1. understand that climate change happens at a scale that is beyond human perception.

in a similar fashion to the covid-19 pandemic, climate change is an intangible enemy that we as humans can not perceive as a whole. we cannot touch or see it, nor can we solve it with one end-all-be-all quick fix. we can experience some of the hints of climate change, such as extreme weather events, but we will never know the full impact of how our actions impact the climate on a spatial and temporal scale beyond human limits. in his keynote, john sutter described his documentary project baseline that may bring a creative solution to this problem. by following five children over a span of 30 years, we will be able to see changes in climate before our eyes in the form of film.

2. know the needs and values of your audience.

to some people the climate crisis feels like a wave of impending doom and to others, it feels like white noise in the background of their lives. both of these feelings are valid. to tell the climate story, it is important to understand the specific communities and forums that you are trying to reach. everyone has different values and experiences, and it is important to keep those in mind as you are crafting your story.

3. bring people into the conversation instead of casting them out.

telling the climate story in a way that is positive and hopeful will promote change far more than negativity ever will. in his keynote, al roker talked about the story of climate change as one of hope and that people are capable of changing their minds about climate change when they are equipped with the correct tools. it is important to stress that it is not too late to make a difference!

4. interdisciplinary collaborations can lead to innovation and impact.

climate change is not just for climate scientists! the most effective storytelling happens when different people with different backgrounds work together. working with a variety of professionals such as journalists, advocates, artists, and more can bridge connections and create effective stories.

5. the environment needs you.

real changes happen when we take our unique skills and work together. it is important to understand that everyone has something meaningful to add when it comes to protecting our environment. we need to ensure that we listen and encourage diverse ideas from all communities. it takes all of us to make a difference!

keynote: climate change beyond a human lifetime

there’s a problem inherent in the way we’re processing the climate crisis: we don’t live long enough to truly feel it. national geographic explorer and documentary filmmaker john sutter has launched an unprecedented project to chronicle the future. he’s working with children around the world to tell an entirely new story about the climate crisis — one that lasts longer than we do.

keynote conversation: talking climate and weather with one of the most trusted voices in america

legendary nbc broadcaster al roker is one of the most recognized figures in american life. on nbc’s today show he communicates important weather information to a wide and diverse audience. as a storyteller on nbc’s climate unit, he dives into the story of climate change, extreme weather, and solutions for our planet. in this conversation, learn more about compelling climate communication and reaching your audience. then, we make a special announcement about our new planet forward comcast sustainability storytelling fellowship program, and share the story told by our first fellow, francesca edralin from the george washington university. edralin shares the piece she worked on about the green bronx machine.

conversation: meet the mayor of america’s hottest city

in 2020, phoenix, arizona, experienced 145 days of 100-degree weather. the mayor of phoenix, kate gallego, describes new urban technologies that the city is implementing to battle the dangers of extreme heat.

then join planet forward student contributors adora shortridge and william walker from arizona state university, and gw’s national geographic visiting professor of science communication and author of “hot, hungry planet,” lisa palmer, for a q&a about their work looking into feasible and equitable heat-preparedness strategies for some of our most vulnerable citizens.

institutional impact: moving away from single-use plastics

george washington university recently announced it will phase out single-use plastics on campus. gw president thomas leblanc explains why, how, and what it means.

game time! let’s talk storyfest

students published their stories on planetforward.org all year — next we put their stories front and center with a panel of science and media experts. asu global futures laboratory’s steven beschloss, pbs (wnet) executive producer eugenia harvey, project drawdown’s matt scott, and gw professor dr. tara scully join us to showcase some of the exceptional storyfest entries for 2021. then, frank sesno revealed the six grand prize winners, each of whom will receive $500 and have 50 trees planted in their names in a national forest courtesy of our friends at one tree planted.

keynote conversation: meet the new epa administrator michael s. regan

finally, we capped our event with a thoughtful and inspiring discussion with the new epa administrator michael regan — the first black man and the first graduate of a historically black college and university to lead the epa in its 50-year history. regan said he will bring science into every decision, coordinate across government, work with states and localities — and made clear that environmental justice will be at the center of his mission.

please watch and listen, and be inspired. as regan said to us — it’s not too late. as humans, we are innovative. we are resilient. and we can do this — together.

thank you again for joining us at the 2021 planet forward virtual summit. until next year, we look forward to seeing you online, and let’s keep doing our part to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 .

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see the full summit playlist on youtube.

speaking of adapting, we had to adapt storyfest itself — on a hiatus from the experiential learning prizes we usually offer in partnership with lindblad expeditions. but, together we persevered.

for the 2021 contest, we are offering six grand prize winners — each of whom will receive a $500 cash prize and have 50 trees planted in their names in a national forest — thanks to our friends over at one tree planted.

the winners’ trees will be planted in minnesota in the chippewa national forest.

the 2021 field was highly competitive, with outstanding stories from schools across the country. judges had a tough job this year. without further ado, we are thrilled to announce the winners of storyfest 2021.

best science narrative:

“the salamanders at the end of the world”

by eva legge, dartmouth college

most creative story:

“airborne microplastics in the age of covid-19”

by calvin bordas, suny-esf

best use of science or data:

“diversifying the pack: cross fostering helps mexican wolf population boost genetic mix”

by christopher howley and michael hannan, arizona state university

best scalable innovation:

