antonio has brought together researchers, elected officials, and community members to grow mushrooms to combat toxins in the soil from fracking waste. known as “mycoremediation,” the use of fungi to remediate polluted land has been shown to be effective at degrading waste. for antonio, the proximity of fracking operations, abandoned uranium mines, and coal mines to her community represent constant threats. rather than sit idly, antonio took action. listen below to hear the full story:

north of tucson, arizona, in the sonoran desert, the last thing you might expect to see is a man-made pyramid jutting out of the unassuming landscape. this facility is known as biosphere 2, and it is a 3.14-acre laboratory for environmental and climate change research.

and inside that laboratory is the leo, or the landscape evolution observatory. the leo is the world’s biggest controlled experiment that helps environmental scientists understand how carbon, water, and energy interact to create soil and evolve land over time.

click the presentation below to learn more!

on a warm summer evening, a gentle breeze blows through the continental golf club neighborhood in flagstaff, arizona. volunteer community members gathered to pick ripe apples from nearby fruit trees. many apples have already littered the ground, too bruised for human consumption and attractive to pests. this is where flagstaff foodlink enters the picture to help curb food waste and combat food insecurity in the community.

the united states is one of the biggest producers of food waste in the world. approximately a third of food intended for human consumption is wasted. rather than contributing to this issue, flagstaff foodlink, a non-profit organization supporting local food systems, devised a local solution. for the past three years, the organization has hosted the flagstaff fruit tree project to combat fruit waste in the area. 

gleaning to feed a community

“we’ve got a lot of free food in the community. essentially we wanted to make use of it,” says summer white, board member for flagstaff foodlink. this is where fruit gleaning comes in. fruit gleaning is a process that makes use of non-sellable produce. such produce may have defects such as bugs or bruises but is otherwise edible. food that is determined a waste can be used for preserving or composting instead of heading to the landfill. 

the fruit-gleaning process is adapted for flagstaff community members; instead of picking through farm fields, residential trees are scouted for fruit. meanwhile, homeowners in flagstaff offer their fruit trees for the volunteers to pick.

“flagstaff is not seen as a fruit mecca… [but] there’s apples, plums, apricots and peaches,” white said. this variety of locally grown fruits could be a significant source of nutrition for residents of flagstaff, many of whom lack reliable access to fresh produce. 

according to a 2021 coconino county needs assessment, 14.5% of residents in the county experience food insecurity and 69% of respondents reported a lack of access to nutritious food due to costs. flagstaff is the largest city in the county, with many traveling to purchase food and other essentials in the community. 

flagstaff is also home to northern arizona university where a portion of the student community is in need of affordable food options. “for a college student… it’s super difficult to find options that are healthy and green that aren’t contributing to anything harmful to the planet. so it’s really nice to get free apples,” northern arizona university student helen f. said. it is estimated that 35% of undergraduates across the country are experiencing food insecurity. 

locally grown foods can impact greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the distance the food needs to travel to reach consumers. this is an opportunity for fruit-picking volunteers to take action against climate change. further, collecting locally grown foods reduces the need for large areas of land for agriculture.

once established, fruit trees require minimal care because of their large root system. many fruit trees are considered established in between two to seven years, from which point they can rely on seasonal precipitation, reducing the need for allocating drinking water resources to produce the fruit. 

simple, easily replicated, and good for the earth

flagstaff foodlink helps make the fruit-gleaning process accessible for almost everyone by providing a nifty fruit picker tool to volunteers. the organization has a check-out system where volunteers can borrow the tool at their liking. the tool is slender with a long handle that can extend to reach higher fruits and a basket to catch the fruit. the basket has finger-like prongs that help remove the fruit from the tree.

