Sustainability Chats - YCAF: Charlee Gauger

Charlee and the renewed garden beds.

Charlee Gauger, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota majoring in Environmental Science, was awarded a Youth Climate Action Fund microgrant for her 2025 project Renew the GROW School Gardens, in partnership with Grow La Crosse.

Her initiative focused on restoring garden beds at Northwoods and Hamilton Elementary Schools in La Crosse. By replacing old materials with new metal frames, Charlee helped revitalize these spaces, increasing their capacity to grow fresh vegetables for the La Crosse School District. Her work not only supports local food production but also strengthens environmental education for young students.

Charlee interned for the summer at Grow La Crosse as a Sustainability and Nutrition Intern. Her project is closely tied to her internship, demonstrating how she transformed a learning opportunity into a meaningful contribution to her community.

For this Sustainability Chat, we talk with Charlee about her journey, how she connected her academic path with real-world impact, the challenges she overcame, and the lessons she learned along the way.

About the YCAF Sustainability Chat Video & Blog Author:

Meg Erdenebat - Intern

The YCAF Sustainability Chat Series is compiled by the Sustainability Institute Program Intern - Meg Erdenebat. Meg is a college student from Mongolia who is currently at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse through their international student exchange program. Meg is working towards a bachelor's degree in Environmental Development at her main college in Japan.

"I am excited to be a part of the Sustainability Institute. I’ve just completed an academic year at UWL. My major is Environmental Development. Over the next two months, I’ll be working with the Sustainability Institute on their Sustainability Chats series interviewing Youth Climate Action fund recipients. This is my first job in the field, and while I’m both excited and a bit overwhelmed, I’m committed to doing my best to contribute."

The City of La Crosse was awarded a second round of funds in 2025 by Bloomberg Philanthropies allocating $85,000 for YCAF microgrants. This program is being coordinated by the City of La Crosse with the help of the Sustainability Institute and the La Crosse Area Community Foundation.