“daylighting: a case study of the jones falls river in baltimore, maryland”

by allison klei, franklin & marshall university

this year’s fan favorite:

“thrifting for the soul”

by kenna q. kelley, syracuse university

congratulations, storyfest winners! we will be in touch to share details on your prize.

before i go, i would be remiss if i didn’t also highlight a few of other pieces highlighted by our judges — in no particular order — that i want to make sure you can check out:

• more than one pathogen, a song by nathan farrell detres, columbia university 
• planet over plastic: corporations are responsible for plastic waste by kaitlyn copland, eckerd college
• color the water – black surfers healing through the water by marisa umeh, uc-berkeley
• montreal landfill turned lunar landscape: an urban sustainability story by clarice knelly, suny-plattsburgh
• 4 places where racism, climate change & environmental justice collided by jayden graham-white, tuskegee university
• heat, smoke, pandemic: dangers multiply for farmworkers in 2020 by lauren hernandez, arizona state university
• the quest for activism in journalism and environmentalism by ryan bieber, ithaca college

keep writing. keep filming. keep photographing.

keep sharing stories.

great job, everyone! and we’ll see — and hear from — you again soon.

environmental campaigns that focus on strictly one species are easily marketable to the public, but it comes at the cost of missing the bigger picture. in theory, saving one species means preserving their environment and all of the organisms with which they interact, but seldom is that how these initiatives play out.

in 1975, greenpeace launched its “save the whales” campaign¹ to help protect these incredible marine creatures. this movement gained such widespread public attention and support that by 1986 a ban on commercial whaling went into effect.² with the work of many activists, policy makers, and both national and international politicians, drastic progress came quickly. but if we’ve already “saved” the whales, why are we still talking about them in 2021, 35 years after the ban on commercial whaling? 

without the threat of commercial whaling to reduce their numbers, many whale populations are doing better today, but they still face a plethora of problems. human induced climate change has been negatively affecting whale migration patterns across the globe, which in turn negatively impacts their mating rituals, access to food, and limits their livable environment. news headlines such as “endangered baby right whale washes up on florida beach,” and “gray whale population drops by quarter off u.s. west coast,” still pop up on a weekly basis, which speaks volumes to their current predicament.

is the “save the whales” campaign to blame for the whales today’s problems? no, not exactly. greenpeace’s activism got the public invigorated and was a crucial stepping stone in helping these creatures, but that’s not enough to ‘save’ them. we also need to protect whales’ environments from pollution and the dangers of boating as well. human actions all alter the natural lives of these grand creatures and they are often not critiqued heavily enough, since these problems are one step removed from the whales themselves. 

although the public may be excited and willing to take additional steps to continue to protect whales, there still remains the challenge of all the other organisms that inhabit this shared aquatic environment. whales are an example of charismatic megafauna, meaning they capture the public’s attention with their size and likeability. the energy put towards whales often drives up the amount of funding, legislation, and protections generated to save these large charismatic creatures. by dedicating so many resources to one specific species, it becomes hard to find the money to run programs to educate the public, lobby congress, or reduce pollution for less cute and cuddly animals. 

so where do we go from here? there’s no need to throw in the towel just yet. get on the internet or to your nearest library and educate yourself about the biodiversity in the region of wherever your favorite megafauna lives. consider donating to organizations that protect habitats on a larger scale rather than just for one animal. it’s okay to remain infatuated with the whales, just remember that they also have their marine friends, and they too deserve protection.

new orleans and hurricane katrina

in august 2005, hurricane katrina slammed into mississippi, louisiana, alabama, florida, and texas and ushered in one of the worst natural disasters of this generation. nearly 2,000 people lost their lives, 800,000 lost their homes, and ultimately cost the gulf coast region $161,000,000 in damage. in 2005, new orleans was over 60% black and of the entire population around 20% lived below the poverty line. because of the high poverty levels in new orleans, the taxes which would have been used for the upkeep of infrastructure in the city were lacking. 

and even though a mandatory evacuation was ordered by then-new orleans mayor ray nagins, a lot of these people did not have vehicles or money to evacuate and more importantly they did not have anywhere to go.

many possessed personal transportation, but the availability of cash for gas to evacuate at the end of the month before payday was a constraint (the hurricane struck on aug. 29). cash on hand for incidentals was also noted as a reason for not evacuating: “the hurricane came at the wrong time. we were waiting for our pay-day,” “no money for gas,” and “money was hard to come by at the time.”

a particularly interest aspect of living in the south is the close-knit nature of families, therefore most of these people lived in the same neighborhoods — and even homes — as their entire families for generations, which can be traced back to sentiments of family established in the enslavement period of african-american history. 

new orleans was hit particularly hard by hurricane katrina, not because they received the brunt force of the storm, but because the levee system failed and ultimately swallowed over half of the city, which already sat below sea level. new orleans natives and those from the surrounding area will tell you the urban legend that the levees were intentionally broken in an effort to save upper echelon areas of the city and in turn sacrifice the almost exclusively black and poverty-stricken areas of the city, such as the 9th ward. the army corp of engineers’-constructed levees were made to handle must stronger winds and higher levels of water than katrina brought to the city, so even if this myth was to be debunked, the federal government is ultimately responsible for lives lost by the levee failures and flooding because there is no reason the levees should have failed on such a large scale.

