Shula Featured in “Teen Climate Changers” Book
Verdical Group’s Founder & CEO Drew Shula is featured in Michelle Rozenfeld’s recently self-published “Teen Climate Changers” book, which features interviews with 26 climate and sustainability professionals — from architects and scientists to policymakers and nonprofit leaders — to uncover how they found their paths and what advice they have for the next generation.
Through these first hand stories, teens can explore green career options while discovering their own values and goals. The book includes journaling prompts and reflection pages to help readers connect what they’ve learned to their own life journey.
The book also featured an interview with Eric Corey Freed, a Net Zero Conference Trailblazer Awardee.
Learn more about the project here, and read his interview contribution below.
“With a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame, Drew Shula faced early career setbacks but persevered to establish a for-profit company that also focuses on positive impact for people and the environment. His journey highlights the power of persistence and grassroots innovation to drive real change. Drew’s work bridges design, activism, and policy, emphasizing that meaningful transformation requires both visionary ideas and engaged communities.
As CEO and founder of Verdical Group, a nationwide sustainability consulting firm, he specializes in reducing the built environment’s carbon footprint — responsible for about 40% of global emissions. Growing up on 40 acres of rural land in Maine, Drew developed a lifelong connection to nature that inspired him to merge architecture with environmentalism. Since discovering LEED certification early on, he has grown Verdical Group into a 25-person firm offering expertise in green building certifications, energy modeling, and sustainable event planning.
Drew encourages young people to volunteer, network, and continually educate themselves about climate solutions, emphasizing the importance of both skills and passion in building a green career.
‘We need more climate influencers — education is the key to solving this crisis, and everyone can make a difference.’
Drew Shula’s path to becoming a leader in sustainability was shaped by a deep connection to nature and an evolving passion for environmental advocacy. Drew recalls, ‘As a kid I was just running around in the woods… We had foxes that lived on our property and beavers dammed up a stream. I was outside just in nature.’
This early immersion instilled in him a profound respect for the natural world, which later became the foundation for his career. Though his college curriculum didn’t initially focus on sustainability — he only took ‘one class on environmental design’ during his five-year architecture program — Drew’s interest blossomed after graduation. It was in his first architecture job that he first encountered LEED certification, a green building rating system.
‘When I heard about LEED, that was the first time I thought I was really excited about it. There might be a career there because it married my degree in architecture with environmentalism, something I was really passionate about,’ he explains.
From that moment, Drew dedicated himself to advancing sustainable architecture and founded Verdical Group, a nationwide sustainability consulting firm. Verdical Group specializes in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment, a sector responsible for about 40% of global carbon emissions when accounting for both operational energy use and embodied carbon in building materials.
Under his leadership, the company has grown to 25 employees and offers expertise in green building certifications such as LEED, Living Building Challenge, WELL, and Fitwel, alongside services like energy modeling, commissioning, and sustainable event planning.
Drew’s approach reflects a blend of technical expertise and community engagement. He emphasizes that sustainability careers require a diverse range of skills.
‘We need everything. We need folks with engineering backgrounds, environmental studies, architecture, construction management – all types of building industry majors lead into those jobs.’
Recognizing the importance of connection and learning, he urges young people to ‘volunteer, meet real people who are doing the work, and learn about what each organization does. It’s a great way to network and build a career.’
Moreover, Drew sees education and communication as critical tools in solving the climate crisis. He highlights the power of social media influencers to spread awareness.
‘Solving the climate crisis is really an education problem. We have all the tools; we just haven’t done it yet.’
He encourages young people to take initiative, suggesting, ‘You could do that yourself, set up an Instagram page dedicated to climate stuff, put your content out, and grow your audience to really influence people.’
Reflecting on his own journey, Drew acknowledges the value of continuous learning and networking, offering advice to the next generation: ‘I wish I would have read more, gotten educated faster, and networked more – met more people in the space sooner.’
He also recommends two essential books for anyone interested in climate work: Drawdown by Paul Hawken and Speed and Scale by John Doerr, noting that they are ‘great reading’ to understand the scope of the problem and the pathways to solutions.
Today, Drew continues to lead Verdical Group with a vision to transform the built environment into a climate solution. His story embodies the power of persistence, education, and grassroots innovation in building a sustainable future.”