“it’s my first time and it’s super fun, i’m excited that my baby can experience it too,” tina gustafan of elevated gardening said. thanks to the tool’s easy-to-use design, older folks can get involved as well, engaging members of the entire community. 

currently, the fruit-gleaning event is held annually by flagstaff foodlink. however the organization would like to see the community take more ownership of the event. the dream is that individuals within the community can be proactive in organizing the future fruit-gleaning days without the flagstaff foodlink needing to be so involved.

the process is straightforward and easily replicated. the first step is to find tree donors, those willing to share the fruit from their trees. next, gather some gleaning tools and recruit volunteers to pick the fruit. all that’s left is a strong community and the drive to divert food waste and combat climate change. 

according to a yale study about the long-term impacts of land dispossession of tribes in the united states, tribal nations are especially vulnerable to climate change. this is because of government policies that forced tribes from their traditional homelands to locations that were considered undesirable by settlers. these areas often had poor soil and lacked drinkable water.  climate justice is about supporting tribal communities that have been made vulnerable to climate disruption due to colonization, helping such communities adapt to climate change, and promoting connections to land, people, and traditional ways. 

creating a connection

natalia shaw works in the sangre de cristo mountains, just outside las vegas, new mexico. this area is where new mexico’s largest recorded wildfire took place in 2022. the fire began from a prescribed burn and quickly turned into a high-intensity crown fire. a crown fire is one that spreads quickly from treetop to treetop. due to decades of poor forest management leading to overgrowth and drought, the pine forest created a devastating blaze that displaced communities.

shaw is an environmental scientist and educator who works for the new mexico forest and watershed restoration institute. part of her job is reconnecting youth and community members to the forests through education. shaw believes, “forests and landscapes have always been influenced by humans- how do we continue to be land stewards?” she draws upon her interest in anishinabe burning practices to connect to the santa fe national forest and to teach others about plant identification. 

shaw helps youth foster a relationship to the land by identifying plant names and their uses. she knows that in order to restore a forest, the people in that community must have a meaningful connection to that land. in order to cultivate that connection, shaw has guided youth tours through the santa fe national forest forest to practice identifying plants.

“you can’t restore a forest if you don’t restore a connection to the land.”               -natalia shaw

forming a strong connection to the land is not just healing, but preventative as well. for example, indigenous cultural burning practices prompted new plant growth and seed germination. 

shaw is committed to fostering reconnection to lands through her work as a key component of supporting solutions to the climate crisis. she knows the threat of climate change is monumental. however, she believes with access to current technology, we have the tools to move forward in light of climate change. 

healing indigenous communities

robyn jackson (diné), fondly recalls spending her childhood in the chuska mountains, located on the navajo nation near arizona and new mexico border. she remembers abundant plant life and diverse insects like bumble bees and butterflies. there were vibrant springs teeming with tadpoles and lush forest meadows. the forested mountains were paradise in the navajo nation’s high-altitude desert. as jackson grew older, the climate began to change. she noticed fewer bumble bees in the area and drying springs. jackson and her family began to find it harder to find traditional medicinal plants, likely due to drought conditions and logging in the chuska mountains.

jackson is a diné woman from wheatfields, arizona. she is the executive director of diné citizens against ruining our environment (diné c.a.r.e). diné c.a.r.e is a navajo-led environmental justice organization that works with navajo communities affected by energy and environmental issues. 

the navajo nation, where jackson lives and works, was made vulnerable to climate change impacts such as drought and desertification due to natural resource extraction. in the 1940s, navajo people and other tribal people were recruited to mine uranium ore for the u.s. government without proper protection. today, there are hundreds of abandoned mines across the nation. many of these mines are exposed and contaminate groundwater. across the board, approximately 15% of people in the navajo nation lack access to clean drinking water. 

jackson’s parents are among the organization’s founding members who worked to protect the navajo nation from environmental threats. indigenous people have deep knowledge about their environment; this is known as traditional ecological knowledge or tek. stories, songs, and ceremonies record and pass down this knowledge. jackson draws upon traditional knowledge to find solutions that are climate justice focused. she does this by considering her diné teachings of kinship to help communities organize against extractive industries through local action.  

“humans are part of a collective memory that honors lessons from the past for survival; our traditional teachings provide guidance,” jackson said. she felt a generational call to help move the community forward to honor her parent’s legacy. jackson believes that climate justice is about assisting communities to use their voice to prepare for the future of climate change and she leads community information sessions to listen to community members and educate them about current natural resource extraction activities across the navajo nation. shaw’s and jackson’s heritages provides a solid foundation to lead the climate justice movement forward.