the post-storm era was chaotic to say the least. it took the federal and state government days to respond to rescue, food, water, and shelter needs of the citizens of new orleans. this catastrophe of a response was and still exists as the defining point of george w. bush’s presidency — even more so than 9/11. 

johannesburg, south africa, mining communities

johannesburg, south africa’s entire economy centers around mining anything from coal, platinum, gold, and diamonds, asbestos, iron ore, chrome, copper, emerald, fluorspar, ilmenite, lead, manganese, nickel, phosphate, silica, tin, vanadium, uranium, zinc, and zircon. often times, when the balancing scale of economic growth and human rights becomes a challenge, economic growth disproportionately wins the battles especially when concerning those who lack the power or resources to fight against such mistreatment. this coupled with the strongly racists history of south africa equates to a very dangerous and seemingly helpless situation for black south africans. 

apartheid directly translates to “apartness.” it was a system of government that established segregation as the law of the land. it mandated that nonwhite south africans which made up a majority of the population would be forced to live and use separate facilities than whites limiting contact between the groups. these policies remained in effect for nearly 50 years. in both theory and practice, it does not differ much from jim crow and “separate but equal” laws in america. the remnants of this era can stills be identified within almost every aspect of life in south africa. bobby peek is a prominent environmentalist in south africa. he spoke on the fact that the apartheid-like pattern of placing dangerous industries such as mining adjacent to black and immigrant communities is still very much at play.

“whether it’s south durban or on the cape, hazardous sites are always near black and colored communities,” peek says. “it’s south africa’s historical blue print.”

although very few formal studies exist on the qualitative health affects that proximity to such industries have on south africans mostly because of the lack of an official health care system in the poorest communities, countless interviews and recollections of the inhumane conditions these people face have been recorded. 

gold mining in particular is a very large, profitable industry in south africa, but a byproduct of this is uranium which is extremely toxic to humans. there’s no need for this uranium so more often than not the miners so it is simply dumped and because properly disposal can be costly, its usually just buried which was poisoned the ground water supply of johannesburg. not only is the air and water affected, the food supply is in danger because the same way breathing in these chemicals is dangerous to humans, it is just was harmful for livestock and crops in these 

although functioning mines have the most severe affect on the day to day lives of citizens, abandoned mines cause just as much stress and strife. more than 600 of these abandoned mines surround johannesburg, south africa. they simply exists as mountains of dust right next to residential areas so that once the wind blows, the dust blows into these communities to be breathed in by the residents causing tuberculosis, asthma, rashes, and skin diseases because it contains trace amounts of copper, lead, cyanide, and arsenic. all of these chemicals are toxic when breathed in over a long period of time and can cause much more permanent damage. communities. 

turkey creek community in gulfport, mississippi

the turkey creek community was founded in 1866 when land previously owned by the arkansas lumber company was settled on by newly freed slaves. among them was joshua (pluck) white who is my great great great great grandfather. they purchased 320 acres of wetlands — bottomland, coastal lowland maritime forests, freshwater marsh, scrub shrub and flood plains — featuring a diverse array of trees and plants and wild and marine life. it was inhabited by flocks of wild turkeys and thus become known as turkey creek.  

in 1906, 12 of the original 320 acres of land was sold to the gulf coast creosote company for the establishment of a creosote plant. creosote is a chemical used in wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, and coal tar pitch volatiles. it is made of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons phenol with creosols which is created by burning wood coals and added to the resin of the creosote bush. this chemical is carcinogenic to humans (meaning that is causes cancer). 

the stipulation to opening this plant was that they would have to hire men from the community to work in the factory which in theory was an amazing opportunity for these men to support their families. in reality, these men worked 6 days a week sometimes 10+ hour days in these plants for $0.25 – $0.40 a week. not only where these men exposed to an obscene amount of this chemical because they weren’t given the proper protective gear nor knowledge about the affects of the chemical they were handling, the proximity to the homes these men lived in was dangerously close. they worked in this plant all day inhaling these cancerous causing chemicals then went home to their families and carried that poison into their home where their children slept all unbeknownst to them. 

i can actually see the site of the plant from my home which is, they breathed it in, they touched it, its soaked into their clothes which they wore home and hugged their children in. the plant sat right on the creek which many people in the community fished in to feed their family’s was walking distance from the residential neighborhood most of these men lived and where i grew up. the area where the plant was is visibly destroyed. acknowledging the central theme of a lack of awareness, many people who live in the city of gulfport, mississippi, are unaware of the historical significance of the turkey creek community or the way these people were brutalized in the name of economic development. 

flint water crisis in flint, michigan

in 2011, in the midst of the great recession, flint, michigan, was the second poorest city in america, with more than 40% of its citizens living below the federal poverty line. after the collapse of car industry, thousands of people lost their jobs and could no longer contribute to the cities economy thus causing an unrelenting spell of stagnance. because of the disastrous economic state of the city, an emergency city manager was appointed by the governor to try to effectively cut cost and revive the city from turmoil. for five decades prior, the city’s water came from detroit, but in an attempt to save money, in 2014 the decision was made to change th city’s main water supply from lake huron to the flint river. 

