These Brands and Leaders Are Championing A Circular Economy

Circular fashion offers a massive opportunity for both brands and consumers to build a world where ethical and sustainable practices are a given. What if it was standard for brands to examine the entire life-span of the clothes they make — from the quality of fabrics to the durability of garments long after they leave the stores? In this episode, we highlight the brands and consumers leading the movement toward radically reimagining the fashion industry and our relationship to clothing using circular models.

Hosted by @ariellevking
Script by Marisa Orozco
Research by Marisa Orozco, @ariellevking + @diandramarizet
Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
Produced by @diandramarizet + @sustainablesabs
This episode is sponsored by @keen

Episode Transcript

Introduction

Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice, grounded in intersectionality and optimism. This show is brought to you by the organization Intersectional Environmentalist. I’m your host, Arielle King, an environmental justice strategist and educator passionate about making environmentalism irresistible. Tune in for a dose of climate joy and actionable steps you can take to help protect people and the planet.

So far this season, we've imagined a PFAs-free future, explored sustainable consumption habits, and discussed climate justice funding. In this episode, we’re diving into all things circularity — what it is, why it’s important, and how brands and consumers alike are putting fashion circularity into motion.

The Problem

It’s no secret that the fashion industry has a huge waste problem. Almost 100 million tons of energy are used to extract nonrenewable resources to produce clothes that, typically, are only worn seven to ten times. After that, these clothes make their way to landfills. This phenomenon is called the linear economy, sometimes known as the take-make-waste model. As the name suggests, products move in one direction — from raw, finite materials to waste. Sometimes there’s an extra step in the process, like recycling or reuse, to make it more sustainable. But ultimately the issue remains — linear systems always end with waste.

The waste management process is known as the global waste trade. Here’s how it operates in a nutshell: First, the US extracts finite resources from developing nations to mass produce inexpensive clothing for profit. Then, we use these countries as dumping grounds for textile waste, forcing workers and people of the Global South to accept, distribute, and dispose of clothing waste that wasn’t even theirs to begin with. Each year, the US is responsible for dumping about 92 million tons of clothing onto developing nations. From contaminated waterways and air pollution to deteriorating soil ecosystems, the global waste trade triggers a worldwide public health crisis.

Even though these exploited nations have contributed the least to the climate crisis, they are the first to experience its harm and are hit the most severely by environmental and socio-political consequences.

Colonialism is alive and well in the fashion world. Corporations in the US and other nations in the Global North often want to avoid taking responsibility for the life span of what they produce. The main priority is often profit over the health and safety of the planet and its people. Plus, there are little to no accountability measures in the industry, and as you might imagine, this practice is not something consumers actually want. When given the choice, most consumers want brands to take accountability. We want brands to be transparent about their supply chains. And above all, most of us want to buy from ethical and sustainable shops whenever possible.

In attempts to meet these consumer demands toward sustainability, many companies have resorted to greenwashing. Brands hide behind buzzwords like “eco-friendly, ethical, and sustainable” to give the false impression that they are committed to environmental protection. The reality is that these words don’t mean anything without clear definitions, guidelines, and actions. Corporate greenwashing is misleading, and it makes it increasingly more difficult for consumers to distinguish which brands are telling the truth and which ones are equivocating.

For the fashion brands that have committed to sustainability, some have run into challenges to stay open. Take Mara Hoffman, a designer who played a key role in making the sustainable fashion industry what it is today. By creating Fair Trade Certified clothing, restructuring the supply chain, and stopping the use of synthetic fabrics, Hoffman’s label embodied a circular approach to fashion.

MARA HOFFMAN: During these years, in the business portion of it, trying to work from the inside out in a system that’s not built for the type of work that we’ve been trying to do on the inside to really succeed. It’s built on a very old model that kind of suppresses that or doesn’t allow for that to be supported in the way it needs to, to have this be the mainstream of fashion, right?

After 24 years of success and acclaim, she shut down her namesake label because the fashion industry was, in her words, “never built to prioritize Earth and its inhabitants.” Hoffman’s decision to close her label is a stark reminder that the existing, traditional fashion system is not designed to support circularity and sustainability.

So how do we fix this? Where do we go from here? Enter circular economy.

The circular economy is a system that circulates resources, regenerates nature, and eliminates waste. Products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, remanufacture, recycling, and composting. The natural world is the prototype for a circular model in fashion. Nature is neither linear nor does it produce waste; it’s constantly morphing into new ways of being. Rooted in the natural world and Indigenous principles, circularity is the best way forward toward a kinder, more sustainable world.

Circular fashion offers a massive opportunity for both brands and consumers to build a world where ethical and sustainable practices in the industry are a given. Like what if it was standard for brands to examine the entire life-span of the clothes they make — from the quality of fabrics to the durability of garments long after they leave the stores? What if brands were required to be transparent about supply chains? What if we as consumers divested from our hyper-consumerist society and instead leaned into slower fashion? Sustainability and personal style go hand-in-hand, and brands and consumers are leading the movement toward radically reimagining the fashion industry and our relationship to clothing.

Intervention

Financial metrics like profitability, liquidity, efficiency, and valuation have historically been the main key performance indicators, or KPIs, that define a brand’s success. And because we exist in a capitalist system that is driven by profit and exploitation, a brand’s efforts to meet KPI targets tend to come at the expense of ethical and sustainable practices. Shein, for example, is infamous for its poor quality, short-life products. The online retailer accelerates the pace of fleeting fashion trends and generates as much consumption as possible by churning out up to 10,000 new items on its website daily. Shein more than doubled their profits last year, making it one of the most “successful” fashion companies in the world. And sure, the corporation may be hitting all their financial metrics and KPI targets, but its success comes at a very high price. The fast-fashion giant has a laundry list of human rights violations and a very dangerous environmental impact.

Fashion shouldn’t cost us a livable planet and brands shouldn’t have to sacrifice sustainability for financial success. So what if brands measured a new KPI? Beaker is a platform that considers specific sustainability factors — like whether a brand “is reducing GHG emissions” or “ensures living wages in its primary supply chain” — to establish a standardized rating system for companies. Beaker is not only paving the way for brands to strive toward a new KPI — with indicators that are both sustainable and ethical — but also provides consumers with the information they need to make more informed purchasing decisions.

Like we mentioned in Episode 2, our purchasing habits as consumers have a major impact on the way brands move and operate. Because consumers are now demanding transparency from brands, more and more companies, marketplaces, and organizations across the industry have been addressing the impacts of colonialism in supply chains and production materials.

When we think of supply chain transparency, we don't only consider transparency in product-making. We must also remember the people behind the work. Many fast fashion brands, Shein included, rely on the exploited labor of millions of people from countries like Bangladesh and China to maintain their profits. As the dark side of fashion comes to light, a growing number of states are passing new legislation to increase supply chain transparency and stop this extractive, excessive cycle.

In 2024, California passed the Transparency in Supply Chains Act, which aims to prevent human rights violations such as human trafficking and slavery in the supply chains of retailers and manufacturers. In New York, there is a strong push to pass the New York State Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act (S7428/A8352), more commonly known as the Fashion Act. It would require fashion companies to be more transparent about their supply chains, as well as their social and environmental impacts. If passed, the act would mandate corporations to not only disclose any labor and environmental abuses, but also eradicate them.

Passing legislation that holds brands accountable is just half the battle; there must also be infrastructure for compliance and enforcement, to ensure the brands actually follow the legislation once it passes. That’s why Jessica Schreiber recently testified at a New York City council hearing in support of a textile recycling mandate feasibility study. Schreiber is the CEO and founder of FABSCRAP, a NY-based non-profit whose mission is to end textile waste in the fashion industry. To date, FABSCRAP has collected 1.8 million pounds of fabric and saved that from the landfill.

JESSICA SCHREIBER: My name is Jessica Schreiber, and I’m the founder and CEO of FABSCRAP. I think that if textile recycling was mandated, meaning no textiles could go in our normal waste stream, the city is not prepared for the volume of material that it would have to handle and none of the non-profit infrastructure in the city is prepared for the volume of material that would be brought to them. So there needs to be a study to make sure that when a mandate like that goes into effect, that people can actually comply with that mandate and things are set up so that what they are hoping happens actually happens. And I think that also calls for systems of accountability because it means that brands need to be involved in some of this infrastructure building and some of this waste management. Brands and the industry have been pretty successful in instead making this a consumer issue, and that has held up brands and designers from taking corporate responsibility for some of the changes that need to happen in the industry.

Advocacy and education are essential tenets of the org. Through educational programming, the organization encourages community members to ask questions, demand transparency from brands, and adopt circular fashion.

SCHREIBER: One of the ways that we've seen brands make the most change is when they're having to answer to consumer questions and consumer concerns and they're following what consumer trends and consumers want. And so the more that we can express that not just through our buying power but asking to see annual reports, asking to see total volumes, asking what materials are made from, where materials are made.

There are also globally-recognized, sustainable sourcing models that standardize environmental and ethical practices. One example is the Fair Trade Certified label, which recognizes brands that meet rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards. For a product to be labeled “Fair Trade Certified,” the facility must pass an annual audit that considers things like safe working conditions, environmental protections, sustainable livelihoods, traceability and transparency, and community development funds.

New sustainable metrics, legislation, advocacy, and programs like Fair Trade force brands to be transparent and accountable. And with greater transparency and accountability comes more circular systems in fashion.

Main story

Brands big and small are already making strides toward actualizing the circular fashion future we hope to see. They are exploring what it means to design for longevity and durability; what materials and production methods are optimal; whether systems encourage extended use and reuse; and if things can easily be repaired, remade, and recycled in order to ‘close the loop.’

One brand who is thinking critically about circularity is this episode’s sponsor, KEEN. In partnership with Arrive Recommerce, KEEN is launching a resale platform very soon where fans will be able to buy pre-loved KEEN shoes for a fraction of the price, and reduce textile waste in the process. This is just one of the many commitments KEEN has made to leave no footprints.

Patagonia also has a wornwear program, which allows consumers to trade in and buy used Patagonia gear. There’s also Eileen Fisher’s Renew program, which extends the lifecycle of their clothes and contributes to a model of less production and consumption. The proliferation of recommerce sites— like ones created through individual companies, or sites specifically designed for re-sale, like Depop, ThredUp, and TheRealReal— help eliminate waste, prevent climate degradation, and fight overproduction and overconsumption. In simpler terms, buying used advances the circular economy.

Coachtopia, a sub-brand of Coach, is another great example of a brand that is paving the way toward circularity. In their docuseries called “The Road to Circularity,” sustainable fashion advocate Aditi Mayer underlines a key lesson: sustainability is worth it, and the way we define luxury can be reimagined.

ADITI MAYER: It seems like circularity or sustainability, it’s not always the easier path but it’s a critical path // Reimagining waste is just one step along the road to circularity. But imagine the impact at scale. What if every scrap of material produced was used to make something lasting and meaningful? What if one day we didn’t need to produce new materials at all?

Coachtopia is a testament to the belief that making with waste, no matter how difficult, creates a huge positive impact.

Big brands aren’t the only ones who are doing the work. Smaller, more nimble brands are also reimagining their supply chains and joining the movement toward circularity. For example, The Sunday Collective sells unisex clothes made from raw natural materials from local businesses and farmers. The company designs its clothes to be worn for years, and when kids inevitably outgrow them, consumers can donate the items back to the brand.

Another independent brand that is making waves in sustainable fashion is Je Mérite. Sustainably sourced and responsibly manufactured in New York City, this a Black-owned, female-founded slow fashion brand that makes luxury silk slips, robes, and sets for a wide range of body shapes. The brand ensures minimal waste during the production process and uses eco-friendly packaging to ship its products.

Flea markets and clothing swaps are also alternative ways people are building more accessible, circular systems. Take By Rotation, the world’s first social fashion rental app. The platform allows people to rent out items in their own closets and build an online community through storytelling.

Then there’s Bed-Stuy Clothes Swap, an organization that’s rooted in community, culture, and storytelling.

AKIERA CHARLES: What we're doing is a process of reclamation for Black and brown folks in centering our legacy within zero waste. When you think about sustainable fashion in zero waste oftentimes you do not see Black and brown folks in the center of it or leading it. // So I’ll say just in terms of the impact of Bed-Stuy Clothes Swap, just thinking about gentrification, hyper-consumerism, capitalism, colonialism, and seeing how all those things are rooted in how clothing waste streams continue to pin low-income, poor folks to the fringes of precarity, exhaustion, isolation, death, and environmental racism, Bed-Stuy Clothes Swap, honestly, is our way of power-building and dismantling barriers to equitable collective care and equitable clothing options.

That’s Akiera Charles, the founder of Bed-Stuy Clothes Swap. She started the community-led clothing recycling network back in 2018 after noticing a need for accessible clothing and Black women leaders in zero waste initiatives. Since then, the organization has grown with volunteers, developed extensive educational programming, and built partnerships with cultural institutions like the Brooklyn Museum. Looking forward, you can expect a lot more collaborations, community events, and of course, clothing swaps.

CHARLES: So why not allow us to fill that need, right? Like we want to create these hubs where there could be a Staten Island hub, a Queen's hub, a Bronx hub, you get it, you get the vision.

Thanks to social media, there’s also a growing shift in consumer habits toward circularity. Although there are some corners of social media that push a culture of online micro-trends and overconsumption (I’m sure you remember how quickly the Mob Wife aesthetic replaced the Clean Girl aesthetic), but social media can also be a source of de-influencing, which is an online trend that discourages people from buying more.

OLIVIA (@oliviasara_23): I feel like the suede bag is making a huge huge comeback this season. And while they are cute, if you have a bunch of bags, you don’t need another one. You don’t need a suede one. I just really want us to get out of the habit of spending money on pieces that we don’t really need just because we feel like we have to have the new thing for this season.

Olivia, or @oliviasara_23, on TikTok is right. We shouldn’t feel the need to buy something just to keep up with the trends. Because it’s impossible to keep up! And the rise and fall of these fleeting aesthetics are erasing our personal style. Here’s another creator sharing how buying more negatively impacted her look.

YOLA (@yszwnska): And anyways your style flourishes when you decrease consumption. Like whenever you buy less, you just look better. When I was giving thrift-haul-every-week kind of era, I really looked my worst. Like when I look back at those looks, I’m embarrassed most of the time. And times 10 if it’s fast fashion.

There are also challenges circulating online that combat overconsumption and clothing waste. There’s the 75 Hard Style Challenge started by Mandy, aka @oldloserinbrooklyn, where you get dressed everyday for 75 days without buying anything new. Then there’s Rachel aka @rachspeed’s, ‘333’ outfit challenge, where you select three tops, three bottoms, and three pairs of shoes and create as many outfits as you can. Although these challenges are short-term, the hope is that we continue to practice sustainability and tap into our creativity long after the challenge is over.

Upcycling is another great way to breathe life into your closet. For Summer Dean, aka @climatediva on IG, she found inspiration in her grandparent’s closet.

SUMMER DEAN (@climatediva): … I love shopping in my family’s wardrobe because every piece is unique and I can style them in ways that make me feel that way too. I’ve even gotten creative with some of my grandparents’ pieces and upcycle them into something entirely new…

Fashion should be fun and imaginative, and sustainability naturally lends itself to this form of creative expression. The brands, organizations, and individuals mentioned here and countless others are helping us claim a more creative, communal, and circular future in fashion.

Call to Action

Brands are working harder to build better, more sustainable systems because of people: the people who make the materials, the people who make the decisions about whether sustainability will be integrated into a company’s ethos, and the people who purchase products to keep the brand running.

Circular fashion is possible only because of collective action. Here are some ways you can participate in the collective movement toward circularity.

First, continue supporting legislation that advocates for stronger accountability and transparency measures. The legal system can help hold big powerful fashion corporations accountable for the harm they cause.

I mentioned this in episode 2, but it bears repeating. Remember that the most sustainable clothing you can have is the clothing you already own. Wear what you have, and think about new ways you can extend the life-span of your wardrobe. Learn how to mend, upcycle, care for, and style your clothes so that they can last longer.

Aja Barber said it best in her book Consumed: On Colonialism, Climate Change, Consumerism, and the Need for Collective Change, “Look for worth in the objects around you and in yourself. It's important to realize that sustainability isn't rushing out to buy 'sustainable products'. Sustainability in its purest form is being sustainable with that which you already own.”

If you find that the garment is no longer for you, consider saving it for an upcoming clothing swap, renting it on a fashion rental app, or gifting it to a friend. If the garment is absolutely un-useable, try looking for local scrap and textile waste collection sites in your area. If you’re in NYC, grownyc.org/clothing is a great resource to find your nearest garment drop off location.

Being a conscious consumer also allows you to connect with your community. Shop local whenever you can, and get involved with groups and organizations near you that are promoting a more circular fashion industry.

As we learned from the people and organizations doing incredible work to save the planet, it becomes clear that sustainability efforts inevitably lead to community-building. We are not alone in this, and there is so much power in coming together with like-minded people to reimagine a circular fashion world.

Other positive climate news

Here’s some other positive climate news you should know about:

• For the first time in over 100 years, salmon are swimming freely in the Klamath River after local tribes fought to remove a dam that disrupted the local ecosystem.

• California recently passed a law that is requiring companies that make clothes and textiles in the state to recycle their materials. In the hopes of creating a more circular economy, the state will work with companies to set up donation drop off centers, process recycled textiles, and more.

• A new state park in Brazil was recently established to protect 1.3 million acres of the Amazon rainforest, which is as large as the Grand Tetons and Yosemite national parks combined. According to the park, Indigenous inhabitants of the park will not be interfered with, making this a win both for conservation and climate justice.

Additional IE updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

• Toolkits: We recently launched three brand new toolkits on outdoor equity, on-the-record activism, and voter suppression! Dive into historical context, learn more about each of these issues, and check them out on the toolkits page of our website.

• Support CTA: If you love this podcast and want to support IE’s ongoing resource development, please remember that sharing our resources across platforms, rating our podcast episodes, and donating to IE helps us continue this work.

Outro

And remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

Our individual positive actions do have power, and they’re strengthened when we do them as a collective. Tune in next episode where we’ll explore environmental law and successful solutions at the policy level.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Joy Report.

Reimagining Funding for Climate Justice: Beyond the IRA

The Inflation Reduction Act, which passed on August 2022, is one of the most significant pieces of legislation that US Congress has taken on behalf of clean energy and climate change. But what is it, and how exactly is it supporting the work of grassroots organizations - if at all? In this episode, we’re taking a magnifying lens to the Act and other funding mechanisms to see where the billions of dollars are being allocated, the emerging solutions we’re seeing in funding climate justice work, and where we go from here.

Script + Narration by @ariellevking
Research by @ariellevking + @diandramarizet
Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
Produced by @diandramarizet + @sustainablesabs
This episode is sponsored by @keen

Episode Transcript

Introduction

Welcome to the Joy Report— a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice, grounded in intersectionality and optimism—brought to you by the organization, Intersectional Environmentalist. Tune in for a dose of climate joy and actionable steps you can take to help protect people and the planet. I’m your host, Arielle King, an environmental justice strategist and educator passionate about making environmentalism irresistible. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.

In this episode, we’re exploring the various mechanisms, barriers, and successes in funding the climate justice movement. What even is the IRA and how has the Inflation Reduction Act advanced climate investments? What other federal processes are helping or hindering the movement? How else is movement building getting funded? Who and what models can we learn from to build a more equitable philanthropic system that meets the needs relevant to the challenges we face today? How can we better advocate for solutions in a ways that empowers us as community members?

The Problem

While we know that one single piece of federal legislation cannot achieve climate justice on it’s own, it is important to name the advancements in climate justice investments that we’ve seen over the last few years and talk about the barriers to access and success in order to use these tools most effectively. Grassroots, frontline, and intersectional organizations have been making tremendous strides to achieve just and equitable solutions for decades despite the ever-changing whims of our political landscape. Climate solutions must not only mitigate and adapt to the changing climate, but must also intentionally and actively right past wrongs against the frontline communities who have contributed the least to the climate crisis. With this in mind, let’s dive in.

A week after assuming office in 2021, the Biden administration issued Executive Order 14808, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which established the Justice40 Initiative— ensuring that at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

In the year and a half that followed, two additional major pieces of federal legislation were also passed: The Inflation Reduction Act (also known as the IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IJJA, also known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). Together, these federal investments provide trillions of dollars for needed infrastructure improvements, clean energy projects, climate resilience, transit upgrades, and direct investment into communities historically overlooked and environmentally overburdened. While this unprecedented quantity of funding poses an opportunity unlike any other we’ve seen in US history, according to the Global Center for Climate Change, “there is also a great risk that this funding could [further] our dependence on fossil fuels if our cities, Tribes, community-based organizations, and other entities eligible to participate in programs are left out of the process.”

An audio archive of Biden talking about the IRA by Now This Earth:

“This bill would be the most significant legislation in history to tackle the climate crisis and improve our energy security right away. Now give us a tool to meet the climate goals that are set, that we've agreed to by cutting emissions and accelerating clean energy a huge step forward It invests $369,000,000,000 to secure our energy future and to address the climate crisis, bringing down family energy bills by 100 of dollars, by providing working families tax credits. It gives folks rebates by to buy new and efficient appliances, to weatherize their homes, and tax credits for heat pumps and rooftop solar.”

