Growing up, Emily Zucchino lived down the street from a nature reserve. She spent her days catching frogs and turtles, camping, playing, getting lost in the woods and finding her way home. She always felt a strong connection to the outdoors and nature.

During her college years at UNC Asheville, she became more involved in activism and activist networks. Soon after, she started doing international work as the Regional Director for Witness for Peace Southeast, organizing delegations to Latin America as well as Southeastern communities to take action against US and transnational corps who were contributing to poverty, injustice and environmental devastation in Latin America. Emily says,

“The hardest thing for me to see was the way that corporations could put profits above the environment, people’s needs and habitats. I want to go up against corporations who put profits before the environment.”

Her work at Witness for Peace brought her to Dogwood Alliance. Looking for an organization with a proven track record of strategic successes against corporations that cause the most environmental damages, Dogwood was the natural choice. Emily was excited to apply, and now work for, a place so dedicated to environmental and corporate responsibility. Now she is Dogwood’s Campaign Organizer for the Our Forests Aren’t Fuel campaign.

Now that Emily is back in Asheville, she loves all the opportunities to do yoga and go hiking, backpacking and waterfall hunting. She still enjoys traveling to as many nature reserves and old growth forests as she can. Our adventurous Emily has hiked the Amazon, the Himalayas and gone on backpacking trips in Joyce Kilmer. Emily says,

“My time spent in the forest is a chance for me to get away from the pavement and the chaos of the city. Find a place where I can find my calm and my center, be rejuvenated and clear my head in the woods and the mountains.”