it is most important to note that for more than a century, the flint river was used as a dump site for industries including car factories, meatpacking plants, lumber and paper mills, raw sewage from the city, agricultural run off, and landfills. the river is even rumored to have caught on fire — yes, a river. this was not a secret because the city actively contributed to the pollution of the river, but because this was an understood fact it would be assumed the city would take the proper steps to clean this water before sending it through the pipes and into the homes of millions of people, but that was not the case. 

because the water was so corrosive, it caused lead to leach from the old pipes in the city which created an entirely new issue; not only was the water contaminated, it now reeked of lead which is extremely dangerous for children and pregnant women. this situation began in 2011 and flint, michigan, has not had clean, reliable drinking water in over 2,000 days. 

it’s important to understand that the city of flint is 57% black, 37% white, with 6% other races and that is the only reason such atrocities were allowed to occur. as a report from the michigan civil rights commission, released in 2017, and according to the associated press, said: “would the flint water crisis have been allowed to happen in birmingham, ann arbor, or east grand rapids? we believe the answer is no, and that the vestiges of segregation and discrimination found in flint made it a unique target. the lack of political clout left the residents with nowhere to turn, no way to have their voices heard.”

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sources:

karoub, jeff. “commission: ‘systemic racism’ at root of flint water crisis.” ap news. associated press, february 17, 2017. https://apnews.com/article/df42de2ec4424193866467a2981ccb51. 

knight, dannielle. “environment-south africa: environmental racism, a lingering legacy of apartheid,” april 3, 2001. http://www.ipsnews.net/2001/04/environment-south-africa-environmental-racism-a-lingering-legacy-of-apartheid/. 

bobbins, guy trangos & kerry. “gold mining exploits and the legacies of johannesburg’s mining landscapes.” scenario journal, june 22, 2017. https://scenariojournal.com/article/gold-mining-exploits/. 

elder, keith et al. “african americans’ decisions not to evacuate new orleans before hurricane katrina: a qualitative study.” american journal of public health vol. 97 suppl 1,suppl 1 (2007): s124-9. doi:10.2105/ajph.2006.100867

music courtesy of epidemic sound.
first track: paradigm shift by gavin luke
second track: azoic by max anson

lips was camped out in the costa rica rainforest, alone, for a year and a half. her shack was nestled in a remote village atop a mountain bordering panama. each night, she plucked every frog she spotted up from the jungle’s tapestry of flora and swabbed them. 

“you’re walking down this beautiful trail, and you hear the birds and see a hummingbird sleeping on the branches. and you look up and there’s a frog sitting on a leaf, and you walk over there, and you pluck it off the leaf,” lips says.

that was in 1993. when lips returned just three years later, she couldn’t hear the croaking of toads or frogs splashing in streams. their environment was “dead silent.” lips noticed that the number of frogs in the region was  down 90% by 1996. initially, lips blamed everything, from her headlamp to the weather. but when she spotted dead frogs everywhere, she sensed she was front-row to the world’s next environmental calamity.

lips shipped 50 lifeless frogs back to a veterinary pathologist in maryland who confirmed her greatest fear… thousands of frogs were dying at the hands of a mysterious killer. 

a viral villain

it wasn’t until the late 1990s when researchers like lips discovered that frogs in australia and panama were dying by the masses. the silent killer wasn’t an elusive predator or a toxic food source. rather, a virulent fungus was swiftly eradicating species in one fell swoop. amphibians were dying at the hand of batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.

the fungus—called bd for short—is so lethal because it invades amphibians’ porous skin, which the animals use to breathe and drink water. the viral villain destroys the skin’s proteins and devours the remaining amino acids. infected animals become lethargic and experience organ failure in a matter of weeks.  

like the most vicious of diseases, bd doesn’t play favorites: it annihilates frogs young and old, wiping out amphibians across the globe. some amphibians can resist or tolerate bd, but 695 species are vulnerable. and 90 species already have disappeared, while 500 others have sunk into a steep decline, with few projected to recover.

“it’s so widespread. it’s not specialized or anything. it’s huge, it’s just a terrible generalist disease. and that’s what makes it terribly lethal,” lips says.

stopping bd’s killing spree

after her bombshell discovery, lips dove headfirst into understanding and advocating for “one of the largest losses of biodiversity.” in the 25 years since, bd’s killing spree hasn’t slowed down, and neither has lips. 

“there’s so many ways to think about karen and all the different things she’s done. i think one is her curiosity, and her ability to just persist, that she cared so much about this,” says margaret krebs, who led a leadership academy with lips.

lips tracked the global spread across six continents to find that human activity is pushing an amphibian death wish to all corners of the earth. the amphibian meat and pet industries allow bd to travel, leaping off of the back of one frog to the next.

though the virus poses no direct health threat to humans, the global destruction of frogs has devastating consequences. a decrease in the frog population causes an uptick in insects like flies and mosquitoes, who spread deadly diseases including malaria and pose a danger to human health. 

“there are indirect effects on human health… as soon as the frogs disappeared, there’s about a 10-year increase in the number of malaria cases in costa rica and panama,” lips says.

currently, wild populations raging with bd cannot be cured on a global scale. for now, researchers say that the best step is to prevent the fungi’s further spread. in 2009, lips left the south american rainforest for the bureaucratic jungle to promote policy that would prevent the further spread of bd.