Signed into law in August 2022, the historic IRA aimed to address longstanding environmental injustices and advance a cleaner, more equitable, and just future. It includes $369 billion in clean energy and climate investments that will go towards a multitude of policy sectors. However, while it’s undeniably a step in the right direction, it’s essential to recognize the differences in legislative promises and their real-world impacts.

Since the IRA was signed into law, much has been said about its transformative potential. However, several challenges remain, hindering local governments and grassroots organizations from fully leveraging its benefits.

Some challenges include: the IRA enabling the sale of oil and gas leases in order to expand offshore wind infrastructure; providing tax credits for carbon capture that focus on incentives over penalties for the use of fossil fuels; and the high barriers to accessing these funds that have limited who can reap the benefits.

Although multiple agencies have issued implementation frameworks, uncertainties remain about how funds will actually reach underserved communities. Many local governments lack the capacity to inform residents and businesses about available programs, which limits the growth of these initiatives, and limits who can access the opportunities presented by them.

To begin to address this, the USEPA has selected 16 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (or EJ TCTACs) that will receive a combined $177 million to support underserved and overburdened communities across the country. These centers will provide training and other assistance to build capacity for how to navigate federal grant applications, develop strong grant proposals, and effectively manage grant funding— while also providing guidance on community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translations and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants, which has the potential to significantly remove barriers and improve access for communities with environmental justice concerns. Initiatives like this are absolutely a step in the right direction to ensure more equitable access to funding and resource allocation, and we’re excited to see all the growth that can happen with the support of these technical centers.

While these advancements are significant and absolutely worthy of recognition, federal legislation alone cannot bridge the disparities in climate funding. Is the IRA in its current state equitably providing funding and resources directly to the communities most impacted? Not necessarily, but it does offer better tools and more money than we’ve seen come from the federal government. The only way we can achieve true climate justice is by diversifying the methods we are using to create solutions. That’s why it’s important for us to understand the current landscape of climate and environmental justice funding more broadly.

[money register sounds]

The funding landscape for climate justice is potentially even more bleak in the private sector. A 2023 study conducted by the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative at the Yale School of the Environment sheds light on the realities of environmental grantmaking. Analyzing nearly $5 billion in grants awarded by 220 foundations across 35 states, the study exposed stark inequities in funding allocation.

Despite growing awareness of the disparities in grant-making, the study reveals that several of the largest mainstream environmental organizations continue to receive more funding than all environmental justice organizations combined. A 2020 report by the Building Equity and Alignment Initiative found that only about 1% of environmental grant-making from 12 of the largest environmental funders went to environmental justice groups. And research by the Solutions Project found that half of philanthropic funding on climate issues goes to 20 national organizations, 90% of which are led by white people, 80% of whom are men. These disparities continue, in part, due to the advantages in size, staffing, and legacy— with larger organizations maintaining robust, established donor networks and dedicated grant-writing teams.

But the root cause of these disparities runs deeper. Factors such as race, gender, and the focus of organizations also play significant roles in determining funding outcomes. The Yale study found that while over half of the foundations surveyed funded organizations primarily focusing on people of color, less than 10% of the grants and grant dollars are awarded to organizations led by people of color. This statistic is in direct opposition to the goals of the environmental justice movement.

The findings in the Yale study and countless others underscore the systemic biases ingrained within philanthropic institutions. Conscious and unconscious biases in grant-making processes perpetuate inequalities, which hinder the very communities most in need of support from accessing vital resources for environmental work.

So, while federal initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act offer glimmers of hope, they’re just one piece of the puzzle. True progress demands a comprehensive reimagining of the grant-making process, and a concerted effort to prioritize equity, transparency, inclusion, and justice.

[transition frill]

Intervention

Effective outreach, transparent and frequent communication, coalition building, and creativity are critical for achieving a climate movement truly made in the image of all of us.

Across the United States and beyond, environmental justice groups— namely those led by people of color, women, and youth— are shutting down coal-fired power plants; organizing to ensure stricter enforcements on environmental pollution (like the April 2024 EPA rule announcement to reduce toxic air pollution from an estimated 200 chemical plants); advancing access to sustainable and healthy housing; and engaging in other actions to address a plethora of environmental injustices. This includes efforts to mitigate climate change while preparing for its impacts.

However, despite their vital contributions, many of these grassroots organizations face significant challenges in securing funding. Traditional funding sources often overlook frontline communities and organizations led by those most impacted by environmental harm. This systemic issue perpetuates disparities and hinders the scaling up of effective solutions.

In response to this urgent need for equitable funding and amplification, initiatives like The IE Database have emerged. This newly launched search tool provides a platform for visitors to discover grassroots and intersectional organizations in their local areas and fields of interest. By facilitating connections between funders and frontline organizations, the database aims to bridge the gap between traditional funders and those directly affected by environmental injustices. By elevating the work of organizations led by frontline communities, this platform also helps empower funders to support solutions that are developed, led, and executed by those most impacted by environmental harm.

The importance of investing in these frontline organizations cannot be overstated. Time and time again, it’s been proven that solutions led by those most impacted by problems are the most effective and inclusive.

Since most underserved and environmentally overburdened communities have yet to experience a reality where our needs, voices, and contributions have been prioritized, it is our birthright to radically reclaim our power.

For this reason, we must also recognize the role of radical imagination in reshaping our approach to funding structures. And if you haven’t heard our season 1 episode on all things radical imagination, feel free to queue it up after this one.

Legislators have a lot to learn about what the world can look like beyond the confines of our current existence. More holistically integrating the diverse thoughts, contributions, and lived experiences of those most impacted by problems can strengthen the protections granted by laws and policies. That’s why community engagement is such a crucial element of environmental justice. And currently we’re experiencing an emergence of creative methods to tell stories that radically imagine futures in a way that can help inform future legislation, policy, and so much more.

I’m a firm believer that within radical imagination, climate fiction is one of the many avenues worth investing in to ensure that we can visualize the change we need to see, expand our imaginations and challenge current limitations. Climate fiction invites us to think beyond our present reality and envision alternative futures - by centering marginalized voices, we can radically imagine and building a new, more sustainable, and equitable future.

adrienne marie brown once said, “I believe that all organizing is science fiction - that we are shaping the future we long for and have not yet experienced”.

[futuristic overlay on the next paragraph]

In embracing radical imagination and investing in climate fiction, we open ourselves to new possibilities and perspectives, which fosters creativity and innovation in our collective efforts to address the climate crisis. Climate fiction can warn of what’s to come if we don’t take proper action and work toward a world that prioritizes people over profit, as my favorite author, Octavia Butler, did in her two Parable books. Or it can showcase how people of color can live in the future, Like N.K. Jemisin. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series and so many others do.

That’s why we love the climate fiction writing contest hosted by our friends at Grist, called Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors, which “celebrates stories that envision the next decades to centuries of equitable climate progress, imagining futures of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope”. The competition website explains that a great Imagine story “is not afraid to explore the challenges ahead”, they’re looking for stories that incorporate real world climate solutions and climate science, as well as cultural authenticity that centers a deep sense of place, customs, cuisine, and more.If you’re listening to this episode around the release date, there’s still some time to submit your story by June 24, 2024 for this year’s contest. We’ve linked the submission site to the show notes.

Fortunately, there are multiple organizations engaging in radically imagining funding structures for climate justice.

Main story

In the early pages of the book All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, we are reminded of this:

[dreamy, inspiring soundscape]

All around the world, women and girls are making enormous contributions to climate action: conducting research, cultivating solutions, creating campaign strategies, curating art exhibitions, crafting policy, composing literary works, charging forth in collective action, and more. Look around and you will see the rise of climate leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection, creativity, and collaboration.

That’s why we’re highlighting two Black women-led organizations in this episode that are leading by example and being the change the climate movement so desperately needs:

Voice clip from Kim Moore Bailey of Justice Outside

“In March of 2023, professor Dorseta Taylor at the Yale School For the Environment published a paper that examines the disparities in environmental grant making. The research showed that white led environmental organizations received more than 80% of the grant dollars awarded. Doctor Taylor's study only serves to illuminate the need for grant making programs like Justice Outside's Liberated Pass.”

First is Justice Outside. Justice Outside is dedicated to advancing racial justice and equity in the outdoor and environmental movement. They prioritize shifting resources to, building power with, and centering the voices and leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.

Voice clip from Kim Moore Bailey of Justice Outside continued …

“For the past 10 years, Justice Outside has been working to change philanthropy in the environmental sector. Our liberated pass grant making program goes against the grain in both who we fund and how we fund.

In 2022, we granted 2,500,000 to a 116 organizations in the environmental and outdoor movement. And while doctor Taylor's study shows leaders of color are underfunded, 91% of the organizations we support are led by black indigenous and leaders of color. Our grant making is reparative in more ways than the numbers can capture it. We make it easy for leaders to access funds by not requiring 501c3 nonprofit status or a fiscal sponsorship. We make the application process accessible allowing audio, video and written applications that are succinct and easy and we give multiple year general operating grants.

We invest in the success and development of the organizations we partner with by offering or operational capacity building and technical assistance.”

Through initiatives like the Liberated Paths Grant-making Program, they aim to create a more just and sustainable outdoor and environmental movement. By focusing on empowering BIPOC communities, Justice Outside envisions a world where everyone experiences safety, health, and abundant joy through meaningful relationships with each other and the outdoors.

Voice clip from Kim Moore Bailey of Justice Outside continued …

“Black indigenous and people of color have a rich history of connecting to the outdoors and for centuries have been on the front lines of community driven work to build a better planet. All over the country, communities of color are fostering preservation, creativity, and connection with the land, air, and water. From healing to exploration, from community building to self discovery, we know that the environment around us has a life altering power, and we are working hard to ensure that everyone has access to it.”

Voice clip from Gloria Walton, Executive Director of The Solutions Project:

“What if I told you the solutions to the climate crisis exist in frontline communities all across the United States? That we can save a 100,000 lives from air pollution every year and create more than 9,000,000 good jobs, growing climate solutions from the ground up.”

The Solutions Project is another vital organization committed to funding and amplifying climate justice solutions created by frontline communities. They prioritize supporting grassroots initiatives led by BIPOC, immigrants, women, and other marginalized groups across the United States and Puerto Rico. Through their Solidarity Philanthropy approach, they center equity and justice in their grant-making efforts. The Solutions Project has invested over $31 million in grants to over 280 grantees— the majority of which are led by women of color. By pledging to invest 95% of their dollars in grassroots leadership of color, with at least 80% going to organizations led by women, they are actively working to address historic funding disparities. Their commitment to investing in these organizations has resulted in tangible victories, including shutting down pipelines, securing economic investments, and setting new policy standards.

Voice clips from Gloria Walton continued …

“The Solutions Project believes we must invest in the ideas of everyday heroes from the communities most impacted by climate change. Their solutions make our lives better and create a fairer, healthier, and more equitable society. Look at the example of frontline communities leading the push for 100% renewable energy, which is now replacing cancer causing sources like coal, oil, and gas. A total transition of our electricity to renewables is now law in half the country because of grassroots organizing and advocacy. Being closest to the problems, black, indigenous, immigrant, and other frontline communities, especially women, know what solutions are needed. They are innovative and effective. They train workers for green jobs, practice regenerative farming, build affordable housing and community solar. They coordinate disaster response.”

The Solutions Project also strategically allocates their funding to regions that are often overlooked by traditional philanthropy— directing 43% of their funding to the South, where frontline communities are underfunded and severely environmentally overburdened; 34% to the coasts, where environmental justice groups are continuing to build political power infrastructure; 19% to inland areas like the Midwest and Appalachia, where innovative green infrastructure projects are taking shape, and 4% to island territories like Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Voice clips from Gloria Walton continued …

The Solutions Project and the collaborative funds we manage support over 300 grassroots groups building power and creating bold, practical climate solutions. Decision makers have taken notice, realizing frontline leaders are crucial to making change. But only a tiny percentage of climate philanthropy, media coverage, and public funding goes to frontline communities where it can make the biggest difference. The solutions project has the trust and the experience to bridge this gap. Our approach works, but the problem persists.

64,000,000 people suffer from pollution and 3,000,000 are displaced by climate disasters in the US each year. Communities of color and women bear the greatest burden and can therefore offer the clearest vision for action. Each of us has a part to play to scale community solutions, shift culture, and drive change.

These organizations exemplify the transformative potential of reimagining funding structures to prioritize equity and justice in the fight against the climate crisis. By centering the leadership and solutions of those most impacted by environmental harm, these organizations and others are paving the way for a more inclusive, impactful, and equitable climate movement.

[transition frill music]

A voice clip from Ena Coleman of The Solutions Project:

“My dream for the future of the climate justice movement is one that is inclusive of frontline communities at the decision making table. I envision a world where black, indigenous, Asian, Latinx, Pacific Islanders, and other communities of color who are most impacted by the climate crisis have the resources that they need to scale their solutions. This means centering their experiences and perspectives. Climate change is deeply connected to racial, economic, and social justice. It's not just about decarbonizing or achieving net zero.

It's about ensuring that all communities have access to safe drinking water, clean air, affordable housing, clean energy, green spaces, and more.

My dream extends to a future where organizations like the Solutions Project play a pivotal role in reimagining funding for climate justice beyond traditional instruments like the Inflation Reduction Act. By strategically allocating resources to BIPOC women led organizations and regions often overlooked by traditional philanthropy, we can empower communities to shape their own destinies and create a more equitable and sustainable future for all. I dream of a future where governments, corporations, and individuals alike take care of each other and our planet, where our collective effort leads to a thriving, sustainable, and equitable world.”

Call to Action

There are plenty of ways for you as an individual to support a more diversified and well-funded climate justice movement.

If you can, consider donating to grassroots and frontline organizations who are creating solutions every day with limited resources. By using the IE database you can find organizations near you and donate directly to their website. If you’re not able to donate funds, consider donating your time by volunteering your skills and by making connections that can lead to additional funding.

Consider reading more climate fiction. The more tools we have to visualize a better future, the more possible it will seem to create it. Remember, imagination is muscle. So if you’re wanting to contribute to the continued production of climate fiction, consider applying to the Grist climate fiction short story contest, either this year or in the years to follow.

Support initiatives that are being led by organizations working to be the change in this movement. For example - the last 4 years, The Solutions Project has celebrated Black Climate Week to honor the innovative climate solutions and environmental justice work that Black folks have been leading for years, while also calling in philanthropy and media to do a better job at investing in the communities most impacted by the climate crisis, and centering Black voices from the bottom up and the top down.

And if you work at a company or organization that provides grants, consider speaking up to help fund more diverse grantees. We all have a role to play in holding fund sets accountable to prioritizing equity and justice.

Other positive climate news

Here’s some other positive climate news you should know about:

• The city of Denver recently started offering rebates for e-bikes, and this year they’ve introduced an equitable program that will delineate rebate amounts according to income levels. Excitingly, during their most recent voucher rollout, they sold out in 3 minutes!

• In January, The Vineyard Wind became the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. and it’s already started supplying power to 30,000 homes in Massachusetts.

• Brazil and France are investing $1.1B into the Amazon rainforest. French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently announced this four year plan which would include support for indigenous Amazon communities.

Additional IE updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

• Check out ‘An Intersectional Approach to Earth Day’: a brand new toolkit now available on the IE website which takes us through the history of Earth Month. Dating back to the inaugural Earth Day in 1970, this toolkit calls for a reimagining of Earth Month that centers the experiences of marginalized communities, addressing systemic inequalities, and promoting environmental justice for a more inclusive and equitable future.

• If you love this podcast and want to support IE’s ongoing resource development, please remember that sharing our resources across platforms, rating our podcast episodes, and donating to the organization helps us continue this work.

Outro

And remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

Our individual positive actions do have power, and they’re strengthened when we do them as a collective. Tune in next episode where we’ll talk about the role industry must play in creating a more circular future for all.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Joy Report.

Show Notes

• Check out The Solutions Project here!

• Learn more about Justice Outside here!

• Apply to Grist’s Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors by June 24, 2024 here!

Community, Culture + Craftsmanship: Reclaiming Conscious Consumerism

How are communities leading the shift towards sustainable consumption habits, and how are brands responding? Many of us want to care for items long and support brands with ethical practices and repair programs, but what communal systems exist to support us in that journey? In this episode we learn more about the re-emergence of sustainable community culture to combat our devastating waste systems and how it’s being driven by local organizers and shop-keepers that are making the art of mending cool again.

Script + Narration by @ariellevking
Research by @ariellevking + @diandramarizet
Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
Produced by @diandramarizet + @sustainablesabs
This episode is sponsored by @keen

Episode Transcript

Introduction

Welcome to the Joy Report— a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice, grounded in intersectionality and optimism—brought to you by the organization, Intersectional Environmentalist. Tune in for a dose of climate joy and actionable steps you can take to help protect people and the planet. I’m your host, Arielle King, an environmental justice strategist and educator passionate about making environmentalism irresistible. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.

In this episode, we’re exploring conscious consumerism— how do our purchasing habits impact not just our own lives, but the health of our planet and the well-being of communities worldwide? How can we spend more intentionally and prioritize community, craft, and the act of slowing down?

The Problem

Let’s start by acknowledging the harsh reality: overconsumption is wreaking havoc on both people and the planet. In our digital age, the relentless pursuit of the latest trends, and the pressure to keep up with the ever-accelerating cycle of fashion and consumer goods have led to a culture of excess and instant gratification that disconnects us from every part of the lifecycle of our wardrobes. And when we think about the length of time that these garments and accessories are actually in our possession, which is growing shorter and shorter, we begin to see the true cost of modern fashion consumption. In 2021, the World Economic Forum identified the fashion industry and its supply chain as the world’s third-largest polluter, and 20% of global wastewater can be directly linked to textile dyeing.

100 billion garments are produced each year globally, and of that, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills. As clothing degrades, it releases harmful chemicals like methane, which is 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, and the other toxins used to treat these textiles, like PFAS, which we spent the last episode exploring. However, the impacts of overconsumption are not evenly distributed. These issues disproportionately impact ‘developing nations’, which we believe are more appropriately described as "exploited nations," where most of the world’s waste is dumped. This global practice was born out of "Not-In-My-Backyard", or “NIMBY” sentiments that reflect a global imbalance where wealthy countries export their waste to poorer nations to maintain wealth. This exploitation perpetuates a colonial legacy, leaving marginalized communities in exploited nations to suffer from contaminated water, soil, and air.

If this is something you’re interested in learning more about, check out the digital toolkit IE created titled, “Modern-Day Imperialism in the Global Waste Trade” which goes into depth about how waste systems extend across global supply chains and perpetuate harm. You can find it on IE’s website.

Amidst this bleak landscape, there are rays of hope and examples of change. Communities around the world are mobilizing to reclaim their power and challenge the status quo. From waste pickers in Dehli, India fighting back against incinerator projects, to grassroots campaigns in Belém (beh-luhm), Brazil organizing to halt the reopening of local disposal sites, people are standing up to demand a more just and sustainable future.

But what about those of us who may not live in directly exploited countries? How does overconsumption impact us? The constant bombardment of trends on social media has fueled a culture of impulsive shopping, with devastating consequences for both our environment and our individuality. We’ve become disconnected from nature, from ourselves, and from each other, as we chase after the latest fad, regardless of the toll it takes on the planet. A Business Insider article released last year, titled “The Devil Wears Shein” points out that Gen Z often expresses not feeling like we can afford sustainable clothing, but according to a McKinsey study, “consumers today are buying 60% more than they did in the year 2000, and keeping it only half as long”, proving that young people are developing a concerning addiction to fast fashion.

A 2023 Shein Advertisement:

“This is Shein. The ultimate one stop shop to affordable style. Production is fast! Sketches are sent to our factories, where top technology works alongside human hands to create our designs. Our design teams are world class. Experts in scouting the latest trends, from the runway to the street, to the gram - This is Shein, where we believe the beauty of fashion should be accessible to everyone.

This has serious consequences that disconnect us from the environment - and when we become disconnected from nature, we become disconnected from ourselves. By being told over and over again that trends matter (even as they continue to deplete our natural resources, pollute our environment, and destroy critical eco-systems) we allow brands to desensitize us to the killing of our planet.

As urban societies continue to grow, more people are spending less time in green spaces and further distancing ourselves from the natural world, which diminishes our appreciation for vital the role nature plays in our daily lives. It makes us far less likely to: demand greener cities that offer the physical + psychological benefits of existing near nature spaces, and to demand green jobs that challenge industries to produce things more responsibly.

I want to level set that it is the responsibility of companies to invest in more sustainable production methods and divest from reliance on mass consumption culture - but with climate change looming over us, what are we - as individuals - to do?

It’s time to ask ourselves: who do we want to be as consumers? Are we content to be mere followers of fashion, beholden to the whims of a profit-driven industry? OR can we reclaim our agency and individuality by embracing a more mindful approach to consumption? It’s time to shift our focus from quantity to quality, from mindless accumulation to thoughtful curation.

