We are thrilled to announce that Eva Patrashkova and Rachel Weisbrot have joined ESRAG’s Communication Team to expand the global audience for ESRAG’s educational programs and technical assistance. Both are passionate environmentalists with the skills and experience we need to ensure that far more people within and beyond Rotary discover they have the power to contribute to environmental solutions before it’s too late.
An incredibly generous lead gift from a Rotary philanthropist and environmental advocate (who asked to remain anonymous) inspired other ESRAG members’ donations to the challenges set up by Larry Hands and Laurie Zuckerman in last fall’s EarthGives campaign. The combined donations will cover the two new part-time contractor positions for the next 18 months. We are optimistic that the wider reach built by our new colleagues will increase ESRAG’s membership base, generating the funds to continue equipping many more people to take effective environmental action.
Eva hiking along the ocean.
Events Coordinator: Eva Patrashkova, a climate diplomat and sustainability consultant from Slovakia, will serve as ESRAG’s Events Coordinator. She will manage scheduling, publicity, registration, and recordings of ESRAG events, including the weekly Projects + webinar and other virtual, hybrid and in-person programs such as ESRAG’s offerings during Rotary International Conventions.
“International climate policy has been my focus throughout my studies and career development,” she writes. “I thrive in multicultural settings and believe in the enriching virtues of diversity. I am convinced that climate change is a defining challenge of our lifetime and I have always sought professional opportunities where I could make a difference,” she says.
Content Manager: Rachel Weisbrot, an environmental communicator from San Diego, California, will manage ESRAG’s blog and social media posts to ensure our news, events, and project reports reach far more people.
“As someone who is passionate about environmental advocacy and using my content creation skills to make a difference, I’m very inspired by ESRAG’s mission to provide the Rotary network with support to implement environmental projects,” she says. “I’m excited about the opportunity to help ESRAG develop impactful content that promotes its mission and effectively engages with its audience.”
Eva Patrashkova founded and leads the EP consulting firm, which advises on climate action and sustainability. She is currently providing support on implementation of the European Union climate targets and developing low-emissions strategies. Her clients include the Ministry of Environment in Slovakia, and she served as a senior climate diplomat during the 2016 Slovak Presidency of the EU Council.
Patrashkova earned a transatlantic master’s degree from Sciences Po (the prestigious Paris Institute of Political Studies) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, and a master’s in European studies from Comenius University in Bratislava. She taught a course on comparative climate change policy at UNC by Zoom in 2022. Her extensive experience includes organizing and managing organizations’ members, speakers, and stakeholders via WebEx, Teams, and Zoom. Her native language is Slovak, and she is fluent in English and French. She also speaks Spanish and Italian. She was a Rotary Youth Exchange student in the US State of Maine in 2002-3.
Rachel in London.
Rachel Weisbrot earned a BA in environmental studies from Binghamton University in 2019 and conducted research on sustainable water management and energy in Tel Aviv as an intern for EcoPeace Middle East. As Education and Communications manager for EarthDay.org, she managed the blog platform, email newsletter, and social media, increasing newsletter open rates by 50% and blog views by 30%. She then went on to serve as Communications Coordinator at Geno, writing and editing content about the company’s sustainability work. This young professional led a 10-person team to achieve the My Green Lab certification, improving the sustainability performance of Geno’s headquarters by 12%.
Rachel Weisbrot has joined ESRAG’s regional and topical WhatsApp groups, where she will find exciting and timely content. She creates compelling news articles, social media posts, and web content, and designs graphics using Canva.
Heartfelt welcome to our new colleagues! You should start to see their impact in more effective and exciting communications starting this month.
Now, dear reader, you can help them succeed by sharing the news of ESRAG’s educational events with your network, and following and sharing ESRAG’s posts on your preferred social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can click on the widgets just under ESRAG’s masthead to get all the breaking news and resources!