Hannah Hartmann

Originally from traditional Tongva territory (Los Angeles, California), Hannah, like most of the people growing up in the area, was exposed to large amounts of environmental pollution. She was inspired to find solutions for this pollution after personally experiencing pollutant-related illnesses and witnessing several cancer related deaths in her immediate family. From the age of 16, she knew multidimensional solutions were needed to help her community and the many others also experiencing contamination-related health problems. She began researching nature-based solutions and quickly realized that most health problems people experience today are correlated with pollutant exposure. This is when Hannah dedicated her life to environmental remediation and regeneration, because, as has been recognized by Indigenous peoples around the world, healing land and water means healing ourselves.   

 

Hannah attended Cal Poly Humboldt (Wiyot homelands) where she received her BS in Environmental Science and Management with a focus in Ecological Restoration, with minors in Wildland Soil Science, Fire Ecology, and Geospatial Analysis. During her undergraduate studies, Hannah worked as a wildland firefighter for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and as a co-researcher in a mycofiltration study, where native fungi were used to remediate various coliform bacteria from wastewater. She then attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo where she received her MS in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES). In her role as a MS student on the internship track, she worked closely with Wayne Tanaka and the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi to co-research and advocate for bioremediation solutions to address the contamination crisis at Kapūkakī (Red Hill). Hannah also began serving as the Communications Committee Chair with HULI PAC, a local political action committee dedicated to uplifting pono legislative leadership, during this time. In addition to these ongoing responsibilities in the realms of technical bioremediation research, community advocacy, and co-founding MBRG and EarthRM, Hannah has represented MBRG as a lead researcher in presentations given at post-fire inter-agency meetings on Maui, the 2023 Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Conference, and served as a bioremediation expert for the Maui County Council. Currently, she teaches sustainable agriculture and greenhouse construction at Kulani Prison and serves as the “Chief Executive Officer” for MBRG and co-Executive Director for EarthRM. Hannah aligns herself with the ongoing fight for life by working each day, scientifically and systemically, for clean water and soil to be available and accessible to our current and future generations. E ola.

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