As we navigate this complex terrain, let’s remember that change begins with each of us. By reevaluating our purchasing habits and demanding accountability from the brands we support, we can pave the way for a more sustainable future.

In one of my favorite essays from the iconic bell hooks, titled Touching the Earth, she reminds, us in the first lines:

When we love the earth, we are able to love ourselves more fully. I believe this. The ancestors taught me so.

Loving the Earth, and keeping the Earth and all of its inhabitants in mind as we make decisions, creates a positive feedback loop of good choices that can help us create a better world.

Intervention

Within the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, an essential document in the movement for an intersectional approach to environmentalism, one principle declares that, “Environmental Justice requires that we, as individuals, make personal and consumer choices to consume as little of Mother Earth's resources and to produce as little waste as possible; and make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our lifestyles to ensure the health of the natural world for present and future generations.”

The 17 principles were published in 1992, and they are perhaps even more relevant and necessary today than they were 30 years ago. In response to this call to action— coupled with the lack of action from governments, an increasingly changing climate, consumer desire, and more— we are witnessing a resurgence of honoring culture and craft, which is resulting in a return to the roots of handmade goods and artisanal craftsmanship. This movement isn’t just slowing down consumption cycles, it’s about reclaiming our connection to the things we wear and the stories we tell. It’s about recognizing the value of sustainability in fashion as a way of life.

Across the industry, independent brands, marketplaces, and organizations have been cropping up to help us make more ethical and intentional consumption choices. One shining example is the Slow Fashion Fest, a growing movement in Austin, Texas. This event is more than just a market; it’s a celebration of community and connection, a gathering of like-minded individuals striving to make a positive impact on the fashion industry.

Voice clip from Reza Cristian of Slow Fashion Fest:

“My name is Reza Christian, founder of Sustain the Mag, and one of the core four founders of Slow Fashion Fest. We created Slow Fashion Fest since we felt there needed to be a space that is the opposition of fast fashion from mass producing clothing, micro trends, and unethical labor practices, and instead highlight upcycling, mending, thrifting, and, of course, borrowing from each other's closets. Austin has a huge creative community, and we wanted to create a space that is accessible for everyone and bring everyone under one roof to push the status quo of ultra consumerism. Through our events, we host workshops, panels, clothing swaps, have an art gallery, and of course a Slow Fashion show.

The slow fashion festival strives to cultivate connection, community, and awareness around the Slow Fashion movement through events, publications, and community building. This past Earth Month for our fashion show, we were able to have a panel where one of the speakers from the nonprofit hardening was able to talk about making sure that every unwanted item goes to someone in need in our Austin community rather than ending up in the landfill. It was awesome to give some tips about circular living on top of hosting amazing slow fashion designers all in one roof.”

Similarly, platforms like Cadre are paving the way for a more sustainable future. By curating a selection of independent sustainable brands and rigorously vetting them for their material and social impact, Cadre is making it easier for consumers to make informed choices that align with their values.

Voice clip from Tania Ali, Founder and CEO of Cadre Style:

“Hi. I'm Tanya Ali, the founder and CEO of Cadre Style, an online store for truly sustainable brands. A bit about me, I'm an ex lawyer, so I am really into regulation and what you define things with. And being from that space, what I saw in sustainable fashion is there is no first of all, we know regulation, but way for a customer to know what is truly sustainable and how do we measure that. So at CADRE, we have what I call a rigorous process of a CADRE assessment, and then we've partnered with Hey Social Good to do essentially a background check to validate all the claims a brand is making about its sustainability.

And we do this using the CADRE criteria, which is 3 pillars that a brand must stand on for it to be considered for the assessment, and that includes transparency. So we want you to, as a brand, be transparent end to end from, you know, where the product's being made, what materials are being used, to anything along the path and journey to get from inception to the customer's hands. We then check for fair labor because I truly believe in order for us to have a sustainable planet, we need to sustain the people as much as we need to sustain the planet. So we're checking for things like living wage, child labor, safe working conditions, which brings us to the 3rd criteria, which is waste reduction. And as some of you might know, fashion is one of the largest contributors to waste on our planet.

That comes from the toxins in dyes, the water excessive water that's used to produce garments, to what happens to the product after we're done with it. And we won't go into fast fashion at this moment, but it's a lot. So we work with brands that are exclusively using recycled materials or biodegradable materials to help reduce the impact of waste. And that's how we measure our brands.”

And there’s also Rue Saint Paul, a sustainable collective based in Brooklyn, New York. This innovative concept closet connects sustainably and ethically conscious designers with communities— offering a curated selection of new, rental, and pre-owned sustainable fashion options. It’s a testament to the power of collaboration and community in driving responsible consumption habits.

Voice Clip from Kelly Wong of Rue Saint Paul:

“My name is Kelly Wong. I am the owner of Rue Saint Paul in Brooklyn, New York. We are a shopping community dedicated to circular and sustainable fashion. We're the only independent store in New York where you can buy new, rent, and sell and thrift sustainable fashion all under one roof. So when I opened our space in 2020, it was really important to me that we weren't just a place to buy things, and there was a place for every budget.

I really wanted to create a space that felt like a community closet, where you can sell clothes that you've outgrown, borrow clothes that you don't need to own forever, and be able to thrift as well. I always say that buying new should really be your last resort. So if my customers really started It really started off, all as a big experiment. I knew people rented online and obviously thrifted, but I had no idea if you put new, used rentals all under one roof, how people would respond. Thankfully for us, the response has been pretty positive.

I mean, there are some people that walk in are like, wait. What do you guys do? What does rentals mean? But most people make think that makes complete sense because it gives you optionality in how you consume clothes. So we love seeing people take our rentals to weddings, vacations, family photo shoots.

We love seeing people sell their vintage treasures or even old RSP pieces back to us. And for the rentals and used pieces, it also helps those with tighter budgets still be able to participate in sustainable fashion because it's the same price range as fast fashion, but you're supporting sustainable designers and small businesses. So kind of this very you know, we have a very small circular ecosystem, and we're totally biased, But we think this way of consuming circularly is really how, every community should be doing it and how every shop should be doing it as well.”

And there are also events like the Circular Fashion Playground that I attended recently here in New York City, hosted by the organization Reclypt. This immersive experience brought together panels, workshops, clothing swaps, and more to promote circularity in fashion.

It’s a reminder that sustainability isn’t just about what we buy; it’s about how we engage with our clothing and the systems that produce it.

In a world where terms like “unskilled laborer” have eroded the value of craftsmanship, these initiatives feel like a breath of fresh air. They’re reclaiming the narrative while simultaneously celebrating the artistry and skill behind the clothes we wear. And in doing so, they’re practicing radical imagination by being the change the fashion industry so desperately needs.

So, as consumers, how can we make better, more intentional connections with craft? How can we support initiatives like the ones highlighted so far in this episode and so many others? How can we reimagine American culture— unraveling it at the seams to create something more equitable, just, and less consumed by the weight of capitalism?

Main Story

Communities around the world are leading a revolution in how we think about consumption. They’re rejecting the throwaway culture of capitalism and embracing a more regenerative approach to living— a way that has been seen, felt, and experienced by communities of color for millennia. And in doing so, we’re holding brands accountable and prompting them to think more critically about circularity and sustainability.

Let’s take, for example, the growing popularity of the art of mending and upcycling. People are seeking ways to more clearly define their personal style, highlight their creativity, and expand the lifespan of items in their closets. It’s a movement that’s as much about self-expression as it is about sustainability.

One brand leading by example in this shift is KEEN, a company that believes in fostering a culture of ownership rather than consumerism. They don’t just sell shoes in stores; they encourage their fans to purchase from their garages and own the shoes— to care for them, and cherish them for years to come. This is one of the reason’s we’re excited to partner with KEEN for this episode. Keen’s products are built to last, using innovative materials and manufacturing techniques, proving that quality and sustainability can go hand in hand.

But it’s not just brands driving this change; it’s individuals like Dominque Drakeford, a sustainability expert dedicated to redefining the ideology of sustainability. Through her work, Dominique is bridging the gaps between the environmental movement and targeted communities— reclaiming sustainability from an African Diasporan lens.

Archival clips from Dominique Drakeford speaking for the American Program Bureau:

“In our political system that has maintained colonial frameworks, a lot of it is propaganda - the facade of action and policy actually taking place.

We have so many brilliant brains in here, but because because of the colonization of our educational system, we don't know who the black women and the indigenous women are who have paved the way innovatively, scientifically, educationally, who have paved the way for where you are today.”

She’s not just talking about change, she’s actively contributing to it, and emphasizing the value of putting Black, Brown, and indigenous change agents at the forefront of these conversations.

And then there’s the Suay Sew Shop in LA, a pioneer in the cleanup economy. Founded in 2017, Suay is committed to creating a culture of community and reuse. They’re not just diverting textiles from landfills, they’re investing in skilled laborers and creating a truly transparent textile recycling, reuse, and repair model that serves everyone. It’s a model that puts people and the planet first; challenging the systemic injustices that exist within the fashion industry.

Clip from Lindsay Rose Meda of Sew Shop:

“My name is Lindsay Rose Meda, and I'm the CEO of Suay Sew Shop. We need, like, steady commitment to ourselves, a belief in oneself. We're so scared and we all wanna do our part, which is natural, but people might be surprised after enough pressure of what brands will do to really show up. We should demand that brands own their own factories and be responsible for their own labor, and we should demand that they use truly sustainable materials, and we should demand that they don't make more than they need to and we should demand that they have lifetime warranties. You know? But all of that feels so big. Like, if that feels too big, just, you know, repair your jeans and shop at a thrift store in the meantime.”

Now is the time to rethink consumption, redefine ownership, and embrace a future where sustainability is not just a buzzword but a way of life.

Call to Action

There are plenty of ways you can be a more conscious consumer, but here are a few:

First, remember that the most sustainable clothing you can have is the clothing you already own. There’s no need to run out after listening to this episode and start purchasing a new wardrobe with sustainability in mind. Wear what you have, and think about new ways you can wear it for longer.

And while you’re shopping your closet, don’t forget that you can, and should, repair items. Learning basic sewing skills, like patching up a hole or replacing a button, helps preserve the craft of tailoring and extends the lifespan of your clothes. And if a project feels too complex, don’t be afraid to take it to a local tailor or seamstress. According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, repair can increase a garment’s use by 75% and reduce its carbon emissions by 30%.

But if you find that you’re really struggling to make a piece work, consider saving it for an upcoming clothing swap in your area, giving it away in your local buy-nothing group, asking a friend if they’re interested in the piece, or selling it on a resale website, like Depop or Poshmark.

And if the garment is absolutely un-useable, look for local scrap and textile collection sites in your area, or opt for an online version like For Days.

Remember, you don’t have to purchase a new outfit for every single event you attend. Think creatively about what you already have, or consider renting an outfit before purchasing something new.

If you’re up for a real challenge, consider a no-buy period. One of IE’s co-founders, Sabs Katz, frequently does no-buy seasons on her social media @sustainablesabs, where she shows great tips for how you can try one as well. And Last year, my friend Cassandra Pintro launched a new initiative called The Consumption Project with a Vogue article titled, “Why I (a fashion-lover) am giving up fashion— for now”. The project is a resource and community for people who love fashion but want to reject a more-is-more shopping philosophy. If this sounds like something you’d like to commit to, consider signing the pledge to commit to now new clothing for a year on the website linked in this episode’s shownotes.

Being a conscious consumer also allows you to engage more with your local community. Shop local whenever you can, and find groups and companies near you that are promoting a more circular fashion industry.

There are also tons of resources across multiple mediums to help you learn more about issues within the current fashion system: like IE’s toolkit on waste colonialism; a new HBO documentary called “Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion”; or one of the original fast fashion docs like, ‘The True Cost’.

Other Positive Climate News

And here's some other positive climate news you should know about:

• Cities worldwide are removing concrete and asphalt to promote natural growth of the local ecosystem.

• In an effort to keep waste out of landfill, ebay recently announced that they’re dropping fees for individuals who sell secondhand clothing.

• A group of researchers near Chile found over 100 never-before-seen sea creatures. They hope these newly found sea creatures can be conserved in the region’s rich biodiversity.

IE-Related Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist…

IE recently launched the Intersectional Environmentalist Database - a search tool that showcases organizations and efforts all over the U.S. by state and by key topic areas. IE has long served as ‘movement-connectors’ through our educational resources, and we’ve utilized our platforms to center intersectional environmental orgs + efforts all over the world. This new database is meant to strengthen IE’s capacity to connect you with local environmental + grassroots efforts.

Check out ‘An Intersectional Approach to Earth Day’: a brand new toolkit now available on the IE website which takes us through the history of Earth Month. Dating back to the inaugural Earth Day in 1970, this toolkit calls for a reimagining of Earth Month that centers the experiences of marginalized communities, addressing systemic inequalities, and promoting environmental justice for a more inclusive and equitable future.

If you love this podcast and want to support IE’s ongoing resource development, please remember that sharing our resources across platforms, rating our podcast episodes, and donating to the organization helps us continue this work.

Outro

And remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

Our individual positive actions do have power, and they’re strengthened when we do them as a collective. Tune in next episode where we’re doing a deep dive into funding and investments for climate justice.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Joy Report.

Show Notes

Take The Consumption Project Pledge: www.consumptionproject.org/challenge-accepted

Building a PFAS-free future

How exactly do PFAs impact people + planet? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAs for short, are harmful forever chemicals found in consumer, commercial, and industrial products. In this episode, we’ll explore what PFAs are + what scientists, environmentalists + retailers are doing to remove them from our environment. And we’ll learn from Maine Farmland Trust - a nonprofit supporting Maine farms impacted by PFAS and advocating for agricultural policy & research to address the PFAS challenge nationwide.

Script + Narration by @ariellevking
Research by @ariellevking + @diandramarizet
Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
Produced by @diandramarizet + @sustainablesabs
This episode is sponsored by @keen

Episode Transcript

Introduction

Welcome to the Joy Report— a podcast by the organization, Intersectional Environmentalist, dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice, grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in for a dose of climate joy and actionable steps you can take to help protect people and the planet. I’m your host, Arielle V. King, an environmental justice strategist and educator passionate about making environmentalism inclusive, practical, and irresistible. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.

This second season of The Joy Report is being brought to you in partnership with our friends at KEEN, a family-owned, values-led shoemaking company on a journey to make the world’s cleanest shoes. In this episode, we’re talking all about PFAS and the ways leaders — particularly in the outdoor industry— are taking practical steps to usher in a world without forever chemicals. KEEN started its PFAS Free Detox Journey in 2014 and successfully removed PFAS from their hybrid footwear in 2018. Since then, the brand has published papers and content to create a roadmap for other brands to do the same. We couldn’t think of a better partner to help bring this episode to life.

The Problem

There’s been a serious uptick in news and lawsuits surrounding PFAS over the last few years. You may have even contributed to the explosion of searches for “what are PFAS” or the term “forever chemicals” on Google over the last six years. And perhaps you’re one of the 53% of adults in the US who are at least “somewhat concerned” about the effects of PFAS, according to a recent study by CivicScience. While these chemicals are just about everywhere, they can be difficult for the everyday consumer to identify, understand, or conceptualize, so let’s start with a little debrief…

PFAS, also known as Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances is a man-made chemical with about 5,000 different compounds. These compounds, commonly called “forever chemicals”, have been used in industry and consumer products for over 70 years because of their useful properties. However, the chemical compound does not break down easily in the environment once introduced. Throughout this episode, we will be using the terms “PFAS” and “forever chemicals” interchangeably, and they are both intended to refer to this massive, growing list of manmade chemical compounds.

Unsurprisingly, this harmful chemical can be tied to the fossil fuel industry. The chemical first hit the commercial market when petroleum and pipe maker MW Kellogg, now known as KBR, commercialized it in the 1950s. The first commercial PFAS-based treatment for clothing was introduced by the company 3M in the 1940s under the brand name “Scotchguard”. This revolutionary technology offered remarkable water and stain resistance to fabrics, making it highly desirable for various applications, including outdoor apparel and textiles. The popularity of PFAS-based treatments continued to grow throughout the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century. Many leading outdoor apparel brands incorporated this treatment into their products, as they were widely available, cost-effective, and delivered excellent performance.

Today, forever chemicals are added to products that: help keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware; make clothes and carpets resistant to heat, grease, water, and oil stains; and create more effective firefighting foams. PFAS can now be found in fish and other wildlife, and studies have found that increased exposure has been linked to a long list of health effects in humans, including increased cancer risk, hormonal disruption, and decreased fertility.

As a result of these health impacts, and a growing awareness of the risks these chemicals pose to people and the planet, we are witnessing a shift in awareness and action toward creating a PFAS-free world.

“The sad fact is that in America, foods, drugs, and pesticides are regulated before they go into products and for all other chemicals there’s no regulation. So we can know there are serious problems with a chemical and they can end up in our consumer products.”

That was Arlene Blum, a biophysical chemist, author, mountaineer, Research Associate in Chemistry at UC Berkeley, and and executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute. The institute has been a leading voice in helping prevent the use of six classes of PFAS in children’s sleepwear, furniture, electronics, and other products worldwide. Green Science Policy also keeps track of PFAS-free brands on their website.

Even PFAS-related lawsuits have been on the rise in recent years, with plaintiffs citing health issues related to increased exposure. One of the biggest lawsuits in recent history was the January 2023 class action lawsuit against Thinx, the sustainable menstruation undergarment company. As a result of the settlement, anyone who purchased these products between November 2016-2022 was eligible to join the class action and receive reimbursement. These prodicts were advertised in a way that led customers to believe that they were a safe, healthy, and sustainable choice for menstruating people, and the media attention following this settlement led to an uptick in public awareness and concern about the prevalence of forever chemicals in items we consider healthy, safe, and/or sustainable.

So far, entities including the Environmental Protection Agency have made large strides in PFAS research, however, they don’t yet fully understand how to manage and dispose of PFAS, or the full extent and impact of regular exposure. As such, there is a strong need to phase out our use and reliance on these forever chemicals,

At this point, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “I thought this was ‘The Joy Report’. What’s joyful about an unregulated, ubiquitous chemical harming people and the planet?” To answer that question, there is nothing joyful about forever chemicals, but it is important to know about them, and understand that because they are manmade chemicals being leached out of manmade products, there are ways to cultivate a PFAS-free future for all.

Intervention

While we can’t necessarily get rid of the forever chemicals already in the environment, the goal must be to eliminate them from products as fast as possible to avoid increasing their presence in our water, soil, and bodies.

When considering the role of companies in ensuring a PFAS-free world, Matthias Foessel of Beyond Surface Technologies is quoted saying, “Giving up PFAS could be a small, temporary step backward for some of your products, but a big step forward for the health of our population and planet.”

The Thinx lawsuit is a great reminder of our power as consumers.

Our spending power is a form of accountability and has more influence than you may think. Consumer demands and an increased desire for more sustainable options have led to a notable increase in businesses adopting more creative and circular strategies that limit the development of new PFAS-based merchandise.

This has led to a significant increase in the use of: recycled materials, as opposed to virgin ones; regenerative models, as opposed to ones that merely extract from the earth; and natural materials, like leathers made from cacti and pressed apple scraps, as opposed to chemicals like PFAs. And this is all thanks to consumers like you.

In short, by promoting more systems of circularity we are doing two things—

One: we are addressing how forever chemicals can be re-used - or at least used until solutions are found to safely break them down, and two: we’re finding alternative bio-degradable materials to meet the demands that PFAS are currently filling so we can limit, to ultimately end, our reliance on these harmful chemicals.

Speaking of durability: recycling goods, especially those with PFAS, is important - but a huge part of creating a sustainable future also involves addressing how PFAS have been used to make goods more durable to extend the life of a good. Durability is absolutely a form of sustainability. A true phase-out of PFAS requires reasonable alternatives that serve the same functions. As such, solutions to limit PFAs production must perform, if not outperform this harmful chemical for other businesses to feel incentivized to adopt them.

For example, PFAS are often used to treat hiking shoes to ensure they are waterproof, but there must be other ways to keep water out of our socks when we step in a stream during a hike, right? The industry seems to have relied so heavily on this chemical for so long that sometimes PFAS-free alternatives don’t even seem possible.

That’s why we were so interested in what’s happening behind the scenes at KEEN.

Brands like KEEN have found PFAS-Free water repellency alternatives that maintain durability, without toxicity. When switching to PFAS Free, KEEN tested bio-based high-performance textile finishes that repelled water just as well as PFAS-treatments. In other words, detoxifying products does not have to affect performance or durability.

While not necessarily related to PFAS, there is another growing framework for businesses to address circularity.