“because she saw her study and research sites destroyed by this disease, she realized she was going to have to jump in and get her hands dirty in the policy world to try to deal with it,” says peter jenkins, an environmental lawyer who petitioned government agencies alongside lips for preventing the import of infected amphibians who might bring bd. 

bd is already present in the united states, and the u.s. fish and wildlife service is actively monitoring its spread. yet, in march 2017, the agency ceased consideration of a 2009 petition to ban all amphibian imports unless they were bd-free. 

lips argues that although bd is already in the united states, other harmful variants could make their way into the country without the proper testing that is not presently in place. studies show that the even deadlier african and brazilian strains of bd could hybridize with the original bd strain. 

in 2013, researchers identified b. salamandrivorans, known as bsal. its name aptly translates to “salamander-devouring,” as from 2009 to 2012 the fungus eliminated dutch fire salamander populations by more than 99%. a 2016 ruling banned the import of 201 salamander species. however, if the bsal-infected species were already in the u.s. before the ban went into effect, interstate transport of the species is legal. 

salamanders are indicator species, the frontline voice to determine if an environmental catastrophe is looming. often referred to as a “canary in a coal mine,” they serve as an early warning system for an ecological decline that will inevitably impact humans. spotting a two-lined salamander living under a rock at a stream is a sign of good water quality. the absence of woodland salamanders in a forest is an ill omen.

“(north america) has more families, more species of salamanders than anywhere else in the world. we safeguard the salamanders of the planet,” lips says. “and so if this salamander chytrid gets here, we’re going to expect to see massive infections, die-offs, and impacts just like we saw with bd.”

washington d.c. is one such city in the midst of a sustainable transformation. key to the story of d.c.’s food landscape is its legacy of racial oppression and segregation. today, wards 7 and 8 hold a concentrated population of low-income black residents experiencing food insecurity and challenges affording other basic necessities. other types of systemic inequity and oppression are co-contributors to food insecurity, such as a lack of affordable housing, disproportionate travel times for basic commuting and grocery store access, higher rates of unemployment, and less access to financial building resources. dr. sabine o’hara, program director at the university of dc’s causes, concluded that the city’s failure to move away from supply-side solutions has hindered substantive change in these areas, and must be something urban agriculture projects are attentive to as they develop plans for d.c in order to avoid perpetuating harmful systems.

amid increasing policy action supporting urban agriculture, local organizations are rising to specifically ensure that their black communities have access to healthy and fresh produce through innovative methods of farming. dmv urbangreens is a nonprofit production farm located in ward 7 which also runs a mobile planter pilot program in conjunction with dc urbangreens, another urban farm. these transportable planter boxes on wheels enable users to make use of small paved spaces and grow in otherwise impossible locations. their goal is to create a scalable growing model that eventually goes beyond the local community and allows more people to grow food.

for those living in areas without affordable fresh produce options, the opportunity to use the mobile planters offers one way to have a secure source of food. taboris robinson, manager of dmv urbangreens, highlighted the additional goal to shift the culture around food production in the district. he said, “you can kind of put these boxes anywhere, and move them at any time so we’re trying to prove that you know that could be done [anywhere].” his beliefs harken to ideas of black self-reliance seen in scholarship from authors like ashantee reese and historic farms like fannie lou hammer’s freedom farm collective, where black communities took it upon themselves to build networks to care for one another. dmv urbangreens is the latest innovation of self-reliance.

the dmv urbangreens mobile planter boxes also seek to remove middlemen distributors entirely and enable people to grow their own food. black communities have significantly less access to affordable and quality grocery stores making the d.c. food supply chain unreliable for these communities. the mobile planter boxes and garden simultaneously fill the immediate gap in the d.c. food system while providing an alternative to the failing system. in addition to access, the creation of the organization works toward altering the economic landscape to allow the low-income minority community the opportunity to purchase affordable produce. their presence also disrupts consumer purchase patterns, instead of spending money at major chain grocery stores disconnected from the local community, when consumers purchase from mr. robinson they are supporting local business and keeping their money in the community.

the mobile planter boxes are an impressive innovation which are already positively impacting ward 7, but goes beyond just providing food. they offer a vision of a future where d.c. residents aren’t reliant solely on a food system that has failed them. through the scalable model, dmv urbangreens is taking necessary steps toward a just and equitable system for their community and demonstrates that social innovation cannot be separated from technological cultivation innovations. dmv urbangreens is forever changing the food and social landscape of washington d.c.

los angeles – the timing has been terrible for california farmworkers in 2020: wilting heat waves, wildfires spewing acrid smoke across the state and the persistent threat of covid-19. this triple threat looms large over the lucrative fall harvest of grapes and almonds, which for some seasonal laborers is the busiest time of year, until november.

kent e. pinkerton, a leading expert in farmworker health, has been worried about such a threat for a decade. the pandemic, which is expected to linger in california for months, could be an invisible killer in the fields.

“it is extremely difficult for those workers to be able to social distance themselves, and so i think it is incredibly important that the workers and those who are supervising the workers take into account some of the things that they can do to protect the workers from potentially becoming infected with coronavirus,” said pinkerton, who is the director of center for health and the environment and a professor at university of california, davis.

farmworkers say they’re vulnerable to the health effects of the novel coronavirus and wildfires, and have little means to seek treatment because many lack health insurance.

