/span><\/a><\/span> by David Steinman, the groundbreaking book on how to choose safe, non-toxic food products. This seminal moment prompted her to completely rethink her lifestyle. Within 24 hours, she switched out all of her body products, food items and cleaning supplies to organic. She was determined to bring her daughter into a world that was perfectly curated to support her health and well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another transformative moment for Judi occurred when she attended a community meeting with a friend who had just completed breast cancer treatments. They were shocked to learn that the breast cancer rates in Marin County had risen 60% in just eight years. There was also a great lack of answers and information.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving into Action.<\/h2>\n

Judi, <\/span>determined to take action, founded <\/span>Search for the Cause<\/b>. In November 2002, she organized 2,000 volunteers to walk door-to-door to about 50,000 households in her \u00a0community, talking about cancer rates and causes with residents and collecting information. About 25% of those volunteers were high school students, so ready to affect change in their community. The press covering the event asked Judi why she was spearheading such an effort when she was <\/span>not personally affected by breast cancer. A \u00a0few weeks later her father was diagnosed with lung cancer and this journey became her life\u2019s work. .<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Turning
Judi & team from Conscious Kitchen\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Peres Elementary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After seeing the committed high schoolers during the door-to-door campaign, Judi wanted to continue to empower them. Encouraged by her 12-year-old daughter Erin, who was beginning to use beauty and personal care products, together they started <\/span>Teens for Safe Cosmetics<\/b> around their kitchen table. They wanted to help girls understand what was in their daily use products, many of which contained toxic chemicals. The group transformed into <\/span>Teens Turning Green<\/b> in 2008 as the mission evolved to leading an all-encompassing eco-lifestyle. In 2015, the organization\u2019s 10 year anniversary, the name was shortened to the current <\/span>Turning Green<\/b> since many participants were no longer teens, having moved on to college.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Does Turning Green Work?<\/h2>\n

Turning Green strives to support student leaders to take action on issues that affect not only themselves and their campuses, but the planet. The objective is to raise awareness and change policies in the fight for healthier food, safer products, and ethical business practices. <\/span>Turning Green programs that promote the development of strategies for such student-led platforms and initiatives include:<\/span><\/p>\n