We’re excited to have Giselle Rodriguez join us as our EarthShare Texas Green Leaders Fellow. Giselle will be assisting the Texas team in communications efforts, with a focus on creating content for a miniseries explaining the issue of Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS). She aims to simplify complex topics like CCS into clear, accessible explanations.
Introduction
Hello! My name is Giselle Rodriguez and I’m incredibly grateful to have been selected as part of the 2026 Green Leaders Fellowship cohort. I’m excited to be working with Becky Smith, Emily Plunkett, and LaTrice Harrison throughout this journey. With their help, I’m sure I will broaden my understanding of communications and help the team set up systems that expand and strengthen Clean Water Actions' outreach. Below is a brief overview of my background, my environmental journey so far, and what I have learned at Clean Water Action since joining the team in January.
My Environmental Journey
Growing up in a family that used styrofoam plates as their daily dinnerware, I didn't get my first glimpse of sustainability until high school when I joined the Mitchell Lake Audubon Society club. Mitchell Lake is a wildlife refuge in San Antonio that focuses on outdoor education, sustainability, conservation, and birding. Since then, I’ve always known I had an affinity for this work but hadn't worked out how I could be a part of it. That was until my college senior year internship at the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve in Austin where I interned as a communications assistant. I helped draft flyers, newsletters, and shortform video content and managed their Instagram and Facebook accounts. It was at the Wilderness Preserve that I realized I could use my interest in digital storytelling to help organizations with their outreach.
Working at The Austin Common
Since then, I’ve graduated from St. Edward’s University with a bachelor's in environmental science and policy. When I started my job search, I wasn’t sure where I should be applying. I knew I wanted a job where I could continue fostering the skills I learned at my internship; I just didn't know what that looked like. However, when I came across the job posting for a Creative Account Manager at The Austin Common, it all came together. The Austin Common, where I've been lucky enough to work the last two years, is an online local news site that helps Austinites be informed and encourages them to make a difference. The Austin Common strives to break down complex information and make it easily digestible for people. My work here makes me feel like I’m making a difference. It may not be boots-on-the ground activism making big policy changes, but it’s just as important to get information out to the public and encourage them to act.
Becoming an Earth Share Texas Green Fellow
Since my work at the Austin Common is part time, it has provided me the liberty to explore other opportunities. I recently did a summer internship with a marketing organization in San Antonio that taught me skills I haven't had the need to learn so far.
I’m a strong believer that you must continue learning for there to be growth. That’s why when I came across the EarthShare Texas Green Leaders Fellowship, I was inspired to apply. The fellowship places members from the program into Texas environmental non-profits. This partnership aids nonprofits which would otherwise lack the funding to support the role a fellow would provide. When I saw the different non-profits listed for this year's sponsors, I was immediately drawn to Clean Water Action’s posting. Their need for a communications fellow had me instantly jumping at the opportunity.
What I’ve learned so far at Clean Water Action
Walking into this fellowship, I felt confident in my ability to manage social media accounts and use digital storytelling to spread important messages. Since then, I’ve learned that so much more goes on behind the scenes of a communications department. I’ve been lucky enough to have wonderful mentors like Becky, Emily, and LaTrice to welcome me with open arms and help me through it all. Similar to my summer internship in San Antonio, I've been learning skills I haven't had the need for in the past. Additionally, I’ve been able to practice filling into an organization that has a different brand and mechanisms that I'm used to. While Clean Water Action has been a big difference so far, I’m excited to continue learning.
My goal at Clean Water Action
I’m eager to help Becky grow the Texas communications platforms and, more importantly, I hope to implement strategies that will remain once I'm gone. My main focus, however, will be to create a miniseries for Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS). I aim to take this complex topic and break it down into easily-digestible, short-form content pieces. I want whoever comes across this miniseries to be able to quickly understand the basics of CCS, the negatives associated with it, and be inspired to act and make a difference in how carbon capture and storage is managed so that our water resources are not endangered.
Through my experience, I have learned that many times it’s not that people don’t care, but that they don’t understand or know how to help. It is my hope that the miniseries bridges this gap in CCS efforts.