“unfortunately, we don’t have insurance, and that is one of the consequences we face as farmworkers. that is why we have to be prepared,” said veronica mota, a farmworker for 20 years and an organizer with united farm workers.

mota spoke about her children, calling them her motivation and inspiration. her daughter, who is in college and voting for the first time, is mota’s reminder to focus on herself.

“during high school, she was really into cross country, and she motivated me to have a will to live,” mota said. “when you live and work in this country, you get stressed and can stop taking care of yourself in a way. but when you look at your daughter and see that she runs and crosses a whole community, you say, ‘wow, if she can do this, so can i.’”

mota has worked in california, oregon and washington, all three affected by wildfires, and has experience picking all types of fruits and vegetables. the challenges of 2020 have created exceptional frustration and fear, she said.

“we feel abandoned and like we have no support. we work honorably, and if it weren’t for the work that we do, there wouldn’t be food on the tables,” mota said.

heat stress and exhaustion are detrimental and life-threatening side effects of hot weather – and often unavoidable. poor air quality harms everyone’s health, and farm work is time sensitive: waiting for skies to clear of smoke could mean a crop rots in the fields. but that type of exposure also can harm lungs and hearts, pinkerton said.

the coronavirus makes battling these threats even harder because keeping a safe distance while harvesting is nearly impossible.

“as advocates and an organization made up of farmworkers and their families,” said irene de barraicua of lideres campesinas, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of female farmworkers, “we know that they live in very crowded housing, we know that they carpool to work and we know that employers are maybe at times going to do anything they can to make it safer and enforce social distancing and maybe give masks … what they don’t seem to take responsibility for is that once their workers are leaving the workplace they see them gathering in groups or getting in cars together.”

testing positive for coronavirus strips undocumented workers of their income, particularly when they are forced to quarantine with family. without the stimulus check or california coronavirus aid to undocumented immigrants, which was first come, first served, many undocumented workers are left with little assurance. often, for fear of losing work, many workers whose crew may have a small positivity outbreak move to the next farm, de barraicua said.

from 2015 through 2016, 51% of all farmworkers had work authorization, according to the u.s. department of labor. of those 51%, 29% were u.s. citizens, 21% percent were legal permanent residents and 1% had work authorization through some other visa program.

california grew more than a third of the vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts in the country during the 2019 crop year, according to the california department of food and agriculture. the state accounts for more than 13% of the nation’s total agricultural value and is the leading state for cash farm receipts, according to the department.

in many parts of california, it is peak harvest season for the state’s leading crops. from the end of august through november, wine grapes, almonds and other mid-to-late season fruits are ready to harvest. in 2019, california’s top producing commodities were $6.09 billion in almonds and $5.41 billion in grapes, according to the california department of food and agriculture.

although big cities report bigger covid-19 numbers, 98% of american rural counties have reported positive cases and 75% have reported one or more deaths as of sept. 21, according to the national center for farmworker health. in nonmetropolitan areas, there have been 812,853 cases and 18,371 deaths reported as of sept. 22, according to data obtained from johns hopkins university.

fruits, nuts and vegetables are only part of california’s farming industry. one of the most significant coronavirus outbreaks among agricultural workers started on june 29 in livingston, where at least 392 employees tested positive and at least eight died due to the outbreak at the foster farms plant, according to the merced sun-star. due to more than 700 meatpacking and food processing plants experiencing outbreaks in the u.s., beef and pork production have declined by 40% during the summer of 2020, according to the national center for farmworker health.

in arizona, where the yuma area is a major producer of lettuce, the exact number of cases among farmworkers in yuma county is not reported, but “143 positive covid-19 cases in the county have occurred in or near farm labor camps,” according to the national center for farmworker health. overall, yuma county has reported 12,664 cases and 345 deaths as of friday, making it one of the top three counties in arizona for cases. one known outbreak happened on hickman’s family egg farm, in buckeye where five female prison inmates tested positive in june.

the pressure on these workers at the national level is tremendous, with demand for farm labor exceeding the actual number of farm laborers, said elizabeth strater, the director of alternative and digital organizing at united farm workers.

“given the context of the labor shortage, this time of year in california, especially when you are talking about high sensitivity or high investment crops like wine grapes, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody’s part to get those crops in, regardless of what the air quality is like,” strater said.

many undocumented workers are afraid to be deemed essential workers, especially in counties hit hard by the coronavirus and wildfires. de barraicua said many of the undocumented workers she speaks with were scared to work for fear of having to show a police officer an essential worker letter from their employer.

lideres campesinas listed education surrounding the virus as one of the organization’s main concerns in its letter to the governor in april. this concern now extends to education about fires, heatwaves and smoke exposure. language and cultural differences often are barriers to health information, which is concerning because undocumented farmworkers typically are more vulnerable to poor health resulting from lack of access to care, de barraicua said.

mota, as someone who advocates for the rights of farmworkers and organizes events to spread awareness, said united farm workers has done everything possible to distribute the appropriate protective equipment and educate laborers on the best ways to stay safe.

the high levels of wildfire smoke along the west coast typically contain carbon based particles, and toxic materials or irritants might be in the smoke from the destruction of buildings and dwellings. pinkerton said all smoke can be “an irritant and potentially injurious to the lung.” eye and throat irritation, coughing and sneezing are symptoms related to particulate matter exposure.

properly fitted n95 masks offer the highest degree of protection against inhalation of the particles, pinkerton said. the maximum recommended use of n95 masks is eight to 12 hours, and they should not be worn for multiple work shifts, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.

labored breathing is a side effect of those wearing properly fitted n95 masks, and as the mask clogs with particles over time, it may become even more difficult to breathe, pinkerton said. he and other experts recommend work to be reduced to shorter time periods, and that it’s done in a nonstrenuous way.

mota said many farmworkers are not offered the proper equipment to do their jobs safely.

