Madison is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Green Living Science, where she manages programs that empower Detroit residents to take local climate action. Through the Recycling Ambassadors program, in partnership with Detroit Recycles, she supports residents in educating their neighbors about recycling and sustainability while helping provide free recycling carts. She also co-leads Our Backyard Detroit, a park stewardship initiative that equips community leaders to organize clean-ups and inspire long-term care for neighborhood parks. Madison’s work builds on her degree in Social Relations & Policy from James Madison College at Michigan State University and her service with AmeriCorps’ Climate Corps. She is dedicated to advancing climate justice and building a cleaner, greener, and safer Detroit.

TSN Conference 2026

January 22nd, 2026 (Thursday) // 3:05 pm – 4:05 pm // Room 104 // Our Backyard Detroit: Empowering Residents to Transform Parks and Neighborhoods // Our Backyard Detroit (OBD) transforms parks into living classrooms, empowering Detroit residents to lead environmental stewardship in their neighborhoods. Through a contractor model, we hire local residents as Champions who facilitate hands-on education, host events, and reinforce recycling and sustainability behaviors citywide. OBD combines youth engagement, school programming, and multi-family recycling initiatives to strengthen community leadership, intergenerational collaboration, and equitable access to resources. By embedding sustainability into daily routines and providing standardized materials, training, and partnership support, we enable resident-led initiatives that foster neighborhood pride, lasting environmental change, and deeper connections between Detroiters and their green spaces.