“Design for Recycling” or DFR models, are all about designing products so they are easier to recycle. One of the worst feelings is throwing out our tech or other large investment items that were purchased to last just because one part is outdated or broken. Especially considering that the UN reports that electronic waste (or e-waste) is the fastest-growing solid waste stream in the world, increasing 3 times faster than the world's population. Currently only about 20% of it gets recycled. This is especially concerning, considering the detrimental impact mining for the materials to create this tech, like cobalt and coltan, have on people and the planet— as we’re seeing in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Manufacturers are now using DFR to design electronics with small components that can be easily replaced once they become outdated or faulty, which reduces electronic waste. Apple is a good example of consumer demand pushing for DFR. Criticisms of Apple have validly pointed out aspects of their product design that hinder recyclability - like how difficult their products are to disassemble; and the use of proprietary components and fasteners - which requires specialized Apple tools to be used on their goods; and in the lack of repairability - instead of joining parts together like well-designed lego pieces that can be taken apart, glues prevent everyday repair shop owners from helping people fix their apple products. In 2017, A vice article came out exposing Apple for having "must shred" agreements with recyclers that bar them from salvaging any e-waste. These design choices contribute to shorter product lifespans and higher electronic waste generation. Thanks to consumer demand, technology, packaging, apparel, and all kinds of goods are being reimagined so they can be recycled more easily.

I know this episode is about PFAs, not circularity systems, but I want you to feel grounded in the accountability systems we have that support our journey to a PFAs-free future. And businesses being held accountable for the chemicals they use and the waste they create are deeply connected issues that, when addressed simultaneously, can help us reimagine production in the critical ways we just learned about.

I now want to invite you all to engage in a practice of radical imagination (which, if you weren’t aware, we have a whole episode on in season one)— what would a PFAS-free world look like? What would it feel like? What rules might need to be put in place to make that happen? How will companies be incentivized to ensure these chemicals stay out of their production?

Main story

As consumers, we shouldn’t have to idly accept being poisoned by the products we buy, and many of us haven’t. There’s been a tremendous amount of consumer pressure, backed by government action, for companies to become more active participants in the creation of a PFAS-free world.

Last December, the company 3M announced that it would stop manufacturing and using PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025. While 3M has not had the best track record on impacts related to people and the planet, this announcement is a huge deal and a step in the right direction that has been spurred by a desire by consumers to have safer products in their homes.

From a community perspective, there are opportunities for people who have been impacted by PFAS contamination to get involved in direct advocacy. The National PFAS Contamination Coalition is a grassroots community-led group founded in 2017 in Boston that has since grown to include 30 other community groups across the country. The coalition is made up of PFAS-impacted individuals with stories to tell, who are fighting to have federally enforceable drinking water standards for 6 PFAS chemicals. The coalition is part of the National PFAS Conference and helps ensure that community members who have been impacted by PFAS contamination have the opportunity to tell their stories before every presentation. Ensuring impacted communities can tell their stories and be involved in solutions is a central element of environmental justice.

On the regulatory front, we are seeing advancements at the state and federal level.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is accelerating its work to regulate PFAS. In February of this year, EPA released two proposed regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (or RCRA) to protect communities from PFAS and other emerging chemicals of concern.

Both California and New York, two states well-known for advancing innovative environmental laws that require major changes for industries, have recently passed laws banning PFAS.

California’s Assembly Bill 1817 prohibits PFAS in textiles beginning on January 1, 2025, and New York’s Bill S5648A prohibits the sale of certain products that contain intentionally added PFAS on and after January 1, 2026; One question to consider with the passage of these types of laws is what is going to happen to all the existing inventory that has PFAS in it? We’ll explore this in episodes later this season.

Fortunately, these two states are not alone in taking action to eliminate PFAS in fabric treatments and other items. As of January of this year, 8 states have passed legislation taking action to eliminate PFAS in fabric treatments and other textiles, and there are 139 adopted policies across 29 states banning the use of PFAS in a wide range of consumer products.

A new law in Maine (Public Law 477) requires the reporting of all products containing PFAS as of January 1, 2023, and prohibits products with PFAS from being sold in the state starting in 2030. One major risk with PFAS is contamination in soil, and fortunately, solutions are being developed to ensure this doesn’t happen, like the work being done at the Maine Land Trust.

“When Maine began testing for PFAS on farmland, impacted farmers were facing so many unknowns about how to navigate the situation. Maine Farmland Trust came together with farmers, partner organizations, and state policymakers and agencies to listen to what farmers needed. In the short term, it was emergency relief to help farmers stay afloat while figuring out next steps, and banning any future land application of sludge on farmland to reduce further contamination. In the medium term it was establishing a $60 million state fund to help farmers continue to farm where possible, through adaptations like water filtration systems, pivoting their management practices, or buying clean feed for animals; or in some cases, helping farmers move forward in other ways if contamination is too severe. And in the long term, it’s research, to help understand how PFAS accumulates in crops and livestock, and to determine safe levels for consumption; and to find a path toward soil remediation so that contaminated farmland can be returned to agriculture.” Tricia Rouleau, Farm Network Director

The increased public attention, coupled with increased regulation has led to major shifts by retailers in the way they’re engaging with PFAS in their merchandise.

Last year, major outdoor retailer REI Co-Op released its third iteration of its sustainability, social equity, and environmental impact standards for the all brands that sell in its stores. There are three main focus areas this time around: fighting climate change, advancing inclusion in the outdoors, and managing chemicals, in an attempt to keep the co-op and their over 1,000 brand partners accountable as the company address the issues that are most important to their community. As a result, starting this fall, REI will not allow partner brands to sell apparel or footwear containing PFAS, which is a huge decision worthy of congratulations.

Dick’s Sporting Goods may also be banning PFAS in their merchandise within the next few years, and Patagonia is on track to remove PFAS from all apparel by 2025— already successfully removing forever chemicals from many of their fabrics, laminates and coatings.

Individual brands are also making strides to avoid PFAS in their production. In addition to KEEN, Fjallraven has been PFAS-free since 2015, and Solomon just announced they were going PFAS-free as a brand.

And again, none of this could have happened without the advocacy and support of consumers just like you and I. Part of radical imagination is living in the world as it is and believing that something different and better is possible. As such, we have to keep pushing the envelope and holding industries accountable to ensure the change we hope to see.

Call to Action

While we are seeing technological and regulatory advancements to lessen our reliance and exposure to forever chemicals— and the responsibility to do so should absolutely be held most heavily by industry— there are still some things you can do to limit your exposure to forever chemicals and help advocate for a PFAS-free future.

First, do your research - there are great resources to learn more about PFAS online to help you make the best decisions for your health and safety, like the Green Science Policy Institute website that we mentioned earlier in the episode. You can find their website linked below in the show notes. And if you want to do a deeper dive into actions being taken against PFAS, we recommend you watch the 2019 film Dark Waters, which follows the story of an environmental lawyer who sues a chemical company, and exposes a lengthy history of pollution along the way.

Spend your money in ways that align with your values whenever possible.

Continue advocating for a PFAS-free future by supporting local or statewide campaigns to get these chemicals banned near you.

Other positive climate news

Because we know that the opposite of despair is action, we want to make sure you’re aware of some of the solutions and positive climate news already happening in our world to help keep you hopeful. So gere’s some other positive climate news you should also know about.

• A land back victory occured in Berkeley, CA when Berkeley’s City Council voted unanimously to give a 2.2 acre plot of land to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, a San Francisco Bay Area collective led by women that work to return land to Indigenous people.

  • Source: https://apnews.com/article/berkeley-tribal-land-returned-b310527bcaba81fcbbc9fd9f6ff0af93

• The U.S. Military can no longer perform live-fire training at Mākua Military Reservation in Hawaii after 25 years of community advocacy.

  • https://earthjustice.org/press/2023/hawaiis-makua-valley-forever-protected-from-explosive-military-training

• President Biden has proposed an increase on taxes for private jet fuel, in an effort to improve fairness and ensure greater accountability for the disproportionately high emissions produced by these vessels

  • Source: https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/03/12/polluting-private-jets-could-face-a-400-fuel-tax-increase-under-new-biden-proposal

Additional IE updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

• IE recently launched the Intersectional Environmentalist Database - a database that showcases orgs and efforts all over the U.S. by state and by key topic areas. IE has long served as ‘movement-connectors’ through our educational resources, and we’ve utilized IE’s platforms to center intersectional environmental orgs + efforts all over the world. This new database is meant to strengthen IE’s capacity to connect you with local environmental + grassroots efforts.

• In case you missed it, IE recently launched a toolkit called “Environmental Justice Issues in Palestine”. The Goal is to empower those learning about the connection between colonialism and climate change—resulting in social and environmental injustices for people + planet through the lens of Palestinian climate resistance. Thank you to all the professors, teachers and local educators who have used our tool-kit during this urgent time to demand critical action like a ceasefire and the distribution of aid. If you want to take further action, download the 5calls app to receive easy to use scripts and phone numbers to call your reps today.

• Coming up this week, the Earth Sessions team is excited to be hosting two shows in the Bay Area: a collaborative event with CalAcademy’s NightLife on April 25, and an event with Pinterest on April 27. Earth Sessions are climate justice gatherings that combine music and environmentalism to strengthen community, celebrate the role of art in movements of change, and provide multicultural education to new audiences.

• Atmos Financial and IE have teamed up to create a limited edition debit card that supports climate leadership right from your account. Together, your deposits can fund climate-positive infrastructure while giving back to IE with every swipe. Visit joinatmos.com/ie-debitcard to learn more and sign up for an account with Atmos!

• If you love this podcast and want to support IE’s ongoing resource development, please remember that sharing our resources across platforms, rating our podcast episodes, and donating to IE helps us continue this work.

Outro

And remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

Our individual actions do have power, and they’re strengthened when we do them as a collective. Tune in next episode where we’ll be exploring the intersections of conscious consumerism and climate.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Joy Report.

Show Notes

Check out 'the Green Science Policy Institute’s database: https://greensciencepolicy.org/resources/consumer-resources/.

Maine Farmland Trust is rooted in the belief that the future of farming depends on farmland and the future of our communities depends on thriving farms. Learn more about their efforts to protect farmland, support farmers, and advance the future of farming at www.mainefarmlandtrust.org.

The Joy Report Season 2 is Here

Welcome back to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. This season, we’ll be exploring a wide range of topics— from conscious consumption and microplastics to funding for climate justice— while featuring success stories that can help us turn our feelings of climate doom and despair into climate optimism.

The first five episodes of this second season are brought to you in partnership with our friends at KEEN, a family-owned, values-led shoemaking company on a journey to make the world’s cleanest shoes.

Script + Narration by @ariellevking
Research by @ariellevking + @diandramarizet
Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
Produced by @diandramarizet + @sustainablesabs

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Trailer Transcript

Welcome back to the Joy Report, a podcast by Intersectional Environmentalist dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism!

This podcast is a labor of love that we see as an extension of the work IE does to make environmentalism accessible by amplifying the stories and contributions of historically under-recognized individuals and communities. We aim to help combat climate doom by sharing some of the multitude of solutions already in the works to combat the climate crisis, and ways you can do your part to protect people and the planet.

I’m your host, Arielle V. King— an environmental justice strategist and educator— and I am so excited to share that after a bit of a hiatus, season two is coming your way soon!

I also want to take a moment to thank everyone who listened to the first season. Thanks to you, our positive climate stories and insights amassed over 33,000 streams and had listeners in 66 countries, and we couldn’t be more grateful.

In this upcoming season, we’ll be exploring a wide range of topics— from conscious consumption and microplastics to funding for climate justice— while featuring success stories that can help us turn our feelings of climate doom and despair into climate optimism.

The first five episodes of this second season of The Joy Report are being brought to you in partnership with our friends at KEEN, a family-owned, values-led shoemaking company on a journey to make the world’s cleanest shoes.

In addition to sharing stories about innovative climate solutions that are already underway, every episode will include tangible steps we can take as individuals to support the topic discussed, additional positive climate news you should know about, and updates from the Intersectional Environmental ecosystem.

If this sounds up your alley, make sure to hit subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you’ll be notified when new episodes are released, and make sure you listen to the first season if you haven’t done so already. And don’t forget to follow Intersectional Environmentalist on Instagram to stay up-to-date in between episodes.

Happy listening!

Intersectional Education: Overcoming Book Bans

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing books and the ongoing fight for truth and inclusion in education, publishing, and storytelling.

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Episode Transcript

“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. The goal of this podcast is to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”

Episode Agenda:

In this special episode, we’re talking all about books and the ongoing fight for truth and inclusion in education, publishing, and storytelling.

Topic Background Info

Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov once said, “any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” So why have more than two thousand five hundred book bans been enacted from July 2021 to June 2022 in 138 school districts throughout 32 states? During this short timeframe more than sixteen hundred titles have been removed from school libraries and one clear theme and rationale has arisen: these books are predominantly written by and about the lives and experiences of diverse, but particularly historically marginalized, people. In fact, 4 out of 10 banned books analyzed by PEN America had LGBTQ+ characters or themes, and 4 out of 10 had protagonists or characters of color.

Unfortunately, this wave of limiting students’ ability to think critically, freely, and with a heart open to difference is not new. Book banning is the most widespread form of censorship in the United States, and the practice began in the 17th century.

Children’s literature is often the primary target of censorship, prompted by the fear that young people’s impressionable minds will be improperly influenced by a book’s contents. Today, many people opposing book bans believe that teaching a more inclusive history actually harms students.

Lately, much of the controversy has centered on a framework called Critical Race Theory, coined by the prolific legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, who also coined and popularized the term Intersectionality. Critical Race Theory has been used as a catch-all for wokeness, political correctness, and leftist-indoctrination. Some other prominent reasons for challenges and bans across the country include non-traditional values, LGBTQIA+ content, indoctrinating kids, anti-police sentiments, promoting a homosexual lifestyle, white privilege, and more.

So how does book banning actually work? Generally, a book must be challenged before it is considered for banning. The initiator of the challenge must read the whole book, fill out a challenge form and explain why, how, and where in the book the offensive material takes place, and finally present a case in a hearing. From there a decision will be made on what action should be taken, with options ranging from complete removal from the library, thus completely restricting access from students, or diminished access to a book through relocation of the book to a different section of the library or the requirement of a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian before a student can check a book out from the library.

However, many book challenges come from individuals who have never actually read the books they want to be removed. Often excerpts from these texts are taken out of context to villainize the authors who wrote them and the teachers and librarians who share the books with young people. According to Penn America, almost 40% of the time parents initiate book challenges, and only about 1 percent are initiated by students.

[Recording pulled from this clip at 00:35] “I think those books… I don’t want to even see them. I think they should be thrown in a fire.” “Just cooperate with me, I’m sure I’ve got other colleagues here, I’m sure we’ve got hundreds of people out there who would like to see those books before we burn ‘em. Just so we can identify within our community that we are eradicating this bad stuff.”

The voices you just heard were two members of the Spotsylvania, Virginia School Board discussing the removal, and even the potential burning, of any “sexually explicit” books from school libraries in the district. This uproar was spurred by a parent who was upset that her high school student was using their school library app to access and read what the parent called “LGBTQIA fiction”.

Some of you might be wondering why we’re talking about books on The Joy Report. What do books have to do with climate justice and sustaining movements? And to that questions, I would challenge: what don’t books have to do with these things?

[Recording pulled from this clip at 01:30] “It makes me furious that we, as a world, are prohibiting knowledge. How many of you have ever read the book The Giver before? It is a phenomenal  book, but that is not why we are talking about it. If we continue to pull books off the shelves, we are going to end up in a world like that, where we can only see things in shades of white, gray, and black, where every single person is the same. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to live in a world like that.”

That was youth advocate McCartie McPadden during a youth TEDX talk in Fort Worth Texas, who makes abundantly clear that they do not want to live in a world with restrictions on knowledge.

Regardless of where you live book bans impact us all. Censoring what and how people can learn limits the ways that we can interact and connect with one another. It limits our ability to envision a future— or present— beyond a straight, white, middle-class America. Limiting access to media increases division among those with different lived experiences because often books are a powerful means of connection. As people working toward a better world, we must recognize, honor, and uplift the voices of those most marginalized by society. Books written by these voices being ripped from library shelves can limit the ability of the next generation to understand difference and contribute to a more inclusive world. Now more than ever we need books written by these authors because we as a society have so much to learn from the rich, diverse perspectives of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other authors from from the global majority.

Author Roxane Gay once said, “Salvation is certainly among the reasons I read. Reading and writing have always pulled me out of the darkest experiences in my life. Stories have given me a place in which to lose myself. They have allowed me to remember. They have allowed me to forget. They have allowed me to imagine different endings and better possible words.”

I’m not sure there’s any better way to explain the value of books. This quote really leans into the idea of radical imagination that our last special episode was all about. If you haven’t listened to that one yet, I’d definitely encourage you to do so.

Because we believe in radical imagination and ensuring that all voices are included in environmentalism, as an organization, Intersectional Environmentalist is continuing to amplify the voices of underrepresented voices in the environmental space and make environmental education more inclusive and accessible by gifting free books to our community. This year we launched a series of intimate music and educational events that serve as an entry point into the world of environmental justice called Earth Sessions. We had Earth Sessions shows in New York and California this year with more in the works for 2023 , and during these shows we started giving out free environmental and liberation-centered books by diverse authors to attendees.

Fortunately IE is nowhere alone in this fight to work against censorship. Organizations and institutions are working against book bans all over the country, including in states where censorship is steadily increasing:

Like the group of librarians in Texas, the state with the highest number of book bans nationally with over 800 bans in 22 different school districts from 2021-2022. These librarians invited families, authors, other librarians, teachers, students, and parents to come together to share and highlight the diverse books that bring them joy, and bring the support of readers to the attention of the Texas Legislature. The organization, called Freadom, now runs monthly campaigns to support the freedom of reading and resources for those interested in getting involved. In the show notes for this episode you can find the website they’ve created with templates and guides with resources for things like how to write a letter to the editor, how to speak at a school board meeting, how to start a local group to support school board races, and so much more.

Diverse books also provide opportunities for adequate representation for students. Did you know that in an average classroom of 20, there are likely at least two kids who are trying to figure out their gender identity or sexual orientation? Pride and Less Prejudice is an organization that provides LGBTQ-inclusive books to Pre-K through 3rd-grade classrooms in North America to help students and teachers “Read out loud, read out proud.”

In the three years that the organization has been around, they have helped educators create more inclusive learning environments by raising over one hundred thousand dollars to disseminate LGBTQ-inclusive books to over three thousand classrooms in the US and Canada. 44 different teaching guides to accompany the donated books have also been created, and the organization has held 10 professional development workshops to help more than 400 educators.

Unsurprisingly libraries have been the biggest advocates against book bans, and all over the country librarians are going to great lengths to ensure that banned books remain on their shelves. You might even remember your local librarian, whether at school or in a local library, excitedly putting together the banned book exhibit each year. Banned Book Week, created by the American Library Association, has been bringing attention to school censorship for over three decades.

Currently, over 25 organizations have partnered with the American Library Association for their Unite Against Book Bans campaign to empower individuals and communities to fight censorship and protect the freedom to read. This coalition of advocacy groups, education leaders, businesses, and civil rights groups all believe in the principles of reading as fundamental to learning, the right of leaders to access a variety of books, and the need to work together to protect that right.

Through their Books UnBanned initiative, The Brooklyn Public Library now offers anyone ages 13-21 across the country unlimited access to the libraries eBook and audiobook collections, including banned titles. As of April, Scholastic, Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan Publishers have partnered with the New York Public Library to offer anyone in the country access to commonly banned books through a free e-reading app called SimplyE.

And these aren’t the only places in New York where you can access to banned books and books from diverse authors.

Featured Story:

Did you know that during the 1970 and 80s there were woman-of-color-owned feminist bookstores and radical Black-owned bookstores throughout the United States? These bookstores not only served as places to preserve and support diverse literature, but they were also used as meeting places to host book clubs and discuss current events.

In a society where the things that make an individual or group unique are either tokenized, vilified, or poorly replicated, safe spaces to read, create, and just be are so crucial, especially when these spaces center the voices of historically marginalized people. That’s why projects like the Free Black Women’s Library in Brooklyn are so important. This nontraditional library is a social art project, interactive installation and book collection that celebrates the brilliance, diversity, and imagination of Black women and Black non-binary authors.

Since 2014, Brooklyn native OlaRonke Akinmowo has been setting up free installations with books written by Black women in places like art galleries, community centers, block parties, and churches throughout New York City, and in other cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia.

[Recording pulled from this clip at 30:34] “I always call Toni Morrison like the gateway drug I don’t know if that’s disrespectful but I feel like if somebody reads one of her books it’ll kind of make them want to read more of them, or books like them, and it’ll cause like a tumbleweed, kind of domino effect because that’s what happened to me and that’s what happened to a lot of women I know. Like reading The Bluest Eye and then after that I think I read The Color Purple and I was like, oh my goodness, another girl like me, you know? And then I read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and it’s kind of dominoed into just reading those types of books all the time.”

According to a 2019 Teen Vogue article, one goal she has for this project is for it to help people realize that their high school and/or college reading curriculum likely excluded important names. Passionate about ensuring that the names of these Black woman literary heroes aren’t forgotten, the Library’s website even includes a tab that lists countless Black women writers in alphabetical order from all different genres. Throughout the website you’ll find images of different Black women writers throughout history in their element: reading, writing, resting, and taking up space.