“because i work under a union job, it’s the union that brings those resources to the farmworkers, like me, to help us be protected in the work conditions we are in.”

the reuse of masks presents a significant risk of contact transmission from touching the surface of the contaminated respirator and can add additional discomfort to the worker when worn for too long, the cdc said.

the california department of food and agriculture directs farmworkers unable to obtain personal protective equipment to contact their county office of emergency services branch to provide information on lack of supplies.

mota, who has appeared in a campaign advertisement and has had a couple of encounters with california sen. kamala harris, who’s now the democratic vice presidential candidate, said farmworkers have received a lot of support from her.

“she focuses on the well-being of the farmworkers,” mota said.

mota also praised current california gov. gavin newsom’s state relief program to provide $500 to undocumented workers who were not eligible for federal stimulus funds.

strater said that united farm workers and harris emphasize that there is “no worker justice without climate justice.” the impacts of climate change may alter the path of agriculture’s future, including the lives of workers, even though weather has always been a concern.

with climate change there will be differences in agriculture, and among those different outcomes, a shift in the social population of workers may be one of the most intriguing. pinkerton explored the idea that workers might question their future in agricultural work.

“it could be a need to change the type of crop that is being grown, just simply because the weather is different than it has been in the past. there may be concerns about water use through droughts or desertification of lands that also creates some issues with agriculture,”  pinkerton said.

“i think also what we may see is a shift in the social population. the workers … where do they go? where do they find work?”

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this story originally was posted at cronkite news, and features additional reporting. for more stories, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

phoenix – when the sun is up, he’s up and ready to hit the road by 8. flatbed trucks are loaded with brimming barrels of water, and the teams take off – up and down the burnt orange washboard roads that crisscross the navajo nation reservation.

zoel zohnnie grew up on a ranch in these vast lands, knowing what it’s like to live without running water, knowing what it means to drive for miles to fill up at a community water station and then haul it back home.

“for some families, it’s a whole day of leaving home, waiting in line, coming back, unloading,” he said. “just to drink water and have water for living.”

when the covid-19 pandemic arrived on the reservation, zohnnie saw families and elders sheltering in place – and no one helping them to haul water they desperately needed.

“so i took up a paypal and purchased a water tank, put it in the back of my truck and hit the road, and ended up doing that day after day,” said zohnnie, who calls his group water warriors united.

water is a precious commodity that’s scarce in many places across the u.s. but even more so in rural native american communities like the navajo nation, where a virus that requires hand-washing and proper hygiene has taken an especially heavy toll.

zohnnie, 42, is a boilermaker by trade, doing pipe welding, power plant maintenance and refinery construction. but he was laid off at the end of march, just as covid-19 cases began increasing across the sprawling reservation.

he has underlying health conditions that put him at higher risk of contracting covid-19 and suffering more. but as the virus that causes the disease took hold of dinétah, he knew he had to find a way to help, even while practicing social distancing and staying safe.

his is the story of how one person saw a problem that needed a solution and started a movement to try to find one – as a friend said, “changing the world one barrel at a time.”

a scarce resource

a november report released by the nonprofit us water alliance found that more than 2 million americans lack access to running water, indoor plumbing or wastewater services.

those disparities are worse in communities of color and even more extreme, the study found, among indigenous people – whose households are 19 times more likely to lack indoor plumbing than those of white families.

on the navajo reservation, which stretches 27,000 square miles through arizona and into new mexico and utah, an estimated 30% of the 174,000 residents lack access to running water. many, the us water alliance report said, have less than 10 gallons of water in their homes at any given time, sometimes using as little as 2 or 3 gallons a day. the average american uses 88 gallons a day.

some residents drive hours to get water to haul home, ration what water they do have between hygienic uses and cooking, or stockpile it in case of emergency.

one woman, the report noted, has bartered homemade pies for water.

these obstacles often force residents to travel to towns bordering the reservation to buy water, said monica harvey, a navajo who founded defend our community, a group working to assist elders during the pandemic.

harvey, who lives in leupp, points to other problems, such as broken windmills that hinder water pumping and limited hours at tribal chapter houses, the government subdivisions and communal gathering places where navajos often get their water.

“there was one point … where the chapter house in leupp was announcing that they were going to shut down a water station,” harvey said. “the water from that water station is for livestock only. but sometimes, residents have to resort to that water to drink.”

a report by the navajo nation’s department of water resources notes that a lack of reliable drinking water “stifles economic growth throughout the reservation” while contributing to higher incidence of disease.

add an extremely contagious virus into this mix and the circumstances become even more dire, experts note.

