Our Story
Wild Green Future was founded by the scientists, environmental educators, natural resource professionals, and veterinarians behind the humor page Wild Green Memes for Ecological Fiends. As Wild Green Memes’ social media channels grew from a few friends to a global community of over 900,000 nature enthusiasts, we realized we could channel the group’s excitement and energy into conservation.
We started Wild Green Future in 2019 to help small organizations and projects on the frontlines of conservation through community fundraising. Wild Green Future’s work has supported green agriculture in the Peruvian Amazon, conservation and public access on Florida’s lands and waters, the establishment of a captive breeding program for the frosted elfin butterfly, microgrants for wildlife habitat restoration across the United States, and the mapping of undocumented roads on 51,100 square kilometers of the island of Borneo.
The opportunity to do such far-reaching and impactful work is made possible by the dedication of wildlife enthusiasts in the Wild Green Community. Change happens when people who share a common enthusiasm come together for the betterment of the world. Step by step, we are able to play a part in moving towards healthy coexistence between people and nature.
Together we can all help to create a wild, green future.
Our Approach
We work to connect the online wildlife enthusiasts with real-world conservation efforts through irreverent, educational memes and crowdsourced fundraising.
Every project we support has at least one of two goals: to conserve and sustain the biodiversity of life on Earth, and to affirm the rights of its people to a healthy environment by supporting their efforts to increase the ecological security of their communities.
Environmental problems are ultimately economic problems, and the goals of environmental sustainability and human wellbeing are inseparably linked.
We work with promising, small nonprofits which focus on either of these causes, and are especially interested in those which work directly to benefit both.
We focus on projects that create systemic improvements with quantifiable, qualitatively positive results, rather than one-off changes or stopgap measures, so that our impact may magnify over time.
Our focus on funding well-defined projects for the mutual benefit of humans and nature allows limited funds to have an outsized impact for communities, human and ecological alike.
Meet the Team
Rhett Barker
Rhett Barker is the founder and executive director of Wild Green Future, and the founder of Wild Green Memes for Ecological Fiends. He has a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and an MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University.
Rhett’s career centers around building community to explore and protect the natural world, and his interests include ecology, conservation, memes, kayaking, tennis, and listening to too many podcasts. He is a nonvoting member of Wild Green Future's board of directors.
McKenzie Young
Dr. McKenzie Young is a moderator for Wild Green Memes and runs the Wild Green Memes Instagram. Dr. Young graduated with a DVM from the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine and a BS in Biology from the University of Florida, where she met many of the other moderators. She was introduced to ecology and conservation by volunteering with the Florida Museum of Natural History’s herpetology department.
While in veterinary school, she developed an interest in wildlife and conservation medicine. While she works with small and exotic companion animals in practice, she plans to remain involved in local conservation initiatives. Her other interests include cultivating a pollinator-friendly vegetable garden and scientific illustration. Dr. Young is a voting member of Wild Green Future's board of directors.
Io Hennessy
Io Hennessy is a moderator for Wild Green Memes and a co-host on the Wild Green Streams podcast. They graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and have worked in research, animal care, land management, and outreach and education.
Their career interests include science communication, and they currently work in higher education in pursuit of this goal. Their other interests include wildlife photography, insect collection, and searching for wildlife wherever it can be found. Io is a voting member of Wild Green Future's board of directors.
Leroy Nuñez
Dr. Leroy Nuñez is a moderator for Wild Green Memes and a co-host on the Wild Green Streams podcast. He has a BS in Biology, a MS in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida, and a PhD in comparative biology from the American Museum of Natural History, where he studied the evolution of North American watersnakes. Dr. Nuñez's main career goal is to become a curator at a major natural history museum, overseeing a collection, and conducting his own research with a lab where he could mentor students and early career scientists so they could have their own successful careers.His main research interests are to determine what drives adaptations and variations throughout the natural world using an interdisciplinary approach utilizing genomic, geographic, ecological, paleontological, and morphological data to answer such questions. His other interests include music, the cinema, the great outdoors, creative writing, photography, and chaotic energy. Dr. Nuñez is a voting member of Wild Green Future's board of directors.