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. These staples of Black women-authored literature are the same books being removed from both libraries and bookstores alike. However, they’re finding a new safeguard in The Free Black Women’s Libraries. Like the way Alice Walker made sure that the late Zora Neal Hurston’s writing was shared with the world, and that she had a proper headstone for the grave after Zora passed away, this library is safeguarding and uplifting literary works created by Black women that history might have forgotten, or that frequently end up on banned book lists and making sure that these authors’ legacies are as long-lasting as they deserve to be.

Science fiction author, the late Octavia E. Butler’s private journals were released in 2016 by The Huntington Library in California as part of a large exhibit in her honor. In 1988 some of the goals and affirmations written down in the journal of the now best-selling author who was first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship included the following:

I will travel whenever and wherever in the world that I choose.

I will help poor Black youngsters broaden their horizons.

This is my life. I write bestselling novels.

My books will be read by millions of people.

I will find the way to do this.

So be it. See to it.

And so she did. Octavia would’ve turned 75 this year, and the New York Times has created an interactive article in her honor. If you haven’t done so already, I’d encourage everyone to read Octavia’s two-part “Parable” series because there are unprecedented parallels to what we’re witnessing today in our world. While Octavia has many critically claimed books, including Kindred, which is getting turned into a tv series on Hulu set to release on December 13th— both Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents remind readers of the value of community, resilience, and caring for the planet as a means for survival in a way that few other books can. Places like the Free Black Women’s Library help ensure that Octavia’s dreams remain realized, even in the midst of book bans.

[Recording pulled from this clip at 12:01] “Coming from a place of Black feminist praxis, that means that I am taking the theory that is Black feminism, the political-social-cultural theory, and I am putting it in practice through this work. And how am I doing that? I’m using books to build community.”

Since starting seven years ago, the Free Black Women’s Library now features over four thousand books, zines, journals, books on tape, and more. There’s also now a reading room located in the heart of the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The reading room is a literary hub, creative co-working space, and central location for the library’s book collection operating under the library’s take-a-book, leave-a-book model. The Reading Room is also a space for all of the library’s special events, which range from workshops, story circles, performances, film screenings, cultural conversations, monthly reading club, and so much more. The library provides an inclusive and loving space for reading, writing, rest, learning, creating, and connecting. The goal of the reading from is to dramatically increase the library’s impact and allow people to engage with its offerings on a deeper level. The founder considers it a community hub, a love letter, and a resource that welcomes people of all races to browse the stacks of Black, female authors from every genre for audiences of all ages.

They’re always looking for volunteers, so if you’re in New York City, consider donating a bit of your time to the library. I’ll definitely be taking a trip there next time I’m in the area, and we’ve put the address for the reading room in the show notes so you can also add it to your New York City visit itinerary. If you aren’t in New York, you can still support the library by subscribing to their work on patreon, donating to the gofundme, sharing about the library on social media, and by sending in your favorite Black women-authored books to ensure that the library can continue to grow, thrive, and support free access to Black literature. If you’re feeling extra inspired, you might even consider developing a branch of The Free Black Women’s Library near you. Right now, there are branches in Atlanta, Georgia; Detroit, Michigan; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and Richmond, Virginia. Soon you’ll also be able to shop their online store for bookmarks, mugs, tote bags, and so much more.

Topic related calls to action

I hope by now you’re feeling fired up and ready to fight against book bans no matter where you live. Here are some ways to support diverse authors and combat literary censorship:

First, find banned books and read them.

Everylibrary is the first and only national political action committee dedicated to building voter support for libraries. They help public, school, and college libraries ensure stable funding and access to libraries for generations to come, and in April they launched their online Banned Books Store. There’s also a page on their website with a list of petitions to support libraries across the United States.

Kimberlé Crenshaw’s organization, the African American Policy Forum, recently launched Books Unbanned: From Freedom Riders to Freedom Readers Book Club in the spirit of the 1960s Freedom School movement. You can attend or host Freedom Circles all over the country and receive updates by signing up for the group’s listserv.

You can also start your own banned book club. This can be done as formally or informally as you feel comfortable. Some convene online and others, like the Vandegrift High School Banned Book Club in Texas, become official student groups in order to be able to meet in school after hours.

Show up for librarians and educators during school and library board meetings as a concerned community member and protest when books are challenged or banned, like the student-led racial and social justice advocacy group, Panther Anti-Racist Union, did when their Pennsylvania high school’s all-white school board banned books by and about Black life, culture and history.

Support and utilize libraries and your local bookstores. They provide essential community services and resources, and there are few things better than receiving a book recommendation from someone who lights up when talking about books.

Oppose legislation in your state that would censor books, programs, or curriculum. Hold your elected officials accountable and communicate with them via email, phone, or social media to encourage them to oppose book bans.

Write an op-ed or letter to the editor for our local newspaper, community newsletter, or listserv. The American Library Association’s Unite Against Book Bans campaign team has created a toolkit with resources and tips on how to write these types of media.

If you’re able, create your own free library in your neighborhood. These stand-alone community-maintained lending library boxes have gained a lot of momentum over the last few years, and adding books to them, but especially banned books, is a great way to ensure that people can enjoy them for free.

If you learn about new challenges and book bans, you can contact the American Booksellers for Free Expression via email (abfe@bookweb.org) or by calling their hotline.

Finally, proudly display your support for inclusive education and access to literature. Personally, I have a “I read banned books” pin on my favorite jumpsuit and it’s a great conversation starter.

Conclusion

Positive News Stories

Here’s some other positive climate news you should know about

On Sunday, October 30th Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was elected president of Brazil, a win with HUGE implications for people and planet. In Lula’s words, “Brazil is ready to resume its leading role in the fight against the climate crisis, protecting all our biomes, especially the Amazon forest.” Lula will officially take office in January 2023.

In early November the French Senate approved new legislation that will require all parking lots with spaces for at least 80 vehicles – both existing and new – to be covered by solar panels. Starting July 1, 2023, smaller parking lots with between 80 and 400 spaces will have five years to be in compliance with the new measures, and those with spaces for 400 or more cars must comply within the next three years.

In the wake of plants facing more environmental stressors than ever, a recent study in the journal “Plant Science” shows that plants are not only rapidly adapting to the adverse effects of climate change, but they're also now transmitting these adaptations to their offspring.

In October the village of Modhera became India’s first solar-powered village, serving more than 1,300 residents (or about 30 acres of homes) with solar power every single day!

The Nature Conservancy has just purchased a first-of-its-kind insurance policy in Hawaii in an attempt to repair coral reefs impacted by Hurricanes.

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

In 2023, IE wants to continue creating resources and empowering experiences that reach millions of people and help reshape environmental education to ensure it’s rooted in justice, equity, and inclusion. This means more Earthsessions and other in-person activations, more educational resources, and more book giveaways. In fact, our goal is to purchase and distribute 5,000 books written by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and other authors of the global majority next year.

In order to do all of this, we need your help. We’re running a fundraiser campaign throughout this holiday season and here are a few ways you can support:

• Share our campaign on social media to increase the fundraiser’s reach

• Donate if you’re able to via Instagram (at intersectional environmentalist) or on our website (intersectional environmentalist dot com)

• Recommend IE for your company’s match-back + grant programs

IE also wants to hear from you! We want to know what books broadened your horizons about the world, explained just how interconnected social movements are, or encouraged you to get involved and take action to protect people and the planet. For me, this answer evolves every time I read a new book that broadens my understanding of this work, but one of the first books that really opened my eyes to the ways we can make a change to protect the planet was Bill McKibben’s Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist, which was assigned to me during one of my freshman year environmental studies classes in college. I recently finished reading music artist Janelle Monae’s book of short stories called The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer, which reignited in me a passion to create art and strive to build communities where all are welcome. What’s your book and how has it changed you? Make a post on social media and make sure to tag IE and use the hashtag #IEawakening for a chance to be featured on our Instagram.

Closing Statement + Reiteration of Calls to Action

As always, remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you so much for listening to this special episode of The Joy Report.

Ecosystem Restoration + Mending Our Relationship with Nature

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing ecosystem restoration and its importance in protecting and providing for people + balancing the earth’s natural resource cycles. Centuries of irresponsible human actions have caused massive-scale environmental degradation and biodiversity loss that is contributing to current environmental harm experienced by people and the planet. Ecosystem restoration work not only has the power to protect people and preserve our planet, but it has the potential to mend cultural and historical relationships with nature.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guayaki Yerba Mate.

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Episode Transcript

“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”

Episode Agenda

In this episode, we’re discussing ecosystem restoration and it’s role in protecting and providing for people and planet.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guayaki Yerba Mate – yes the one in the yellow can & bottle! Guayaki is more than just a yerba mate brand - they're focused on personal, social, ecological and cultural regeneration through their commitment to regenerative practices, such as partnerships with Indigenous South American communities to grow yerba mate and steward rainforests. Yerba mate is a naturally caffeinated drink that comes in a variety of formats from loose leaf to cans to bottles. Guayaki’s mate is all organic, non-GMO and sure to make you come to life with all the goodness packed inside. Visit their website linked in this episode's show notes to learn more and find it near you.

Topic Background Info

There has never been a more crucial time to restore our ecosystems. Centuries of irresponsible human actions have caused massive-scale environmental degradation and biodiversity loss that is contributing to current environmental harm experienced by people and the planet. We are seeing this first hand all over the world, and those who have contributed least to the degradation— namely BIPOC, low-income, and other marginalized communities— are experiencing the impacts first and worst.

Ecologists in the early 20th century believed that ecological harm could be reversed if harmful practices ended. However, by the 1960s, ecologists were beginning to write about the idea that an ecosystem can be so damaged that it loses the ability to repair itself. Decades later, the news and IPCC reports are making it very clear that we are very close to reaching that point, and with recent discoveries that rainwater is now unsafe to drink due to forever chemicals like PFAS, some might argue that we’re already there. That’s why we must prioritize the preservation and restoration of ecosystems that have been destroyed and can no longer regenerate themselves.

So what is ecosystem restoration?

Ecosystem restoration is the act of giving nature the ability to replenish the Earth. Our planet has the ability to heal itself and restore balance through the water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles which distribute and balance essential nutrients to all living organisms. These complex, yet perfectly working cycles create the well-balanced ecosystems we live and thrive in. Native plants and animals, clean air, water, soil, and human respect for nature are all necessary components of a healthy ecosystem. Restoration aims to reintroduce these natural properties to ecosystems in order for the cycles to renew and self-regulate the environment. Human-caused environmental degradation in tandem with the removal of indigenous people upsets this balance to such a severe degree that ecosystems cannot restore equilibrium by themselves. The responsibility falls on humans to rectify the harm we’ve caused to nature and ultimately ourselves. The importance of ecosystem restoration not only amounts to beauty, it purifies the air we breath, the water we drink, the soil we grow our food from, and the relationship we have with nature.

Those were the words of one of IE’s research fellows, Ramsey Elshiwick (rum-zee el-shu-wick).

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, ecosystem degradation can lead to more frequent and dramatic weather events, drinking water contamination, decreases in water availability and air quality, ocean pollution, an increase of disease in humans and animals, and loss in land productivity.

In 2020, Project Drawdown released a report outlining actions that should be taken to effectively address climate change. Ecosystem restoration and preservation projects— like coastal wetland and tropical forest restoration, peatland protection, and restoring abandoned farmland— were very well represented on this list due to their ability to sequester carbon. But even without the current state of climate catastrophe we’re experiencing right now, there will always be a need for ecosystem restoration. Restoring our ecosystems can reverse air and water pollution, recover native biodiversity, preserve plant and animal species, balance the carbon cycle, increase access to green spaces, in addition to mitigating some of the impacts of climate change. Ecosystem restoration also gives us an opportunity to mend and deepen our relationship with the planet.

Robin Wall Kimmerer once said, “repair of ecosystem structure and function alone is insufficient— restoration of a respectful, reciprocal relationship to the natural world is also essential for long term success. In many cases, it is not only the land that has been broken, it’s our relationship to the land that has been broken. So our work in restoration needs to heal that relationship, as well as the land.”

California State University East Bay Associate Professor, Enrique Salmon explains it this way: [0:07- 0:57, https://youtu.be/8SFzfBgJOi8]. Professor Salmon has coined the term “kincentric ecology” [0:1:19-1:58, https://youtu.be/8SFzfBgJOi8]

This concept emphasizes the fact that we as humans are keystone species to our environments. Our presence in nature significantly impacts the ecosystems of this world. Kincentric ecology can be a useful framework to understand our interconnected relationship to nature while highlighting the importance of climate justice and ecosystem restoration. To destroy nature is to destroy humanity. To restore it is to restore ourselves.

Ecosystem restoration is more than just planting hundreds of trees and hoping that will save the world alone. We’ve tried that. Most tree planting efforts prioritize the number of seedlings planted over tree maintenance, biodiversity, and working with local communities.

For example, in 1978 officials in China began a tree planting campaign to stop the rapid expansion of the Gobi Desert, which has become the fastest growing desert on Earth due to mass deforestation, overgrazing, and high winds that speed up erosion. The program, nicknamed the Great Green Wall, [aimed at planting trees along a 4,500 kilometer stretch](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/planting-trees-climate-change-carbon-capture-deforestation#:~:text=The concerns are myriad%3A There's,very different amounts of carbon.), has now involved millions of seedlings being hand planted and dropped from airplanes. A 2011 analysis showed that up to 85% of the plantings failed because the species of tree chosen were nonnative and couldn’t survive such an arid environment.

This isn’t to deter people from planting trees, but to encourage that those who do, ensure the trees planted can thrive and contribute positively to the ecosystems they will now inhabit.

Proper ecosystem restoration requires understanding the historical context of the landscape, knowing what plants and animals will thrive there, and engaging the people who live in the area.

Restoration efforts that don’t incorporate community input have an increased likelihood of failure. That’s why organizations are beginning to take on restoration projects that actively engage local communities in all parts of the process. Community-based solutions not only produce the traditional benefits of ecosystem restoration projects, but also offer the ability to center indigenous traditional ecological knowledge, address economic wellbeing within the community, prioritize individual and community wellbeing, and contribute to community autonomy, stewardship, and self-determination.

In Uganda, the International Union for Conservation of Nature is working in the eastern part of the country to enhance the resiliency of the lands and communities that depend on the lands for their livelihoods. This initiative is supporting farmer managed natural regeneration to implement forest landscape restoration. The program has trained local farmers and technical personnel in 3 districts to promote the regeneration of lands that had once been cleared for farming. Not only does this project help increase tree cover and biodiversity, but it allows residents to become active contributors to the ecosystem restoration.

Author of Wild by Design: The Rise of Ecological Restoration and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Williams College, Dr. Laura J. Martin explains that knowing the history of ecological restoration, its pitfalls and predecessors and how the past has led to where we are today, is powerful knowledge to have in order to empower people to become, what Martin calls, “agents of political change.”

Ecosystem restoration brings back biodiversity and, if done right, has the potential to increase and evolve environmentalism to become more inclusive and intersectional.

The future needs of ecological restoration work is not simply about a shift in technological measures and applications—it also calls for a necessary cultural shift. A shift in mindset and upliftment of women, LGBTQ+ people, BIPOC, youth, and ancestral/elder voices, needs, political power, and knowledge. Embedded within the need to restore ecosystems is the need to also address and rectify social imbalances and create a more equitable future for all. Currently, only about 30 percent of jobs in the restoration ecology field are held by women, and within that 30% women of color make up less than 25% of the workforce.

As Indian scientist and ecological activist Vandana Shiva once said: [43:14-44:54, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soBLeuRGnSQ

Ecosystem restoration must include all perspectives in order to be successful. As Indigi-queer land steward Tiffany Joseph explains: [4:55-5:35, https://youtu.be/iYUo2er-jdw ]

Ecosystem restoration work not only has the power to protect and preserve our planet, but it has the potential to mend cultural and historical relationships with nature.

In doing restoration work it is important to understand a project holistically— understanding the historical, social, and economic impacts in addition to the environmental benefits.

Featured Story

Deep underwater you can find a plethora of animals and plants like king ragworms, kelp forests, and sea anemones living on the ocean’s floor. In the swath of ocean connecting the United Kingdom, Europe, North and South America, the Caribbean, and the western part of Africa, the sea floor is also home to ruins from the traumatic, gruesome journeys of the Atlantic slave trade. According to the trans-atlantic slave trade database, approximately 35,000 ships were used to bring over 12 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic between the 15th and 19th centuries. During this time, an estimated 500 to 1,000 ships wrecked before reaching their final destination, but only five have been found and two have been adequately documented.

Diving with a Purpose is one of the many organizations working to bring this history to the surface and honor the nearly 2 million Africans who lost their lives during these voyages. Diving to bring life to these stories has also opened the door for opportunities for crucial underwater ecosystem restoration work within the organization.

[0:01-1:32, https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2021/09/17/cfc-whitfield.cnn ]

The organization provides educational and training programs to youth and adults in coral reef ecosystem restoration and maritime archaeology, with a mission to research and restore the coral ecosystem and to educate and empower traditionally disenfranchised people and coastal communities. The organization’s work with both African American youth and adults across the U.S and the Caribbean is not just about their maritime archaeology and ecological restoration work. The purpose of **the organization includes inner work. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/07/us/cnn-films-shorts-diving-with-a-purpose-charles-todd/index.html

In 2021, a documentary called “Lessons from the Water: Diving with a Purpose” was created in partnership with CNN Films. The opening of the documentary addresses the stereotype that Black Americans are afraid of the water. In an interview with the documentary’s director and filmmaker, Charles Todd, he shared: https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/07/us/cnn-films-shorts-diving-with-a-purpose-charles-todd/index.html

[9:44-10:28, https://youtu.be/tUnxBQzzPCA ]

Using outreach, data collection, and scientific study, Diving with a Purpose is reconnecting links to historical events and restoring crucial underwater ecosystems. The organization also helps young people develop tangible skills and a hands on understanding of why restoring our marine ecosystems is essential:

[ 3:36-3:56, https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2021/09/17/cfc-whitfield.cnn ]

Topic Related Calls To Action

How can you get involved in ecosystem restoration?

While it’s important to ensure that our elected officials are advancing ecosystem restoration, there are ways we can all get involved as individuals.

• Volunteer on a restoration project. Tons of projects are already underway. Find one near you and get involved. The Society for Ecological Restoration has a great database of restoration projects happening all over the world.

• Support the cultivation of native species in whatever space you have to do so— whether that be a backyard or a balcony. Just imagine how beautiful it would be to look outside your window and see butterflies.

• Remember, ecosystem restoration starts with ecosystem preservation and protection. Join a neighborhood cleanup or start your own! Follow Tuesdays for Trash (@tuesdaysfortrash) on Instagram created by Sharona Snyder to get inspired to make an impact wherever you go.

Conclusion

Positive News Stories

Here’s some positive climate news you should also know about:

• Oakland, CA will become one of the first cities in the US to return land to indigenous groups. In early September the city council approved 5 acres of a city-owned park land be returned to select local indigenous organizations

• Chicago, Illinois just announced that it will become the sixth city in the US [committed to powering](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/chicago-commits-to-100-renewable-energy-at-city-facilities-by-2025/629614/#:~:text=Chicago will become the sixth,using renewables to some extent.) 100% of its municipal buildings with renewables or zero-emissions power by 2025.

• The Bureau of Land Management recently announced project allocations for $26 million received through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to begin the work of ecosystem restoration following the Department of the Interior’s allocation of more than $68 million for 125 ecosystem restoration projects in over 20 states, Tribes and territories. The BLM expects to fund dozens of projects across the country in 2022 from the additional dollars.

• Returning for the 2022 season, The Fort Belknap Indian Community and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Grassland Restoration Project features trainings for Native youth from the Aaniiih and Nakoda tribes to collect data and seeds that can be used to restore prairie grasslands. The training also aims to empower young tribal members by teaching them how to heal the land.

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

A friendly reminder to follow our events page on Instagram at Earthsessions dot IE (earthsessions.ie) to keep up to date on upcoming in-person events if you haven’t done so already. A huge thank you to everyone who has come to one of our Earth Sessions shows so far! We have lots of exciting activities in the works so stay tuned :)

This is the final episode of season 1 of The Joy Report, and we just want to say thank you! The goal of this podcast is to share positive climate news and solutions so listeners can feel inspired to learn more and get involved in the fight to preserve our planet. I sincerely hope we’ve been able to do just that. I hope you’ve felt inspired by to learn more about new topics, and encouraged to continue contributing to the creation of a better world. Together we’ve explored joy in movements and radical imagination; learned more about the Landback movement and the need for cannabis justice as an essential part of environmental justice and liberation; we spoke to experts about making the outdoors more inclusive and about energy justice; we explained the importance of regenerative agriculture, ecosystem restoration, and acknowledging the rich history and relationships cultures all over the world have had with plant-based diets for centuries, and we shared some lessons learned from the resurgence of the labor movement.