“you can imagine if you don’t have access to running water, then the very basic things you need to do to stay home and stay safe during a viral pandemic aren’t possible,” said george mcgraw, founder of digdeep, a nonprofit that works on the reservation to bring running water into homes and schools.

“you can’t wash your hands for 20 seconds several times a day with soap and water. you’re constantly being forced to leave social isolation … to drive to a grocery store that’ll have bottled water … or to drive to a gas station, a truck stop, a school, a library – if they’re open – to take a shower or collect water.”

cynthia harris, director of tribal programs at the environmental law institute in washington d.c., said the long-standing issues around access to water and water quality in indian country can be boiled down to three main obstacles: resources, logistics and battles over water rights.

funding for infrastructure improvements is limited. the indian health service reported last year a backlog of almost 2,000 sanitation-related construction projects in indian country and estimated it would cost $2.7 billion to provide all american indians and alaska natives with safe drinking water and adequate sewerage systems.

the rural nature of homes also makes for logistical challenges. on the navajo reservation, which is bigger than the state of west virginia, many households are not good candidates for centralized water systems because extending water lines to low-density, mountainous areas is extremely expensive, according to harris’ group.

“we’ve heard quite a bit from congress and the executive branch about looking at infrastructure, ensuring that tribes are included in that at a sufficient level,” harris said, noting some opportunities to address these issues may be part of the $2.2 trillion coronoavirus relief package known as the cares act.

“there is a toolbox,” she said. “the question is, which tools bring to bear ensuring tribes are included.”

the navajo nation has received $714 million under the cares act, and president jonathan nez has proposed using $300 million of that for agriculture projects and water infrastructure, including improved residential plumbing.

final expenditures are being negotiated between the navajo nation council and nez. but time is running out: the federal government is requiring that cares act funding be spent by year’s end.

a hand for the forgotten

“we will never be able to measure the magnitude of language, culture, or history that this virus has taken from our tribes. … we have already lost so much, but are also collectively doing so much.”

zoel zohnnie’s words punctuate the website of collective medicine, the nonprofit that serves as the umbrella organization for his water warriors united campaign. the effort has grown from one man and one water tank to an operation where volunteers deliver on average 5,000 gallons a week to residents across the reservation.

“the idea behind this whole campaign … was to reach the people who can’t get to the water themselves, and to reach the people who are … far away enough to have been forgotten,” zohnnie said.

“and there’s been a lot of people that have been forgotten.”

the more he ventured out, the more donations started flowing in. he used the money to buy 55-gallon water barrels for navajos living out of 5-gallon buckets or small containers.

zohnnie now has four 16-foot flatbed trucks that carry 550-gallon tanks, hoses, equipment and a water pump. his team has delivered more than 400 barrels and more than 100,000 gallons of water to more than 20 communities.

“now what we’re trying to do is figure out a refill system for the places we’ve already been, so that we can just go back to these homes and kind of recirculate where we’ve already been,” he said. “but if we do that, then it takes away from us being able to reach other areas that haven’t been given barrels yet.

“so we’re trying to get as many barrels out there as possible, first, so that way at least the residents and our elders and tribal members can have a barrel. that makes their life a little easier when they have to haul water for themselves.”

along the way, zohnnie has met dozens of people, many whose circumstances brought tears to his eyes. one family of 18 was living in a small shack with no running water. another home included several children living alone without water or electricity.

“the dad had passed away probably four months ago, and the mom had passed away two months before that,” he recalled. “so the kids were just trying to make their way, and there was nobody that was really helping them.

“that was one that kind of stuck with me.”

another man was caring for his 90-year-old mother, who requires a feeding tube. they lived off a 20-mile dirt road and were unable to haul water on their own because the man couldn’t leave his mother for the time it would take to go out and return.

“it’s been quite an eye-opener,” zohnnie said. “growing up on the reservation, you kind of know what’s going on. but until you’re there visiting each home, talking to each person, it never really hits you until you hear them or you look at them in the eye and see how they feel.”

harvey’s group, defend our community, began collaborating with zohnnie to get water to the elders it works with.

“it was very difficult for elders throughout the community to get drinking water, so his team came out and was able to provide 55-gallon water barrels with drinking water,” she said. “they had a water tank in the back of their vehicle as well. so elders who needed water jugs or containers filled, they were able to help fill those containers with drinking water.

“a lot of them were so grateful … that a few of the elders broke into tears because they received help. finally someone showed up to help them, to provide aid to them.”

zohnnie’s effort is just one of several, and harris and others note that any permanent solutions to the water access issues must go beyond trucking in gallons here and there. the pandemic, harris said, is “an opportunity to stop, to pause, to reflect and consider these issues and look at how we can do better.”

zohnnie hopes to continue his initiative beyond covid-19, to keep helping his people in whatever way he can. he wants the world to see that not all that’s come from the pandemic is sorrow and tragedy.

“i feel like because of this virus, there are beautiful things happening,” he said. “and i think one of them is the fact that it has brought a lot of people together.

“there’s a lot of people still out there suffering from it, still out there protecting themselves from it, too.”

but, he added: “even though it’s a dangerous and ugly virus, it has done beautiful things to help people see that we can come together in times of crisis.”

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this story originally was published on cronkite news and features additional reporting. for more stories, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.