Born on a U.S. Air Force base near Phoenix, Arizona, Adam Rogers spent his formative years in a secluded mining community in the expansive Yukon Territory of Northern Canada. At the age of 18, with nothing more than a backpack and a positive attitude, he embarked on an ambitious quest to explore the world. Venturing eastward, his journey circled the globe until he ultimately returned to the west. Over an exhilarating span of five years, Adam traversed 50 countries, mastering the art of frugality by subsisting on a shoestring budget of $100 per month. His early explorations forged the resilient spirit and global perspective that would define his future endeavors.
To support his peripatetic personality, Adam has worked as a sous chef, a gold prospector, an emergency medical technician, a journalist, an editor, and finally as a senior communication advisor at the United Nations—where he spent 22 years before taking early retirement in 2018. His interests and work have taken him to more than 130 countries in most corners of the world. As the editor-in-chief of Los Angeles-based Earth News, Adam covered the landmark 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and most of the subsequent summits of the 1990s. His book The Earth Summit: A Planetary Reckoning documented the 1992 conference through the perspectives of youth, business, government, and civil society. A related book focusing on Agenda 21 was published by the UN Environment Programme and is called Taking Action: An Environmental Guide For You and Your Community. His most recent books include The No Mammal Manifesto: Diet for a new and more sustainable world (2019) and The Intrepid Traveler: the ultimate guide to responsible, ecological, and personal-growth travel and tourism (2018).
A sequel to Taking Action was published in 2021 and is called Taking Action Online for the Environment, Social Justice and Sustainable Development. This book, which includes a foreword from Helen Clark, connects the many dots in the social media universe and provides step-by-step advice on how to fundraise, build communities and inspire action for the results we need to create the world we want in line with Agenda 2030.
Currently, Adam is weaving together his love for travel and writing in his forthcoming book, Around the World in 80 Countries. This compendium will offer readers a selection of captivating short travel stories, delivering a sense of the enriching experiences from his numerous adventures.
Although he never went to high school, Adam eventually secured a GED before going on to get a BA in International Affairs from Northern Arizona University, an MA in Communication and Technology from the University of Alberta, and an MBA from the joint TRIUM program at New York University, the London School of Economics and HEC Paris School of Management.