We quoted one of IE’s favorite authors, Robin Wall Kimmerer, often, specifically writings from her 2015 book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, because there seemed to be a perfect quote to pull for nearly every topic we discussed this season. If you haven’t done so already, the team at IE strongly encourages you to read this book.

Through it all, you have listened with open hearts and minds and provided us with helpful feedback so that we can continue to learn and grow together. For that, and so much more, I want to again say thank you. If you haven’t done so already, please make sure to leave us a rating and review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Tell a friend how much you’ve enjoyed listening to the podcast, and let us know on social media what topics you hope we explore next season.

Thank you to all the contributors of this season— the land stewards, activists, and revolutionaries whose stories we had the privilege of spotlighting during this first season. Your work inspires us to stay involved and reminds us that we belong in this space.

Finally I personally want to thank the incredible team at IE for bringing this podcast to life. Special shoutouts to IE’s Co-Founder, Media Lead, and The Joy Report producer, Phil Aiken, who asked if I could be a part of this beautiful project and makes sure everything runs smoothly; our incredible researchers Jarre Hamilton and Ramsey Elshiwick; Eileen Tran, our Creative Director behind our website, episode teaser reels, and the beautiful graphics associated with the podcast; Mikayla Byfield and Amira Chandi Dhanoa for their support on script editing throughout the season; and the reason all of our transitions flow and we have good music for the podcast, our audio Engineer Kayin Malcom.

Closing Statement + Reiteration Of Calls To Action

As always, remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Joy Report. See you next season!

A Just Energy Transition is Underway

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing what energy justice is + why energy ownership must be re-imagined to overcome the current priority of profit over maintenance, affordability, and human health. A true just transition will create opportunities for people who have been excluded from the start of the renewable energy movement to become recipients of intentional investments, benefactors of job training in the renewable energy sector, and key thought leaders in this space.

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Episode Transcript

Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.

Episode Agenda

In this episode, we’re discussing energy justice + working towards more decentralized energy systems.

Topic Background

It shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that our current energy system is in need of a major overhaul. Our current, fossil fuel-dependent grid is owned by a small sliver of the population who have prioritized profit over people, and caused significant harm to people and the planet. But before we dive into this concept, let’s take a step back and explain what the grid is:

[SOURCE] “All electricity starts at a generator, which can be powered by wind, water, coal, or even nuclear fission. After it is generated, the electricity travels from the power plant to transmission substations, which convert it to a very high voltage so that it can travel long distances. From there, the electricity travels along power lines to another transformer, which again converts the power, this time to a lower voltage, before it goes into our homes and businesses.

‘Often, people think of the power grid as “the grid”. It’s really not. It’s a quilt made up of 3,000 or so power companies that are owned by investor-owned utilities.’”

To sum it up, electric system, which includes electricity generation, transmission, and distribution, is owned by a mix of entities, including private, public, and government. Currently, about 72% of U.S. electricity customers get their energy from less than 200 companies. About 3/4 of utility consumers get their electricity from investor-owned utilities. This ownership model issues stocks owned by shareholders, and accounts for nearly 40% of energy generation, 80% of transmission, and 50% of the distribution. Unsurprisingly energy disparities arise since investor-owned utilities are always looking for opportunities to increase profits.

The current grid creates inequities in the amount people pay for their electricity, who can access cleaner, more renewable energy sources, and who experiences the health risks associated with garnering electricity from fossil fuels. The environmental impacts of electricity generation, extraction, production, and transportation can contribute to large-scale regional environmental concerns, as well as localized concerns that affect the area directly surrounding the source.

Disparities within the current grid give rise to sacrifice zones, which are areas where a small segment of the population disproportionately bears the burden of living near an industry. Although everyone benefits from these industries, mostly low-income and BIPOC communities experience the environmental consequences

One example is the 85-mile corridor in Louisiana called Cancer Alley, where nearly 150 refineries, plastic plants, and chemical facilities heavily pollute the air and harm those who live there. In fact, yet another plastic factory that is set to be built in Cancer Alley which will discharge toxic chemicals into the already heavily polluted air and water. This is part of the fossil fuel industry’s push to turn an oversupply of fracked natural gas into more plastic, causing further harm to the people living in this area and the planet.

In the energy context, as Michele Morrone and Geoffery L. Buckley’s book titled Mountains of Injustice explains, sacrifice zones are characterized as “an unfortunate product of high demand for energy coupled with the lack of comprehensive energy policy designed to protect areas that generate the energy sources modern society takes for granted.”

In the United States, 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant, compared to 56% of the country’s white population. Living near these types of facilities increases death rates at earlier ages, risks of respiratory diseases, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and other health problems. For the preservation of our planet and all its inhabitants, we cannot continue on like this.

That’s why we need energy justice and a just transition to clean, renewable, affordable energy. Here’s what Dr. Tony Reames has to say about energy justice:

[SOURCE]: “So what is this topic of energy justice? While we ask about energy being a basic human right, while it’s not codified in our US Constitution, the United Nations does consider energy a basic right. In their sustainable development goals, goal number seven is to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. My colleague Diana Hernandez at Columbia University says, ‘If energy is a basic right, then what are the rights that we should be ensuring?’ and she came up with four basic rights in her call for energy justice. The right to healthy, sustainable energy production; the right to the best available energy infrastructure; the right to energy that’s affordable; and the right to energy that is uninterrupted, so no more shutoffs and always having energy access.”

Dr. Reames is the Deputy Director for Energy Justice at the U.S. Department of Energy.

[SOURCE] “Some scholars say that a just energy system is one that fairly disseminates both the benefits and cost of energy services, and it’s also representative and impartial in energy decision making. So a key component of energy justice is not just the benefits and cost of energy but also how do we engage in what some people are calling energy democracy where we are part of the energy decision-making process.”

Changing our grid may seem like an impossible task since it’s been this way forever, right? Before the grid existed, humans hunted whales and used their oil for candles. Around the same time that whale populations began to decline from this practice, petroleum was discovered in Pennsylvania in 1852. Soon after, other fossil fuels became a more popular and reliable source of energy. By 1935, the energy grid evolved into the one we’re essentially still using today. In other words, change is possible even when it seems insurmountable. In less than 150 years we have transitioned from using whale oil to light homes to harnessing the earth’s naturally replenishing resources to provide energy to whole communities.

A better way to produce energy already exists in ways that benefit people and planet. Environmental justice advocates and scholars have been talking about the “just transition” for years now. This movement away from fossil fuel dependence is defined by the Climate Justice Alliance as a “vison-led, unifying, and place-based set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.” The transition must be just and equitable— it must redress past harms and create new relationships of power for the future through reparations.

Now is the time to reimagine energy ownership. A just energy transition must be built to create economic justice and equitable access to reliable, clean, affordable energy. We must find ways to overcome the energy sector’s current priority of profit over adequate maintenance of infrastructure as well as impacts to human and planetary health.

We need energy democracy, which is defined by Shalanda Baker as a means of opposing energy corporations on a large scale by replacing investor-owned utilities with publicly owned, democratically run alternatives. It also means creating opportunities for economic justice. This includes ensuring equal access to high-paying jobs and training in the renewable energy sector for those who have worked within the fossil fuel industry. It requires creating opportunities for equal access to energy resources and education so people can make informed decisions about what happens in their homes. Energy democracy also looks like distributed ownership of new energy production, like community solar farms.

Featured Story

Like many other industries, there has been a relatively small, homogenous group of individuals who have been benefitting from advancements in the energy sector, with a 2019 study from the Solar Energy Industries Association on diversity in the solar industry finding that 85% of senior executives in the solar sector are white and 80% are men. A true just transition will create opportunities for people who have been excluded from the start of the renewable energy movement to become recipients of intentional investments, benefactors of job training in the renewable energy sector, and key thought leaders in this space.

Fortunately, we are already beginning to see shifts toward this equitable, inclusive, just energy transition, and Black women are at the forefront.

IE’s founder, Leah Thomas recently sat down with Shalanda Baker on IG live to discuss energy justice.

[SOURCE] “I’m Shalanda Baker, and I’m the Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the Department of Energy. I’m also the Secretarial Advisor on Equity, and my portfolio is incredibly exciting. I get to lead a historic Justice40 Initiative, which is the President’s promise that at least 40% of the benefits of our climate and clean energy spending will go to frontline environmental justice communities. I also lead our DEIA work, have experts that are really at the forefront of that at our agency. So it’s really just an exciting time to be at the Department of Energy, an exciting time to be in climate doing EJ work, and I admire you Leah…”

The Justice 40 initiative that Shalanda mentioned is President Biden’s commitment to ensuring that at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. And here’s what she had to say about getting involved and leading the charge for this initiative:

[SOURCE] “Let me start by saying that I joined this administration for this moment, I joined for Justice40. I joined because when the President was a candidate on the campaign trail he said he cared about three things: racial justice and remedying structural racism, he cared about climate justice and making sure that we avert catastrophic climate change, and that we actually engage in economic development in this country. All three of those pieces are central to the Justice40 mission and initiative, so I left academia in particular to be a part of this moment. I was here on day 1, I think that speaks to the President’s commitment to Justice40, I think it speaks to the Secretary of Energy’s commitment to achieving these goals, and for the past 20 months, I have been in the trenches building a team, building support across the Department of Energy to make this real. On July 25th, which was just a couple weeks ago, we released 144 programs at the Department of Energy that count under the Justice40 Initiative. This is billions and billions of dollars in DOE program funds. Some programs people are gonna be familiar with like Weatherization Assistance Program, other programs are programs people don’t know anything about, they’re brand new, that were supported under the bipartisan infrastructure law like battery manufacturing and recycling, advanced energy manufacturing grant program — all of those programs are climate and clean energy programs. We’re gonna create new jobs, we’re gonna supercharge communities with economic development, and also protect communities from the most hazardous impacts of development.”

This unprecedented amount of attention to equity and justice issues can be seen not only in the federal government but also within the private sector. Updating infrastructure and ensuring that intentional investments are made in communities that have been historically overlooked for this type of aid and environmental protection is exactly what environmental and energy justice is all about.

Kristal Hansley: “So to me, community solar really creates that link to local communities that feel left out, but it’s like we start with the community. WeSolar business model is, we don’t just go building solar farms without inviting the community and saying, ‘What do you think about this project? What do you think about the other institutions around us helping us get this off the ground? Bringing in other local leaders in church, representatives to help spread the word?’ That’s the just transition because they’re part of the transition to renewables, they’re part of the conversation not when the thing is up and built and all the capital and equity’s already carved out. WeSolar is 100% community owned, local, we are the community. And to bring that business model to communities in Baltimore, MD where we’re based, that’s now people who did not have a clue as far as what solar meant, or even understand what some of the technical terms associated with community solar, can now say ‘Oh I know what virtual net metering is, I have a community solar subscription.’ That’s the just transition.”

After attending a Black Women in Energy brunch hosted by Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy a few weeks back, I had the opportunity to sit in downtown DC on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon with Kristal Hansley, the founder and CEO of WeSolar.

Kristal: “My name is Kristal Hansley, and I’m the Founder and CEO fo WeSolar. WeSolar is a community solar farm based out of Baltimore, Maryland. I launched Juneteenth 2020, becoming the first Black woman CEO in the community solar space.”

Of all the different types and sources of renewable energy available, why solar? Why community solar? Here’s what Kristal had to say in response to this question:

Kristal: “My very first introduction into this space answers that question, I was with another Maryland startup in the solar space called Neighborhood Sun, and my background prior to joining Neighborhood Sun was spending about 10 years on Capitol Hill. I worked in the Senate, I also worked in the House of Representatives for DC, we’re in DC, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton in her District Office. And at the time, Maryland was passing a sweeping package of community solar legislation and just like a lot of climate legislation. And I thought it was really cool to jump into the space at the time because I was like, hold on: people can just have solar without putting panels on their roof? How cool is that? And essentially that’s what my business model is we allow families, disadvantaged communities to tap into our solar farms and they get a subscription to those solar farms, and those solar farms act as if they actually put panels on their roof. So now people don’t technically have to own a home to have solar. You can tap into WeSolar community solar subscription is like you’ve had a home and you have panels on your roof and it’s acting on your behalf and now you have discounted energy for the next 20, 25 years.”

It’s about access, it’s about equity.

Kristal: “That’s economic resilience and benefits that my community can now be a part of whereas before then, they had to go through traditional barriers of having a home and only 20% of American households actually have access to rooftop solar. So now WeSolar opens the market by 80%.”

It’s about options, economic resilience, and creating opportunities for communities to regain control. It’s about energy democracy:

Kristal: “Energy democracy to me is pretty much where you get to choose where your energy comes from. You get to choose to now say ‘Hey, I want to support local green jobs and my community. I want to clean up my grid and also benefit from that. I choose that!’ whereas in other places of the country without clean, environmental energy justice legislation, they don’t have that choice. So I’m literally talking to other states and NAACPs in Indiana, I’m on the calls in Detroit, trying to still advocate for community solar legislation because that’s energy democracy. We want to have that choice where the other half of the country doesn’t have energy democracy, and community solar fits what that means to the T as well as environmental justice. Being able to leverage policy, technology, as well as community.”

Calls To Action

So what can you do to support energy justice in your community?

First, educate yourself on renewable energy sources, the just transition, and energy usage structures around you.

Clean Choice Energy is a great resource for learning about renewable energy options near you by zip code.

Solar energy international has a free online course where you can learn more about renewable energy.

If you’re in the US, the environmental protection agency has a tool which tells you what sources generate electricity in your area and compares emissions to the national average level. You can find the link in the show notes or by googling “EPA power profiler”

Demand your school, employer, or city end their investments in fossil fuels. You can find resources online to help you get started at go fossil free dot org (gofossilfree.org)

Support local political candidate who do not accept campaign funds from fossil fuel companies, and who are committed to reducing your city or county’s fossil fuel consumption and investments.

And as Kristal would tell you:

“You have to mobilize!”

Does your state or municipality allow community solar? If not, support organizations working to make that change.

While switching your energy source may feel impossible, especially if you don’t own your home, see if there’s a community solar farm near you.

If you live in New York state, Wildgrid will be able to help you make the switch.

In Texas, Go Solar Texas would be a great resource.

If you’re anywhere else in the country, Solstice should be able to help connect you with a community solar project near you.

Positive News Stories

Here’s some positive climate news you should also know about:

In May, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Lab broke the world record for solar cell efficiency by creating a solar cell that reaches nearly 40% efficiency in real-world conditions.

After 5 years, a case brought by youth climate activists in Portugal against 32 European countries for their inaction on climate change will finally be heard in front of 17 judges at the European Court of Human Rights.

The permanently closed Tegel airport in Berlin, Germany is set to be transformed into a sustainable 10,000-person residential community and research hub.

The UK government committed to spending 44 million pounds on tree planting in 13 existing community forests across England.

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

We have an Earth Sessions show happening during NYC Climate Week on September 23rd in Brooklyn. Be on the lookout for the announcement about tickets.

Make sure you’re following our new events page at (@earthsessions.ie) to stay up to date on our in-person events.

This episode was created in collaboration with Wildgrid, a BIPOC, female, queer-owned, New York-based company on a mission to cut through the confusion and make it simple for anyone to find the best solar option for them.

Outro

As always, remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

Tune in next episode where we’ll discuss ecosystem restoration

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you for listening to this episode of The Joy Report.

Regenerative Agriculture + Decolonizing Food Systems

This episode covers regenerative agriculture through an intersectional lens. While many agricultural practices have had detrimental impacts on the land, especially coupled with the impacts of climate change, there ARE practices that support a more beneficial way to grow food, repair soil, and restore landscapes.

Regenerative agriculture covers a variety of practices— from agroforestry to ecological grazing, permaculture, and others— but the main function is to replicate how natural ecosystems work.

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Episode Transcript

“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”

Episode Agenda

In this episode, we’re exploring regenerative agriculture: what it means, where it comes from, and what its role in decolonizing agricultural systems is.

Topic Background Info

Nature has the ability to heal itself if we let it. While many agricultural practices past and present have had detrimental impacts on the land, especially coupled with the impacts of climate change, like droughts and excessive heat, there are practices that support a more beneficial way to grow food and sustain landscapes. Regenerative agriculture covers a variety of practices— from agroforestry to ecological grazing, permaculture, and others— but the main function is to regenerate how the landscape works.

Regenerative agriculture consists of practices and systems that nurture the land and the people who work on it. This holistic land-stewarding practice helps increase soil quality and biodiversity in farmland while producing nourishing products. Doing so avoids harm from pesticides and exploitative techniques to the landscape and those working on it.

Dr. Lauren Baker of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food explains that, “to address accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, rising food insecurity and growing inequality we need to repair the relationship between people and nature. Agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways are a direct response and counterpoint to the dominant, industrial food system. The industrial food system, defined by chemicals, concentrated livestock, monoculture, and ultra-processed foods, comes with a cost we can no longer afford.”

Historically, food has been used as a way to colonize the body, mind, and physical landscape. As such, while there is no single way to be a responsible and conscious consumer, there are ways we can all work to disrupt systems that cause and perpetuate harm to people and planet. The food system is a powerful place to start.

When we have the option to do so, we should all be striving to support groups and engage in practices that care for people and the planet. Fortunately, we are witnessing an emergence of mutually beneficial agricultural practices that are deeply connected to decolonization in the mainstream agricultural system that are helping create indigenous sovereignty, and preserve our planet. Traditional, pre-colonial food systems were sustainable and regenerative. Indigenous communities worldwide have been farming regeneratively for millennia, and we’re continuing to learn and benefit from those practices.

But as Robin Wall Kimmerer explains in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, “Old-growth cultures, like old-growth forests, have not been exterminated. The land holds their memory and the possibility of regeneration. They are not only a matter of ethnicity or history but of relationships born out of reciprocity between land and people.”

Respectful stewardship of the land is an essential element of ensuring a livable future. The Landback movement— which we explained a bit about during episode 4— and other efforts to regain land sovereignty have led to an increase in mainstream access to indigenous plants, ingredients, and other natural resources. This movement has also led to an increased understanding for the need to decolonize many of the systems that are deeply woven into the function of modern society. This episode is all about the food system.

The CDC’s native Diabetes Wellness Program released a report “Traditional Foods in Native America”, which explains that a primary tenant of the global food sovereignty movement asserts that food is a human right, and to secure this right people should have the ability to define their own food systems.”

Food sovereignty, especially as it relates to land sovereignty is a key element to the restoration of landscapes and the preservation of our planet’s essential resources.

There are numerous organizations and farmers all over the world committed to engaging in regenerative agricultural practices, developing food sovereignty, and sharing their knowledge to counter the harmful practices that exists within mainstream agriculture.

Like Regeneration International, the Rodale Institute, the Soil Foodweb Institute, and the Indigenous Food Systems Network to name a few.

The author and earth steward Leah Penniman and the team working at Soulfire Farm in upstate New York puts it like this:

https://youtu.be/zvQJP8QP-Ng [5:47-6:33]

Kelsey Ducheneaux is a member of the Lakota Sioux Nation, a fourth-generation beef and cattle rancher, the youth programs coordinator and natural resource director of the Intertribal Agricultural council, and and the owner of DX Ranch in South Dakota.

https://youtu.be/1slB62EK_rg [0:31-0:49**]**

In her own words, she “helps young people realize that the wide-open spaces we call home are not just ‘the middle of nowhere,’ but instead a place to call home, full of resources and the potential to grow food to feed their family.”

https://youtu.be/I5NuxWOmAxE [0:01-1:01]

That’s the voice of Chris Newman, an afro-indigenous farmer who runs Sylvanaqua Farm in northern Virginia:

https://youtu.be/Zd2rvT5jR0I [17:54-19:09]

Featured Story

Let’s talk about bison.

Bison have been in the news quite a bit over the last year, from a recent sighting in Big Bend National Park, populations of bison being returned to tribes in Montana, and the successful reintroduction of bison populations in other parts of the United States.

Bison have deep cultural and ecological significance.

In the early 1500s an estimated 30-60 million bison roamed the landscape freely throughout North America, from Canada to Mexico, and from New York to the Rocky Mountains.

As the largest land-dwelling mammal in North America, these giant, powerful grazing animals stand at about 5-6.5 feet tall, weighing about a thousand pounds on average. They provided food and sustenance in the form of meat and marrow; and raw materials like bones for tools, hide for clothing and shelter formation/creation. Because of all the resources that could be derived from them, bison formed the basis of the economy for numerous tribes in the Great Plains region.

Bison roamed the western and central plains of Texas in large numbers; with four main herds existing within the state. By the late 1800s, after already hundreds of years of colonization, in an attempt to cause further harm and eradication to the Indigenous populations of Texas and continue Westward expansion and industrialization via the Transcontinental Railroad, the bison were hunted and killed to nearly extinction—with fewer than 1,000 animals remaining. Only through the efforts of Indigenous tribes and non-Indigenous Texas ranchers over the past twenty years, has the number of bison grown in Texas.

