Adrian Huq

Emerging Leaders of Color, Cohort 4

Adrian Huq is a graduate student at the Yale School of the Environment pursuing a Master of Environmental Management, a candidate for a graduate certificate in Public Humanities at Yale, a 2024 graduate of Tufts University, and a proud New Haven Public Schools alum.

Since 2018, they have worked on several environmental initiatives under the New Haven/Leon Sister City Project (NHLSCP). Most notably, they serve as the co-founder of the New Haven Climate Movement (NHCM) Youth Action Team which pushes for bold policy change to combat climate change on the city level (est. 2019).

Adrian began at NHLSCP by educating their school community about home energy efficiency and later hiring New Haven area high school interns to become peer educators at additional schools from 2018-2020. Following a rebrand from energy to climate change education, they stepped into a supervisory role as Youth Coordinator of the Climate Health Education Project from 2020-2024, where they co-facilitated an internship supporting local high school students in advancing climate education within their schools. Adrian also helped supervise NHCM’s summer interns from summers 2021-2024 and NHCM’s DeCARbonize the Oceans program from 2024-2025, which focused on public education on the impact that transportation emissions have on ocean health. Currently, Adrian coordinates the Climate Justice Schools Initiative (est. 2022), a joint program between NHCM and New Haven Public Schools, in multiple high schools.

Adrian has interned for various environmental organizations, from Sustainable CT to the New Haven Urban Resources Initiative, as well as Connecticut governmental entities, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments and Capitol Regional Council of Governments. They serve on the Boards of the Greater New Haven Green Fund, New Haven/Leon Sister City Project, and Citywide Youth Coalition, and as a subcommittee member of the Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Adrian is also engaged in the local arts community, named an Arts Awardee by the Greater New Haven Arts Council in 2023. A public speaker on topics ranging from climate justice to community engagement, Adrian has spoken at over 65 convenings, webinars, classes, and rallies.