Anna Siegel
she/her | 16 | Yarmouth | Waynflete School
Maine Youth Action Campaigns Coordinator
Founding member of Maine Youth for Climate Justice
Member of the Yarmouth Committee for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
Led the campaign to pass LD 99 to divest the Maine Public Employee Retirement system from fossil fuels
A passionate birder since childhood, Anna first got involved in climate advocacy after learning about the impacts of climate on birds. Anna started ME Strikes in 2019 and worked with youth statewide to pass climate emergency declarations at city councils and select boards. She is a founding member of Maine Youth for Climate Justice, a statewide network of young people advocating for climate solutions.
In 2021, Anna got involved in the legislative process for the first time. She worked directly with State Representative Maggie O’Neil, pensioners, adult allies, and other youth to introduce LD 99 and helped lead a youth coalition to generate grassroots communications for lawmakers. While fossil fuels divestment movement has largely been worked on by college students on college campuses, Anna learned from adult allies and finance experts about how Maine’s pension fund was complicit in the climate crisis and took action. Now she is collaborating with divestment movements in other states to divest their state employee retirement systems from fossil fuels. Anna is a demonstrated climate leader who employed creative tactics, motivated her peers, helped pass legislation, and is now working to ensure it is implemented along with other key projects.
