Josh Arnold

I am a changemaker because I am committed to making a difference within our sphere of influence – my homes, my neighborhood, my community. I agree with Wendell Berry when he says, “The right local questions and answers will be the right global ones.” I live my life based on what I know to be the most sustainable and enriching. I believe that sustainable community building is a creative process, not a promise, and I am committed to embarking on this process in a way that is strategic, makes sense, and is fun.

I feel a strong fondness and connection to New England, more specifically New Hampshire, and more specifically were I grew up in Carroll County and the Lakes Region, and still more specifically where I currently live - Water Village, Ossipee. I like the New England qualities of frugality and ingenuity. I'm convinced many "yankees" are more "green" than they think. I like the changing season, it reminds me that everything is in a state of impermanence.

I determined to see us live within our means - environmentally, financially, and socially. I want us to stop consuming resources at a rate faster than the earth can replenish. I want us to stop spending money that we do not have. And I want us to make time for community building.

Josh Arnold is a uniquely determined, entrepreneurial young man with a steadfast passion for sustainability. By the time he was a sophomore at Wheaton College in Norton, M.A. Josh had designed an independent major in "Global Sustainability." During his senior year, Josh was granted the Emily Susan Hartwell Leadership Award for "Motivating Others in Areas of Social, Political, or Global Responsibility." Josh concluded his college experience by spearheading the Graduation Pledge - a project that committed almost half of his class to furthering the environmental and social integrity of professional career the signatories pursue. Between 2004-2008, Josh served as a delegation leader at conferences of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 15-17). Josh also participated in similar lobbying and policy drafting at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) meeting in Montreal, December, 2005. After graduating college, Josh returned to his hometown of Wolfeboro, N.H. and within a few months had founded the nonprofit organization, Global Awareness Local Action (G.A.L.A.). Josh also serves as Vice Chair to the Wolfeboro Town Energy Committee established to identify and implement cost-effective ways of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the town of Wolfeboro. Last spring Josh was recruited into the Global Youth Action Net Fellowship Class of 2009.