Empowered: One Planet at a Time Connects with Global Youthtopia

Author Patty Dreier is excited to announce a new collaboration with Youthtopia, a global organization of young people helping to build a brighter future through environmental and social action. Dreier’s book, Empowered: One Planet at a Time, will soon become available on the Youthtopia website for Gen Z to have access to obtaining the book as a resource to help them build their knowledge and skills for action.

The goal of Youthtopia is to “become a ‘go-to’ online and a physical HQ for young changemakers.” It is guided by The Circle of Youth, young people from around the world to “recognise, highlight, and showcase as an example for more of our generation to take a stand.” The organization was founded by Melati Wijsen from Bali who began at age 12 with an environmental action project joined by her younger sister, age 10: They would address concerns about plastics washing ashore on the beaches of Bali. Together, they built alliances, gathered signatures, and inspired the Bali government to prohibit single-use plastic bags, plastic straws, and polystyrene. Their organization became known as Bye Bye Plastic Bags which spread to over 30 countries. After that success, Melati launched Youthtopia with a focus on striving to achieve the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development goals.

“What an inspiration! Youthtopia is building essential capacities among our world’s young leaders. I wrote Empowered to inspire and equip young adults to take action as leaders on environmental and social issues. It was incredible to receive a message from one of Youthtopia’s leaders this morning offering to promote my book to the growing network of rising leaders and to say they ‘wish we had been connected earlier to be part of it.’ I find it amazing how we are using the same language….like we are mirrors of each other in this movement to empower young people from all corners of our world to stand up for their planet and themselves,” said Patty Dreier. “I am so glad we found each other. I can’t wait to see where this partnership leads.”

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Author Patty Dreier Guests on Earth UP Podcast

Arrowhead High School student Allie Farris interviews Patty Dreier about her book, Empowered: One Planet at a Time. Listen here on Spotify. Allie was inspired by the content of Empowered to start the Earth UP podcast to help raise awareness about “all things Earth.” Together with other students in the school’s Earth Club, they create biweekly podcast content which is also posted on the school’s website. Teachers Jim Albers and Dennis Mechenich advise the Earth Club with about 80 members. Arrowhead Union High School is located in Hartland, Wisconsin. In the podcast, Patty “challenges today’s youth to get involved in helping to address the challenges we face.”

Empowered: One Planet at a Time in Author Academy Awards Competition

Empowered: One Planet at a Time is entered into the nonfiction category of the 2020 Author Academy Awards competition. Anyone can cast a vote by August 1, 2020. “This is a tremendous opportunity to bring more attention to my book and its tools for making change on social and environmental issues in our communities and across our planet,” said Author Patty Dreier. “I hope you’ll vote for my book and invite others to do the same. It’s another way to stand up for people and our planet. Every vote will help us create more awareness about the importance of equipping people—particularly young people—to be successful in bringing about much needed changes in our world.”

Empowered: One Planet at a Time Gets Legs in Europe Today

Today, Dr. Bernd M. Schmitt (on right in photo below) delivered an autographed copy of Empowered: One Planet at a Time by Patty Dreier to the staff of the Umweltstation Wuerzburg in Wuerzburg, Germany. The Umweltstation Wuerzburg is part of a network of 60 learning stations located across Europe where many thousands of citizens of many nations come together to participate in programs that reinforce a message about sharing a single planet. This was the first day of opening after pandemic closure. The book launch which had been scheduled for June 5, 2020, at the Umweltstation Wuerzburg with the Lord Mayor of Wuerzburg, the author, and other German collaborators on the book had been cancelled due to COVID-19.

“Bernd, one of the co-authors of the Afterword of the book, gave my book legs in Europe today,” said author Patty Dreier. “Of course, the E-book is available, but this ceremonial step of hand-delivering a copy I had sent to him helps us begin to energize the movement in Europe. The time has never been greater to equip young adults to become change makers on social and environmental issues affecting their future.” See @EmpoweredOnePlanet on Facebook for the full story.

Empowered: One Planet at a Time Chosen by University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for Summer Book Club

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Alumni Association (@UWSPAlumni) has chosen Empowered: One Planet at a Time as the choice for their summer virtual Book Club beginning in June 2020. A chapter of the book will be covered weekly followed by a Facebook discussion. The reading circle will use the “Discussion Questions for Reading Groups" provided in the book to guide the on-line discussion. The program will culminate in August with a virtual “Meet the Author” session. Author Patty Dreier is an alumna of UW-Stevens Point (‘82 and ‘88) and former academic staff member in environmental education in the College of Natural Resources. Patty invited the illustrator of the book, Dan Sivek, to join her to make it a “Meet the Author and Meet the Illustrator” session with the Book Club since Dr. Sivek was formerly an environmental education faculty member at UW-Stevens Point. How can you join this awesome club? Easy! Email Laura Gehrman Rottier at lgehrman@uwsp.edu. Space is limited, so get in touch today.

Patty Dreier is Earth Day Guest on Facebook Live with UW-Stevens Point Alumni Office

Patty Dreier kicked off Earth Day 2020 as the first of five guests on a half-hour Facebook Live program hosted by her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. You can watch the show here. “Earth Day is a way of life,” she said. She shared excerpts from her new book, Empowered: One Planet at a Time.

Digital Earth Day 2020 Countdown

With daily posts @EmpoweredOnePlanet on Facebook, author Patty Dreier is providing a digital countdown to Earth Day 2020, April 22. The month-long countdown features content from her new book, Empowered: One Planet at a Time. A free Ebook of Empowered will be given away daily to a discussion participant. This daily discussion is particularly appropriate for young people who want to use the pandemic quarantine time to build their knowledge and skills to prepare for taking future action on social and environmental issues of concern to them.