Meet ashley soltysiak
Meet Ashley soltysiak
Climate & Environment Program Director
Jim Bridger, that’s Ashley’s pup’s name, a tribute to the legendary adventurer of the early 1800s American West, and namesake of iconic wild areas there. Ashley channels that same intrepid spirit in her own work as Climate and Environment program director.
“Our core issue areas are decommissioning Line 5 oil pipeline for both water protection and global warming mitigation, promoting an equitable clean energy transition. Some specific projects include Solar on Schools, expanding community-based clean energy infrastructure, and helping shape Michigan's path to a net zero carbon economy by 2050,” Ashley says. She especially likes how dynamic the role can be—organizing press conferences, writing issue statements and white papers, connecting with key legislators, and more.
The enthusiasm Ashley brings to her work is a natural extension of her personal pursuits, which pull her outdoors at every opportunity: snowboarding and skiing, kayaking, biking, rock climbing … “Each of those pursuits depends directly upon Michigan's freshwater and a livable climate,” she says. “Without reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and retiring a precarious pipeline currently threatening the future of our Great Lakes, we cannot count on deep snowy winters or pristine coastal hikes and paddles.” Ashley’s work directly helps to ensure a stronger climate movement so that these activities stay viable in Michigan for generations to come.
