double majoring in political science and french at texas tech university in lubbock, texas, warrior is a political activist for climate change. today she is a part of the 2019 global climate march at one of three strikes held in lubbock. as i interviewed her in the park on the corner of a busy intersection adjacent to the college, chants from other marchers intermingle with the din of traffic in the background.

“what do we want? climate action! when do we want it? now!”

q: why are you here today?

a: i’m here today to support a strike and be a part of the movement to help the next generation live. i recently became president of the tech student democrats on campus and found out about the event through a speaker we met with. our future depends on being politically active and making changes.

q: do you think that climate change and environmental issues have a negative connotation in west texas?

a: (my hometown) has an oil-based economy. lubbock is the same. a lot of people rely on the oilfield as a source of income. we’re a part of that spectrum, but we need to go to other forms of energy. it’s hard for people to accept a shift away from it, but there are little things we can do like recycle and decrease the use of cars.

q: how long do you think it will be until we begin to see noticeable changes?

a: i believe that it will take at least 10 years to decrease carbon emissions, but i believe that with everyone on board we can get there faster.

q: when did you become politically active?

a: i became involved in politics during the last election and became more conscious of decisions in relation to the climate when i realized my own faults during my first year of college. i started realizing how much waste we produce as individuals and as an entire population.

q: what do you see as the most pressing issue in regards to climate change today?

a: the most pressing issue, in my opinion, is the rising temperature levels and extreme weather. 

q: how do you think we can help this particular issue as well as any others that we face?

a: we can start by taking on industries that control single use plastic. we can speak to our representatives and increase regulations that will fight to curb our effect on the planet.

the interview ended, and warrior touched up her sodden sign with a permanent marker. as she made her way back to join the other protesters, the sun began to peek through the clouds and the downpour weakened into a drizzle. adding her voice to the chants of the group, warrior held her sign up proudly.

large-scale change involves a big group of like-minded people committed towards taking a step in the right direction. brandon wood, a graduate student at the university of california, berkeley, shares this view. wood is one of the students behind earth action initiative, a conference occurring in april at uc berkeley.

“the goal is to focus on actions, what we can do, and our central philosophy is that we want to reduce the barrier for people to take action,” wood said.

funding action through mini-grants

there is strength in numbers, and earth action initiative is a place where like-minded people are given the resources and support to work together towards a common goal.  

in addition to workshops on topics ranging from responsible consumerism to the role of narrative in science communication, the conference “matchmakes” students to external organizations. according to wood, there is a large number of students working on sustainability initiatives and solutions to environmental problems, and they should not have to reinvent the wheel.

wood worked on a conference last year called “fired up” that featured a similar matchmaking process.

“last year’s event filled an activism niche that had been missed by other organizations and events on campus,” he said. “i hope to incorporate that into earth action initiative.” this year’s conference will couple the matchmaking with mini-grants, another way to facilitate a tangible outcome. mini-grants can be as simple as funding a student group who wants to bring in a speaker for 500 dollars.

“we see [the mini-grants] as a way to keep our focus on action,” according to wood.

while most workshops are marketed towards students, the evening portion of the conference features a climate art experience. the website describes this event as as the usage of “art and food to convey climate science in an intimate and tangible way.”

“there’s these sort of ivory towers,” wood explained. “you have science on one side, you have humanities, you have different ones that don’t interact much. i think a lot of people [from different disciplines] care about climate, so it’s nice to have an event where groups can exchange ideas.”

art as a medium of communication 

additionally, art and food are ways people can connect to climate change and environmental health in a less abstract way. when we hear about problems that affect us globally, it is easy to feel removed from the situation. this part of the conference attempts to change that.

“a lot of times people have a negative response when they’re confronted with the enormity of these issues,” wood explained. “you have this knee-jerk reaction, and you want to put your head into the sand.”

the art show is a different way people can relate to and connect with these issues. “rather than looking at an atmospheric plot of carbon dioxide, art is something people can understand and be inspired by,” he said.

creating the resources for collaboration 

most of the time, one person trying to make a difference isn’t enough. while individual inspiration and motivation are important, collaboration is a necessity.

“we’re sort of inclined to break the problem down into smaller, solvable problems, but i think [that won’t work with] an interconnected, global issue,” wood said. instead, large-scale initiatives are needed. he cites the paris accords as a step in the right direction, and that small initiatives working separately won’t make the impact they want to.

the paris accords was an agreement between governments, which are riddled with bureaucracy, inefficiency, and many other issues that can make unilateral action difficult. organizations committed to improving environmental conditions can avoid some of these problems. the biggest issue is that most of them are too small and disconnected to act together. projects like earth action initiative can connect people and resources, so we can all work towards a better tomorrow.

a project like this would work best in a setting where young people, full of drive and resources, are in their intellectual and motivational prime.

“one thing we are thinking about is [scaling] this to other college campuses,” wood explained. college is where many people find what they want to do for the rest of their lives. if this is even tangentially related to sustainability or environmental health, a conference like earth action initiative can connect them with the right resources and organizations. from the opposite end, sponsors, whether local, national or international, could be interested in finding talent to further their goals. connecting organizations with students whose personal and career objectives align well with their mission statements is a win-win situation. wood hopes to maximize these connections so both actors have a greater chance of collective action and ultimately making a difference.

“i feel like climate is one of those things that can get you down pretty easily, because it’s not hard to get pessimistic,” wood confessed. “i want everyone coming away from this feeling inspired, with the realization that there’s a community at berkeley who cares”

margaret mead is thought to have said that a group of thoughtful, committed citizens is the only thing that has changed the world. i believe this is the key to restoring environmental health. all that’s left is for us to come together.