Earlier this year, five buffalo were reintroduced to Lipan Apache lands in Texas to join their existing herd, through a program by the Nature Conservancy which has given 270 bison back to Indigenous nations throughout the country.

https://youtu.be/FL_JMK94IvA [1:16-1:26]

Restoring bison populations can help restore prairie ecosystems while improving issues of food insecurity and food sovereignty for indigenous communities, while also helping to mitigate the adverse impacts

https://youtu.be/FL_JMK94IvA [0:39- 0:50]

The Texas Tribal Buffalo Project is one of many organizations working to restore bison populations. The project is dedicated to healing the generational trauma of the Lipan Apache descendants, as well as other tribes in geographic proximity, with the ultimate goal of returning the bison to Texas.

https://youtu.be/FL_JMK94IvA [1:28-2:05]

Calls To Action

How can we as individuals support farming practices that protect and nourish people while restoring the planet?

First, be thoughtful and conscious of how and where you’re purchasing your food. When you can, buy local, since it’s often a lot easier to find out where and how things you’re buying are produced.

Find a regenerative farm near you. Buy food from them, get to know the farmers, take advantage of volunteer days.

Learn about where your food comes from and different production systems. Help get the word out about the benefits of regenerative agricultural practices.

Get involved in a community garden if you’re able to. Contributing to greening the place you live, especially in a way that’s focused on producing food for your community is an incredibly powerful experience.

One great resource to help you find a farm near you can be found by googling “regeneration international” and searching for the farm map on their website. We’ve also linked the website in the show notes. There are tons of different filters to help you find the right farm for you. (https://regenerationinternational.org/regenerative-farm-map)

Support tribal and indigenous led agricultural organizations whenever you can.

If you have the means to do so, support organizations focused on developing, expanding, and teaching about regenerative agricultural practices.

Spend as much time as you can outside. Build your own relationship with the land around you. Developing an individual relationship to land and the food you eat makes supporting regenerative agriculture and practices a no-brainer. As Robin Wall Kimmerer once wrote: “Restoring land without restoring relationship is an empty exercise. It is relationship that will endure and relationship that will sustain the restored land.”

Positive News Stories

Here’s some positive climate news you should also know about:

On July 28th, the United Nations General Assembly declared access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment a universal human right

Canada has passed the Select Luxury Items Tax Act, and starting on September 1st the country will begin imposing a new “luxury tax” on the sale and importation of high-value cars, planes, and boats

Earlier this month, New Jersey’s governor signed a law authorizing the state Department of Environmental Protection to buy electric school buses and charging infrastructure. 3 $15million grants will be distributed over the course of three years to at least 18 school districts or bus contractors for the electric buses, with half or more of those grants going to communities that are low-income, urban, or overburdened by pollution.

President Biden has signed the biggest piece of climate legislation in American history into law. Among other things, [the Inflation Reduction Act](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/19/fact-sheet-the-inflation-reduction-act-supports-workers-and-families/#:~:text=The Inflation Reduction Act lowers,union jobs across the country.) will make significant investments in renewable energy, decarbonized transportation, public lands management, and funnel funding toward advancing environmental justice priorities.

The San Diego, California City Council has voted unanimously to update the city’s climate action plan to include a ban on natural gas from all new residential and business construction.

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

We’re hosting an Earth Sessions show in Berkley on August 27th. If you’re listening to this episode on the day it airs there’s still time to reserve your ticket if you’re in the area.

And be on the lookout for an update on when tickets release for our next Brooklyn Earth Sessions show scheduled for Friday September 23rd

For a limited time IE is selling a bundle of print publications, which includes our first print magazine, The IE Agenda; a copy of our founder Leah Thomas’s book “The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression”, The Intersectional Environmentalist edition of Good Newspaper, plus a free “The Future is Intersectional” poster. You can order the bundle using the link in the show notes or in our Instagram bio while supplies last.

Closing Statement + Reiteration Of Calls To Action

Remember that fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

If you enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to leave a review on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or whichever platform you’re listening to this episode, if you haven’t done so already.

Tune in next episode where we’ll be discussing energy justice.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you for listening to this episode of The Joy Report

Radically Imagining a Better Future

The Joy Report team wanted to take a moment to invite you all to radically imagine a better future with us, because doing so might be the exact antidote we need right now.

“As an organization, Intersectional Environmentalist is working on being the change we hope to see, by contributing to the larger movement of individuals radically imagining a better future. We want to hold space for art, joy, rest, and community, and invite anyone interested in joining us, to do so.” - @kiana.kaz

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Episode Transcript

“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”

Episode Agenda

In this special episode, we’ll be diving into the ways we can radically imagine a better future

Topic Background Info

To be honest, it’s been incredibly hard to be joyous lately. The climate crisis has been impacting us in ways we’ve never experienced before. Not a single person can deny the extreme heat, excessive flooding, wildfires, and other abnormalities plaguing our planet right now. And on top of that, rights are being stripped away and governments are not taking sufficient action to protect people or the planet.

Fortunately, as people trying to create a better world we aren’t required to be joyous all of the time. We must give ourselves grace and time to process our feelings, then think about solutions in a pragmatic, optimistic way. From the words of Intersectional Environmentalist’s Executive Director, Diandra Marizet [Diandra reading Instagram caption from 2020]

Truman State University professor of psychology Yuna Ferguson has explained that positive thinking and optimism are predicators of resilience that can initiate action and commitment to goals, and help us more effectively cope with stress.

For these reasons and so many more, The Joy Report team wanted to take a moment to invite you all to radically imagine a better future with us, because doing so might be the exact antidote we need right now.

Some of you might be asking: what does radically imagining a better future actually mean?

One of the simplest ways to understand radical imagination is thinking to yourself, What would our world look like if we actually got this right?

A section from ecofeminist Susan Griffin’s essay “To Love the Marigold” sums this up beautifully when she explains:

Like artistic and literary movements, social movements are driven by imagination… Every important social movement reconfigures the world in the imagination. What was obscure comes forward, lies are revealed, memory shaken, new delineations drawn over the old maps: it is from this new way of seeing the present that hope for the future emerges… Let us begin to imagine the worlds we would like to inhabit, the long lives we will share, and the many futures in our hands.

And IE’s founder Leah Thomas recently shared what radical imagination means to her during our first ever Earth Sessions show in Brooklyn this April: (25:02-26:01 - https://youtu.be/4onJGlhQP50).

Physician and children’s book author, Dr. Sayantani DasGupta, once explained that in order to deal with all the social, emotional, and environmental injustices in our world, we need radical imagination. It might even be beneficial to tap into our child-like wonder and remember a time when we were unrestrained by the limitations placed upon us by society.

[Insert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTbMjVqoWxs 3:14-3:24]

Kids approach the world with a sense of play and curiosity. They ask big questions and believe that the world can and should be better than what it is. Throughout the pandemic, Nivi Achanta, the founder of a digital platform aimed at helping zillenials learn and do more to help our planet called Soapbox Project, realized that spending more time with her children helped joy become a fundamental core value in the work she does. In a June 2022 article she recalls a time when her now eight year old was learning about climate change and coming up with ideas like, “what if we have a big kitchen where everyone goes to get their food?” Or “what if a train comes to pick everyone up at their house?” That’s the type of imagination we need to fix the biggest problems in our world. And to those questions we have to ask ourselves: why not?

Radical imagination is not just a passive action or something that simply exists within us. It’s active, it is something that we do, that we use, that we exercise and bring into existence outside of our physical being. And a large part of radical imagination is joy.

Comedian, actor, and organizer Dallas Goldtooth once said,

[“It’s so easy for us to get stuck in the pits and fully submerge ourselves with climate anxiety. In order for us to radically imagine a different future, we have to imagine and allow ourselves to experience the joys of this world and see ourselves being happy in the future. That can only manifest if you start now, if you find joy in the moment, and you use love for the land, love for our lives, and love for our people to drive us forward — as opposed to anxiety, anger, and frustration driving that.”]

Joy is an indispensable force. It can strengthen our resolve, help us uncover creative solutions, and bolster our resilience. It’s a statement to ourselves and the world that we are still here, undefeated.

When we do things that bring us joy, the brain releases neurochemicals that can relax our muscles, increase oxygen flow into our bodies, and make us feel excited, peaceful, or anything in between. A 2005 study published in the Review of General Psychology explains that while 50% of our happiness is determined by our biology and genetics, the other 50% is based on our intentional activity and our life circumstances. Of the parts of this equation, intentional activity has the highest chance of changing our happiness levels. The small things we do every day to make ourselves feel good like exercising, eating a nourishing meal, meditating, or working toward a personal goal can have a significant impact on our overall health, our wellbeing, and our joy.

Featured Story

We’ve already spent a full episode discussing how joy enhances and sustains movements, but it’s important to note how essential tending to our individual wellbeing is in ensuring that we can stay involved in movements without getting burnt out. We need everyone involved. There’s so much work to do.

[****https://youtu.be/9hE3kJQgnBE,**** 0:41-0:58]

The voice you heard was that of climate justice activist Vic Barrett. We had the privilege of showing their whole short film, titled “Reclaiming the Earth” during our second Earth Sessions concert in LA in mid-July.

Another critical element of radical imagination, and the future we hope to create with it, is community. In her book Living Beautifully: with Uncertainty and Change, Pema Chodron wrote, “We’re all in this together, all so interconnected that we can’t awaken without one another.”

We have to take time to stop and listen to the human and nonhuman world around us. What’s needed? What’s a problem that you individually can start to work toward? How can you connect with people already doing that work?

During our Brooklyn Earth Sessions show we also heard from Tony Hillery, who started a youth-centered food justice organization with a mission to inspire young people to lead healthy and ambitious lives called Harlem Grown, who provided us with a perfect example of this in practice: [ 26:21-26:39 https://youtu.be/4onJGlhQP50]

Art plays a critical role in radical imagination. Social movements depend on communication and the conveyance of a message. This is a prime space for artists and their work to thrive. Art has the power to bring alive a collective voice through activating all the senses. It also reinvigorates those on the frontlines and behind the scenes doing the work. Participating in artistic practices can be healing and rejuvenating to the body, our emotional wellbeing, and our imagination.

As an organization, Intersectional Environmentalist is working on being the change we hope to see, by contributing to the larger movement of individuals radically imagining a better future. We want to continue holding space for art, joy, rest, and community, and invite anyone interested in joining us, to do so. One way we’re doing this is through hosting earth sessions: our intimate, community-driven climate justice concerts intended to foster joy and advocate for people and planet. Our Programming Director Kiana Kazemi explains it this way: [Kiana speaking to Earth Sessions]

Social movements need radical imagination. The text “The Radical Imagination: Social Movement Research in the Age of Austerity” informs us that “without it, we are left only with the residual dreams of the powerful and, for the vast majority, they are experienced not as dreams but as nightmares of insecurity, precarity, violence, and hopelessness.”

Without radical imagination we’ll be so weighed down by the enormity of the problems we face that we might risk being stunned into inaction. And that’s the complete opposite of what we need right now.

Topic-Related Calls To Action

After hearing all this, some of you still might be wondering how to actually put this information into practice, so I’d encourage anyone who wants to tap into their radical imagination to write down a single word that will act as the pillar for the future you hope to see: maybe it’s abundance, or imagination, or freedom. Then, spend a few minutes brainstorming how you intend to hold yourself or others who share your vision accountable to that pillar. These accountability measures should be tangible, realistic, and ideally something you can integrate into your daily or weekly routine. When you’re comfortable doing so, share this goal with a person you trust and love. Then, encourage that person to engage in this same practice of writing down a single word and building on it to envision a radical, more beautiful future, and urge them to do the same to someone else. Slowly you may be able to create your own gathering of chosen-community who are holding each other accountable to practices that will help create the world we hope to see.

I would also encourage you to find and engage with one of the many organizations and resources specifically dedicated to radical imagination, or community resilience building, since the two go hand in hand.

Rapid Fire Positive News Stories

Here’s some positive climate news you should also know about:

The state of California has recently passed one of the most comprehensive plastic bans in the country aimed at reducing the amount of plastic created and increasing recycling rates in the state.

A group of researchers working in the Amazon River Delta have found mangroves growing in freshwater, marking the first time this phenomenon has been documented in deltas or costal mangroves anywhere in else in the world. This identification increases the known area of mangroves in the region by 20%, or an additional 70 square miles.

The Afri-Plastics challenge has selected its 10 finalists, including a Keynan startup that turns invasive weeds into food packaging. This competition invites companies to submit community-centered solutions to reducing or eliminating plastic usage across Sub-Saharan Africa. The winner, who will be announced in January of 2023, will receive a grant and support for the development and implementation of their initiative.

In response to increased deforestation from wildfires, insects, and other climate change-related causes, the Biden Administration has announced that the U.S. Agriculture Department will soon begin planting more than one billion trees.

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

In collaboration with Optimist Studios, IE will be hosting a special earth sessions activation in LA on August 20th featuring yoga, breath work, sound healing, and more. Make sure you’re following our new events page at earthsessions dot ie (@earthsessions.ie) to stay up to date on upcoming in-person events.

This episode was created in collaboration with our friends at Grist. Make sure you check out the most recent Fix issue, which is all about Joy. In the issue, their team looks at why joy is so crucial right now, how to make space for it, and the surprising ways people are channeling it to do better climate and justice work. Like our team at Intersectional Environmentalist, the staff working in the Fix Solutions Lab believe that joy can strengthen our resolve, help us unlock creativity, and bolster our resilience.

Closing Statement + Reiteration Of Calls To Action

As always, remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

If you enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to leave a review on whichever platform you’re listening to the podcast if you haven’t done so already.

Tune in next episode where we’ll be diving into energy justice.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you for listening to this special episode of The Joy Report

Nature is for Everyone: Equity in the Outdoors

Nature is nurturing. As we cope with an unraveling of an imperialist governance structure + reimagine what a liberated future looks like for us all, it’s only natural to seek solace + grounding from nature. We need to keep natural spaces accessible to all. Tap in to the 6th episode of The Joy Report to learn about the organizations and heroes fighting for equity + inclusion in the outdoors

"The Joy Report" is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality, optimism, and joy. Tune in to hear stories and updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct, accessible way by Arielle King (@ariellevking), an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education.

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Episode Transcript

“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”

Episode Agenda

In this episode, we’re discussing inclusion and accessibility in outdoor spaces, whichever form they take.

Main Topic

Malcom X once said: “Revolution is based on land. Land is the basis of all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, and equality.”

For millennia, human beings have thrived by connecting with nature in ways that feel right for them. With the rise of industrialization + globalization, the relationship between humanity and the outdoors was fissured, in a very intentional way. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, on average, Americans spend 87% of their life inside buildings and 6% of their lives in automobiles.

Nature is for everyone and as people, it’s our duty to protect our collective home and maintain its accessibility to all. Humans’ symbiotic relationship with nature has lasted for millennia; if it were any other way, we wouldn’t be here. With everything going on in our world over the last few weeks, spending time outdoors is probably one of the most nurturing and restorative privileges we can tap into right now. We all deserve the appropriate time to rest and process all that we’re seeing in the news and scrolling past on our feeds. We have every right to be angry— but our energy can’t stop there. Advocacy is a mindset. Remaining optimistic amidst calamity is a choice.

As Sherri Mitchell wrote in her book Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change, “thankfully even in the darkest night, we can anticipate the coming of a new dawn. What we are seeing now is only part of the story. In order to see the larger picture, we must once again expand our vision. We must be willing to step back and look at the long view of conscious evolution. When we do, we begin to realize that what appears to be a time of darkness, descent, and destruction is a time of new birth.”

In the midst of chaos, we can ground ourselves and expand our perspectives around what a liberated and equitable future might look like if we take time to unplug and step outside. Nature is nurturing. Spending time outside has countless benefits— from increased endorphins to reduced irritability and lowered blood pressure. Being outdoors has also been found to keep stress and feelings of loneliness at bay. It’s no wonder so many of us spent time outside the house— in whatever ways we could access the outdoors — during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when the pandemic was at its peak. Let’s rewind a bit here, though. Almost three quarters of people who spent time participating in traditional outdoor activities in 2020 were white.

Are we surprised? Most recreational and preserved outdoor areas historically exclude Black, Indigenous, and other non white communities. In 2020, it was found that low-income communities and nonwhite communities have a higher chance of living in areas that are nature deprived, with little to no access to parks, paths, and green spaces.

The historical legacies of structural and systemic racism uphold a huge disparity in access to safe, healthy outdoor spaces for many people of color. A 2020 study commissioned by the Hispanic Access Foundation and the Center for American Progress found that the United States has fewer forests, streams, wetlands, and other natural places near communities that are predominantly Black, Latino, and Asian American. And in another report released that year, the Outdoor Foundation explains that adults who were not exposed to outdoor recreation as children are far less likely to participate as adults.

Redlining, forced migration, and economic segregation are just a few of the ways environmental racism has been institutionalized to further disconnect BIPOC communities across the US from access to clean, healthy outdoor areas. Until the mid twentieth century, many state and national parks posted signs that read “for whites only.” Not to mention the vast majority of beaches and public swimming areas such as pools, creeks, lakes expanded the gap in accessing nature for recreation and joy. The legacy of these policies, and subsequent status quo, has left longstanding reverberations in communities of color.

Inevitably, mainstream environmentalism has traditionally excluded people of color from leadership or any involvement in the movement to preserve our planet. In many cases, the ways in which excluded groups of color view, understand, and practice connectedness with the Earth, can differ from the standard practices being taken today. By listening to communities of color and supporting them in leading the fight to preserve our planet, we can shape more holistic ways of protecting the planet, while advocating for the needs and perspectives of those most impacted by the climate crisis.

Scientists are urging policymakers to protect at least 30% of U.S. lands and ocean areas by the year 2030 to address the climate crisis. Let’s pause for a moment. These pushes to preserve natural areas generally fail to mention preserving access to these landscapes for all people. In pushing for conservation policy, we must make sure these policies ensure equitable access to nature for all people, regardless of their race, ability, socioeconomic status, or proximity to what we consider traditional outdoor recreational spaces.

Unfortunately, when marginalized people do spend time outdoors, discrimination, violence, and intimidation are constant threats to their peace and joy. Those who spend time participating in outdoor activities risk being targeted, stereotyped, or even harmed for enjoying nature or trying to protect it. Thankfully, there are many people and organizations working tirelessly to change this narrative and reclaim our rightful place within a safe and accessible outdoor environment.

For this episode of the Joy Report, we’re spotlighting dynamic individuals who have dedicated their careers to making the outdoors accessible for all, so we can restore and heal our relationships with nature, and nurture ourselves by being in nature.

Featured Story

Throughout history, pioneers of all races, ages, and abilities have achieved tremendous feats in the outdoors.

In 1990, Bill Irwin hiked the Appalachian trail from Georgia to Maine over the course of 8 months. He was the first blind person to complete the hike.

Betty Reid Soskin is the Nation’s oldest park ranger. She retired at the age of 100 back in March of this year after leading public programs at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historic Park in Richmond, California.

Evelyn Escobar, who founded the California-based organization, Hike Clerb, recently explained in a New York Times interview that “there are so many people around the country who just want to feel a sense of belonging and be able to tap into the healing energy of a collective space outside.”

This sentiment has been seen and felt over the last few years as we’ve watched the emergence and expansion of organizations with the common intention of making the outdoors more inclusive, diverse, and accessible:

Let’s take Jaylyn Gough for example. They created Native Women’s Wilderness, an organization aiming to elevate indigenous perspectives in the outdoor industry by sharing stories, and learning from one another through exploration and celebration of the wilderness and their native lands.

Syren Nagakyrie’s organization, Disabled Hikers, advocates for autonomy and representation for the disability community in the outdoor industry. The organization has developed a series of trail guides and a rating system to help disabled hikers anticipate what they’ll encounter before they begin hiking.

Or the founder of Color Outside, Nailah Blades Wylie. Her organization helps women of color harness the power of the outdoors to create the joy-filled, balanced lives they crave through coaching, workshops, and one-of-a-kind retreats.

What about Haroon Mota + their organization Muslim Hikers. They support Muslim people finding joy in the outdoors.

Or Pinar Sinopoulos-Lloyd, the co-founder of Queer Nature, a trans-run nature-based/naturalist education project serving mostly LGBTQ2+ people.

Some people used the unrest and uncertainty of 2020 to propel deeper commitments to ensuring the outdoors are inclusive, diverse, and accessible:

Like Kai Lightner, a professional rock climber who in 2020 launched Climbing for Change, an organization that provides role models and funding assistance to young climbers, with the goal of contributing to greater representation in all parts of the climbing and outdoor industries.

Or take Teresa, for example

And what gap exactly is she talking about?

[Unscripted interview with Teresa Baker— explaining the issue with diversity in the outdoors]

That gap.

[Unscripted interview with Teresa Baker]

You’re listening to the voice of one of Intersectional Environmentalist’s first council members, Teresa Baker: [Unscripted interview with Teresa Baker— personal introduction]

The In Solidarity Project’s goal is to reimagine the outdoor industry in a more inclusive and accessible way by providing communities across the United States with opportunities to participate in outdoor events that speak to culture, heritage, and lifestyle. To ensure accountability, the In Solidarity Project has developed the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge . [Unscripted interview with Teresa Baker]

This pledge helps connect leading outdoor brands with inclusion advocates to advance representation for people of color across the industry, with a focus on building relationships of support, empathy, and understanding, instead of external skepticism and internal stress, to move the outdoor industry closer toward authentic inclusion.

