The H₂O No Plastic! Project is the final project of the Oaken Warriors team in Everett Community College’s  2013-14 Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy is an eight-month commitment, open to faculty and staff of the college. The 2013-14 Leadership Academy included bi-weekly sessions, from October 2013 through the final presentations in May 2014. Participants learned from presenters on a variety of topics designed to facilitate learning about individual leadership styles, strengths and weaknesses. The goal is to develop better leaders, who work more effectively with others. Some of the topics of presentations were:

• Taking the DiSC Profile Assessment
• Communications Skills
• Diversity Issues
• Conflict Management
• Introverts and Extroverts
• Sustainability Efforts at Everett Community College

The team project is a large part of Leadership Academy. Teams of from 3-6 members chose a project focused on the year’s theme of Sustainability. The Oaken Warriors, with much learning about collaboration and conflict management, created a project on disposable plastic bottle awareness. Besides this website, they facilitated an informational “Fantastic Plastic Challenge” quiz, as part of a plastic water display on April 21, 2014. Leadership Academy culminated in final presentations to participants’ bosses, invitees, and Everett Community College President, David Beyer, on May 16, 2014.

The Oaken Warriors are Lea Wasson, Dan Murphy and Marjorie Gray.

Marjorie Gray:

Marjorie Gray worked as Web Content Assistant for the Center of Excellence for Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing, at Paine Field. Her role was to maintain the COE website. Marjorie, with a long history of design, created the H2O No Plastic! website. Marjorie grew up in a family who valued the beauty of the magnificent Pacific NW, going on frequent camping trips and hikes. “It is easy to join in raising awareness about plastic water bottles that are harmful to our environment on so many levels. I use a Brita water filter to filter tap water at home, which I use to fill my reusable water bottles,” says Marjorie.

Lea Wasson:

Currently the Director of Student Housing at Everett Community College, Lea has been a part of the Higher Education field for six years. She works with the students who live on campus at EvCC to create a community that is safe, inclusive, and conducive to their academic and social needs. New to the Pacific Northwest, Lea applied for the Leadership Academy to build strong connections with her colleagues and make an impact on campus. This experience has not only widened her knowledge about sustainability, but also improved her conflict management and creativity skills.

Dan Murphy:

Dan is a Grants Specialist—with the emphasis on “Special”—in the EvCC Resource Development Department. His duties include securing huge piles of cash from federal, state and non-profit agencies to support student success programs at the College, and finding new and creative ways to define the term “innovation” in various grant applications. He believes strongly in promoting sustainability, supports a number of environmental causes and last took a drink from a throwaway plastic bottle back in 1987.