Court Harding
Court Harding is a moderator for Wild Green Memes. Court has a BS in wildlife ecology and conservation from the University of Florida. They are currently pursuing a master's degree in biology at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a focus on ecology and conservation of the Honduran endemic Utila spiny-tailed iguana.
Court has previously worked for federal, state, and private agencies on a variety of biological and environmental projects. Their main career goals center around the study of ecology and conservation of reptiles as well as outreach. In their spare time, Court can be found birding, herping, and enjoying board games with friends. Court is a voting member of Wild Green Future's board of directors.
Curtis Sarkin
Curtis Sarkin is a content creator for Wild Green Memes and a co-host on the Wild Green Streams podcast. Curtis has a BA in Writing in Natural History and Cultural Perspectives from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a major that he designed through the school’s Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration Program. His BA included many international programs, with studies in tropical field biology in Costa Rica and Panama, ecology and indigenous spirituality in Peru, and geography and indigenous history in Australia.
Over the course of his career, Curtis has worked as an educator for numerous environmental nonprofits, both online and in person, teaching about freshwater, forest, and marine ecology, whale behavior, and herpetology. His interests include prehistoric life, meme evolution, tidepooling, creating nature art, and writing ecological science fiction. Curtis is a voting member of Wild Green Future's board of directors.
Danielle Russell
Dr. Danielle Russell is a moderator for Wild Green Memes. Danielle has a BS in Animal Science, a minor in Entomology & Nematology, and a Certificate of Medical Entomology from the University of Florida. She obtained her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, with an interest in animal behavior and exotics/wildlife medicine.
Dr. Russell’s professional goals include exotic pet health, canine behavior consultations, and assisting with local wildlife research projects. She also hopes to contribute to research on improving care of species kept for conservation purposes. Specific interests include identifying causes for neurologic disease in tarantulas, reptile behavioral response to enrichment, and using biomarkers to evaluate stress response in cooperative care trained vs untrained zoological species. Dr. Russell’s hobbies include hiking, photography, arts and crafts, dog training, reading, and adventuring with friends. Dr. Russell is a voting member of Wild Green Future's board of directors.
Ashley Meade Kusel
Ashley Meade Kusel is a moderator for Wild Green Memes. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with a minor in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, and she is working towards her PhD in Zoology, all at the University of Florida. Her current research focuses on green turtle grazing ecology with the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research. Specifically, she studies plant-herbivore dynamics, the toxicology of Florida's seagrasses, and the relationship between remoras and green turtles.
Ashley has worked for various non-profits, academic, and government organizations studying sea turtle ecology, Everglades wading bird reproductive and population demographics, and population monitoring of red cockaded woodpeckers and frosted flatwoods salamanders. Her other interests include hiking with her turtle dogs (Olive & Ridley), exploring wild Florida, native gardening, and helping maintain the Florida National Scenic Trail. Ashley is a voting member of Wild Green Future's board of directors.
Konrad Strzalkowski
Konrad Strzalkowski is a moderator for Wild Green Memes. Konrad has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Florida, and a J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. While pursuing his BA, Konrad took an interest in the Philosophy of Animal Minds, understanding the natural world and how it affects us. In Law School Konrad worked with the Jacobs Law Clinic for Democracy & the Environment to provide pro bono legal aid to communities suffering from environmental pollutant issues, as well as other environmental issues.
Konrad is a member of the Florida Bar and works as a Civil Litigation Attorney. Outside of work, he loves to enjoy the beautiful Florida wildlife including exploring new state parks and rivers wherever he can put a paddle board or kayak. His other interests include spending time with friends, playing pickleball, volleyball, or some board games. Konrad is a voting member of Wild Green Future’s board of directors.
Animal photos courtesy of Court Harding.