[TB interview: 13:04-13:35]

Teresa comes to this space with a wealth of knowledge, compassion, gratitude, and honor. She recognizes the role her identity has played in her current work:

[Unscripted interview with Teresa Baker]

She attributes much of her work and existence in this space to the legacy created by other Black environmentalists throughout history [Unscripted interview with Teresa Baker]

Teresa, and every other leader spotlighted in this episode represent just a small portion of the growing network of folks creating space for marginalized people to comfortably explore the outdoors, and reshape narratives associated with what nature means and what it’s supposed to look like. People of color and other marginalized communities have always been involved in environmental work, and we deserve to continue to do so safely, equitably, and without fear.

Topic Related Calls To Action

What can you do to help make the outdoors more inclusive and accessible?

Understand the history of exclusion in the environmental movement that has brought us to this place. Environmental racism is deeply embedded in the way conversation efforts have developed throughout American history. Countless Black, Indigenous, and people of color scholars have written about this history over the last few decades.

Hold your elected officials accountable to ensure equitable greenspace for all people. Scientists estimate that every dollar spent on creating and maintaining park trails can save almost three dollars in health care.

There are now countless organizations committed to this work. Find one near you, share their information, engage with their content to broaden their reach, volunteer, and donate if you can.

Positive News Stories

Here’s some positive climate and environmental news you should also know about:

Christian Cooper will host a brand new series on National Geographic called “Extraordinary Birder”. You might recall back in 2020 when the video Christian recorded of the heated, racially charged encounter he had with a white woman in New York’s Central Park who called the police and falsely claimed he was threatening her led to the development of Black Birder’s Week and other initiatives to amplify the existence of Black people in the environmental conservation space.

After a 13 year legal battle, indigenous Ogiek people in western Kenya have finally been granted reparations and their sovereignty over the largest indigenous forest in the country, where the tribe had been evicted multiple times.

President Biden has announced that he will invoke the Defense Production Act in response to the recent energy crisis spurred by fossil fuels and the invasion of Ukraine. The act will spur additional domestic manufacturing of solar panels, increase the production of parts needed for clean energy technology, and create a 2-year bridge to rapidly scale domestic renewable production.

Rue Mapp, the creator of Outdoor Afro, has a new book coming out this fall titled: “Nature Swagger: Stories and Visions of Black Joy in the Outdoors”. Make sure you pre-order your copy today.

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

Our next Earth Sessions is taking place on July 17th in LA. If you’re unable to make it to this event, make sure to check out our Spotify playlist featuring local LA artists and follow our new events page at earth sessions dot IE on Instagram so you can be the first to know about upcoming in-person events. (@earthsessions.ie)

As people fighting to protect people and planet, the IE team is disheartened and adamantly opposes the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. We understand that reproductive justice is a critical part of environmental justice, and this current decision will have severe, adverse, and even deadly repercussions in low-income, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color communities across the United States. As such, we have been compiling a list of abortion access and reproductive justice resources that we will be sharing soon.

The team at IE also wants to encourage you to take care of yourselves in whatever way feels correct right now. There’s a lot happening in our world right, and maintaining our collective endurance to keep fighting for change is possible if we’re all individually taking breaks and getting proper rest when we can.

Closing Statement

As always, remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

If you’ve been enjoying The Joy Report please don’t forget to leave us a review and rating on whichever platform you’re listening to this episode on right now.

Tune in next episode where we’ll be discussing regenerative agriculture. (…energy justice)

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you for listening to this episode of The Joy Report

Labor Organizing + How It Intersects with Environmental Justice

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing the labor movement in the U.S. and how its legacy, and its current momentum, is linked to the fight for environmental justice.

"The Joy Report" is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality, optimism, and joy. Tune in to hear stories and updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct, accessible way by Arielle King (@ariellevking), an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education.

✍🏾Script by @ariellevking + @mkaytiff
📚 Research by @ariellvking + @philthefixer
🗣️ Narration by @ariellevking
🦋Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
🌿Graphic Design by @eileenjawn
🍄Produced by @philthefixer

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Episode Transcript

“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”

Episode Agenda:

In this episode, we’re discussing the lessons we can take away from labor movements throughout American history

Main Topic

“The Why” Topic Background Info

All people deserve safe places to live, pray, play, and work.

This principle has been a central part of the movement for environmental justice since its inception.

Historically, the mainstream environmental movement has centered on the idea of preserving the planet without consideration of the humans who live on it.

Yet, the duty to protect the planet must also include protecting its human inhabitants.

International treaties, national laws and local ordinances all have a role in prioritizing the needs of people most impacted by the harms of fossil fuels, overconsumption, and capitalism. Unfortunately, they often do not work together with these communities to create effective policy.

Using the strength of collective action, some communities have come together to create necessary change.

One community organizing idea that has had a recent resurgence are Labor Unions.

Throughout American history, unions have played a critical role in ensuring those who keep our world running, receive necessary rights and protections. Workers have continuously advocated for themselves through collective action to create meaningful change to ensure their work can be done as safely as possible.

Unions have acted as a link between their members and the business that employs them by providing workers with the power to negotiate for more favorable working conditions and other benefits through collective bargaining. In the industrial sector, unions have generally fought for better hours and wages, and safer working environments.

A conversation about labor would be incomplete without acknowledging the role race has played in perpetuating harm and disenfranchisement for people of color. Labor organizing has played a significant role in advocating against environmental hazards workers experience on the job.

https://youtu.be/kMDE659njgY [2:33 - 3:41]

Let’s take the Memphis Sanitation Strike for example…

https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

In 1968 protests were organized in Memphis, Tennessee as horrendous working conditions for sanitation workers caused the death of Black two sanitation workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker. Afterward, the 1,300 Black sanitation workers began a strike and demanded better working conditions, higher pay, and equal consideration by the city.

https://youtu.be/ClNubFaosuU [8:35-9:34]

Protestors lined the streets of Memphis holding signs that read “I Am A Man.” During one of Martin Luther King’s visits to Memphis, [he reminded the crowd](https://www.beaconbroadside.com/broadside/2018/03/the-50th-anniversary-of-martin-luther-king-jrs-all-labor-has-dignity.html#:~:text=Fifty years ago—on March,in Christ in Memphis%2C Tennessee.&text=In his speech%2C Dr.,those in the service economy.) of 25,000 protesters that, “whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity, and it has worth.” Many view this strike as one of the starting points of the national movement for environmental justice, and the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech that Martin Luther King Jr. gave at the Memphis Sanitation Strike protest on April 3rd, 1968 would, unfortunately, be his last.

https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

One of the key principles of the environmental justice movement is the advancement of “self-determination” for those experiencing environmental burdens and limited involvement in decision-making practices. In this context, self-determination means having the ability to speak for yourself, create for yourself, and develop yourself instead of allowing or encouraging others to do so. It means centering those impacted by decisions in every part of the decision-making processes, listening to their needs, and making decisions informed by active engagement.

That’s what so many of us want: a voice in decision-making and the information necessary to contribute to rules and policies that will impact our lives. Many also want access to resources and restitution when we have been harmed.

Labor movements have been a bedrock of American society that have played a pivotal role in protecting those on the frontlines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lptz-nLZKEo

Coal miners in Appalachia were, and still are, at high risk of developing heart disease, lung cancer, and other severe health conditions from their work. 100 years ago coal miners in West Virginia fought for their right to unionize, the need for improved working conditions and livable wages, and to limit the control coal companies had over their lives. This effort came to a tipping point at The Battle of Blair Mountain, known as one of the largest labor uprisings in American History.

According to a Gallup poll, we’re currently experiencing the highest level of national support for labor unions since 1965.

With workers at Starbucks locations all over the country voting to unionize we are witnessing people coming together to advocate for their rights in organized, strategic ways to fight for a more meaningful role in decision-making processes that will impact their work environments.

But the current movement for labor unions is providing more than just collective bargaining power for workers, it’s providing opportunities for building community and creating lasting change. Unions all over the country are recognizing their influence and working to ensure their members are making informed decisions that will further safeguard their abilities to live and work in safe, healthy environments.

The impact of the Memphis Sanitation Strike, Blair Mountain, what we’re seeing at Starbucks locations nationwide, and countless other examples have led to the creation of a worker’s union at the second largest employer in the United States— a worker-led movement with the goal of putting power back in the hands of employees who have continued to work throughout the pandemic to bring comfort and consistency in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. Our society's desire for instant gratification and cheap consumption has fueled companies in creating unhealthy working environments for those tasked with fulfilling consumerist wants and needs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMc280EtXxs

Featured Story

It’s March 2020. Uncertainty abounded. What is COVID? How long is this going to last? Should we wear masks? Why is there no toilet paper on the shelves? Since when does everyone like making bread?

The COVIC-19 pandemic, especially in the pre-vaccine, early stages of 2020, caused fear, uncertainty, joblessness, houselessness, and countless other catastrophes all at once.

People of color were dying at disproportionately higher rates due to the byproducts of environmental injustice. Lack of access to healthcare, preexisting medical conditions, and high levels of air pollution.

Meanwhile, profits soared for e-commerce behemoths like Amazon. Fueled by the demand to have groceries, gadgets, and other items delivered, without direct human contact, revenues exceeded One Hundred and Twenty Five billion dollars during the last quarter of 2020.

Who kept Amazon running while so most of the population stayed home in lockdown?

1.6 million global employees did. Front line associates worked mandatory overtime, adhered to inconsistent COVID protocols, and endured awful working conditions.

[sounds of the city to set the scene that we’re in NYC] [00:17-00:24]

Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse was no exception. Known as JFK8, this warehouse, roughly the size of 15 football fields, is the only Amazon fulfillment center in New York City.

As positive COVID-19 cases rose throughout New York City exponentially, Amazon provided inconsistent information to warehouse employees about who amongst their co-workers had contracted the virus.

JFK8 employees hadn’t been informed that Amazons practice of firing low productivity workers had been paused. This caused many workers to skip essential covid-19 protections, like regular handwashing, during their shifts.

Workers were afraid for their health and their jobs.

That’s when JFK8 warehouse employees sought to create a safer work environment. They stood beside two longtime workers, best friends Derrick Palmer and Chris Smalls, who asked management to close down the JFK8 facility for two weeks for deep sanitation.

When their request went unanswered and working conditions didn’t improve, Palmer and Smalls led a walkout in protest. Their demands were access to paid sick leave, better Covid-19 safeguards, and hazard pay since their labor was deemed essential.

Chris Smalls was fired the same day. Soon after investigations were called by the mayor of New York City and the New York state attorney general to have the city’s human rights commissioner and the National Labor Relations Board investigate the cause of termination, which Smalls believed to be in retaliation for his activism. The findings later led to a lawsuit against Amazon filed by the state of New York for their “flagrant disregard for health and safety requirements” during the coronavirus pandemic, which put the lives of workers and the general public at risk.

Soon after his termination, Smalls raised money through GoFundMe to begin organizing. He turned the bus stop used by JFK8 workers into his central office. He’d stay there for hours talking to workers on the way home from work. Chris hosted bonfires and handed out free food to workers every day. While doing so, he listened to people. He fostered community, built trust, and validated people’s experiences.

During this time Amazon was spending millions to fight against the union campaigns and urged employees to vote No to the formation of a worker’s labor union during mandatory meetings.

In December of 2021 Amazon reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its employees to freely organize without retaliation. Through this settlement current and former Amazon workers were notified of their right to organize, and Amazon pledged it wouldn’t threaten workers with discipline for engaging in union activity in exterior non-work areas during non-work time.

But when Chris tried to enter the facility as a guest to bring food to workers, he and two other current employees were arrested for trespass.

Soon after, workers voted by more than 10 percentage points in favor of being represented by the Amazon Labor Union, a movement with the intention of establishing workers’ right to negotiate for a better, safer, and more equitable workplace.

Chris’s early mornings and late nights at the bus stop building relationships, prioritizing and listening to people’s needs and grievances resulted in a tremendous win.

The next part is negotiating the union contract, which legitimizes the union’s efforts.

During his opening statement before the Senate Banking Committee Chris Smalls addressed Lindsey Graham:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3RwzqKyreI [0:01-1:29]

There’s so much more that can all learn from Chris Smalls’ work. Through compassion, showing up, listening, and understanding the history and impact of labor movements of the past, he has created a blueprint for the way to meaningfully engage and support those most impacted by poor decision-making.

Chris Smalls, president of the Amazon labor union

Topic Related Calls To Action

Remember, we have an obligation to fight for the protection of the people of this planet just as much as the planet itself. Here are some things that you can do to get involved:

Spread the word. The more national attention and support union organizing receives, the better.

Check to see if your state has anti-union labor laws enacted. If so, contact your elected officials and urge them to make changes to ensure workers have the ability to organize without penalty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMjLo2EJcUI [00:17- 1:42]

Positive News Stories

Here’s some positive climate news you should also know about:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency just released an updated version of their Environmental Justice Legal Tools with the goal of helping EPA decisionmakers and partners understand their authorities to consider and address environmental justice and equity in decision-making, and to promote meaningful engagement.

Portugal is set to begin working on Europe’s largest floating solar farm with over 12,000 solar panels

Both the United States Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services have launched Offices of Environmental Justice to advance environmental justice enforcement and address climate-related health issues, particularly affecting low-income and marginalized Americans

The highest court in India has declared that nature is a living being with legal rights on par with humans, and explained that humans have a responsibility to preserve the natural world for posterity.

In Connecticut, schools will soon be required to teach climate change and climate solutions as part of the science curriculum.

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

We’re going on an organizational break for two weeks in June. As we already know, rest is an essential part of sustained movement building, so we’re looking forward to taking some time to rest and enjoy all that summer has to offer then come back ready to keep going.

This episode marks the halfway point for season 1 of The Joy Report! It has been such a pleasure to share these stories with you all, and I hope you’ll stay tuned for what we have in store for the rest of the season. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please don’t forget to leave a rating and review!

Additional Closing

I would be remiss to not acknowledge the string of gun violence we’ve witnessed across America over the last few weeks. I want to send my deepest condolences and support to the families who have lost loved ones in Buffalo, New York; Laguna Woods, California; and Uvalde, Texas. Please support the families and other survivors of these atrocities in any way that you feel comfortable, whether that be contacting your local representatives and demanding they take action on gun control or identifying mutual aid organizations who are providing support. Please remember to rest and take care of yourselves, and continue nurturing your communities.

Closing Statement

As always, remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

Tune in next episode where we’ll discuss the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Joy Report.

LandBack + Aboriginal Australian Land Management

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing the LandBack movement and why Indigenous wisdom and stewardship techniques are essential to protecting people + the planet.

"The Joy Report" is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality, optimism, and joy. Tune in to hear stories and updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct, accessible way by Arielle King (@ariellevking), an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education.

✍🏾Script by @ariellevking + @vampiiirra
📚 Research by @ariellvking + @sydneycheung + @vampiiirra
🗣️ Narration by @ariellevking
🦋Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
🌿Graphic Design by @eileenjawn
🍄Produced by @philthefixer

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Episode Transcript

“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. The goal of this podcast is to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”

Episode Agenda:

In this episode, we are discussing the LandBack movement and why Indigenous knowledge and technology is essential to protecting people and planet.

Main Topic

“Science polishes the gift of seeing, indigenous traditions work with gifts of listening and language”. This beautiful quote from Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, a professor of botany and author of Braiding Sweetgrass, encapsulates the theme of this episode.

Mainstream environmental thought has glorified the idea that nature is at its best when untouched by humans.

It’s become abundantly clear that the tools of modern existing environmental management practices are no match for human-induced climate change fueled by greed and overconsumption.

Many Indigenous practices and beliefs are centered around the idea that nature and humans are in a reciprocal relationship that needs to be nurtured.

For example, Native Hawaiian community fishing practices and local-level fisheries are governed by the principle of kuleana (cool-ee-ana), or rights and responsibilities, which encompasses caretaking, sharing, and interacting with nature as family.

Currently, Indigenous people account for less than 5% of the world’s human population. Yet, Indigenous peoples protect 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity.

Studies by The United Nations and others show that pollution, extinction, and other environmental hazards occur at much lower rates on Indigenous managed land. Additionally, ecosystem restoration is occurring all over the world in areas where land has been returned to indigenous care.

Yet, in the United States and other colonial societies, displacing Indigenous people from land and delegitimizing the power of their ancestral knowledge has been public policy.

One of the earliest attacks was an 1823 United States Supreme Court decision that stripped the rights of Indigenous peoples to autonomously manage their land.

These efforts by colonial governments have spurred a countermovement.

LandBack, or land restitution, is a movement with the goal of returning control over land back to its stewards, allowing indigenous peoples to restore their connection to ancestral lands in meaningful ways. LandBack is about Indigenous sovereignty rooted in self-determination; environmental sustainability; and economic justice.

Or in other words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7msyOSrpYsg [9:04-9:58] Quoting the LandBack Manifesto https://landback.org/manifesto/

To meaningfully advocate with indigenous tribes in regaining their sovereignty, necessitates relinquishment of power, active listening, and repairing the harm colonialism has done and continues to inflict on Indigenous people. This encompasses the return of all things that are needed to secure a meaningful indigenous future.

Recently, we have had some tremendous wins related to the LandBack movement.

In September 2021, over 395,000 acres of land from various Australian national parks were returned to the Aboriginal Eastern Kuku Yalanji people, including land in the Daintree Rainforest, one of the oldest rainforests in the world

As of July 2021, 30 years after the initial petition was filed, the Kakataibo tribe in Peru regained over 370,000 acres of land.

Due to the tireless work of indigenous activists and their allies, world governments have also begun integrating traditional practices into their national environmental land management strategies.

Featured Story

Let’s take a journey to Australia.

Thought to be the oldest population of humans living outside of Africa, Aboriginal Australians are split into two groups: Aboriginal, or those who already inhabited Australia when Britain began colonizing the island in 1788, and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who descend from residents of the Torres Strait Islands, a group of islands that is part of modern-day Queensland, Australia.

Pre-colonization Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have actively managed their lands and waters for over 60,000 years. When the British began colonizing Australia in 1788, between 750k and 1.25 million Aboriginal Australians were estimated to have lived there. The British seized this land through violent, and often deadly means. Up to 20k indigenous people lost their lives during that first wave of colonization. Between 1910 and 1970 assimilation policies implemented by the British led to between 10 and 33% of Aboriginal Australian children being forcibly removed from their homes. Referred to as the “stolen generations” these children were put in adoptive families and institutions, they were forbidden from speaking their native languages, and their names were often changed— removing any possibility of reconnection to their family or heritage.

Most Aboriginal Australians did not have full citizenship or voting rights until 1965, and in 2008 the Australian Prime Minister issued a national apology for the country’s actions toward Aboriginal Australians of the Stolen generation as a first step toward rectifying centuries of destruction and genocide.

Today, only about 3% of Australia’s population has Aboriginal heritage, and Australia is the only British Commonwealth in the world to not ratify a treaty with its First Nations peoples. As a result, Aboriginal Australians still struggle to retain their ancient culture and fight for recognition and restitution from the Australian government.

So let's talk about some of the ways Australia’s wildlife and natural lands are benefitting from the knowledge of the aboriginal people.

In late 2019 and into early 2020, devastating wildfires blazed across the southeast region of Australia. This disaster is referred to now as Black Summer, due to its unusual intensity, size and duration, and directly links from the increased temperatures and prolonged droughts that have resulted due to changes in the Earth’s climate.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-08/queensland-fire-chief-rejects-hazard-reduction-burn-criticism/11851548?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link [0:45- 1:07]

Climate change has already increased the likelihood of severe fire events like Australia’s 2019-2020 fire season by at least 30 percent.

With the steady increase in severe weather events that contribute to increased wildfires, environmental decision-makers have been seeking new solutions.

Fortunately, solutions for mitigation of the effects of climate-change-induced wildfires already exist. Aboriginal peoples in Australia have used fire management techniques to preserve the landscape for centuries.

https://youtu.be/sFiqU_20s7Q [00:55- 1:10]

That was Robin Dan, a Wanngurr Environmental Ranger in Western Australia.

Adopting indigenous land management techniques is starting to repair the substantial damage done by colonialism.

Intentional burning is most common in the northern part of Australia, and leads to the reintroduction of native grasses, the reduction of scrub to prevent intense bushfires, and the promotion of biodiversity. Small, cooler fires created during the early dry season, from April to July, reduce the number and severity of large, high-intensity dry season fires, which significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. These fires burn slowly with this technique and create breaks in the sprawling forests and grasslands by eliminating the vegetation that would allow them to spread. Not all the area is burnt, with the end result appearing like a mosaic of burnt and unburnt country.

https://youtu.be/OBTZvGJXroM [4:02-4:10; 4:44-5:50]

Now, the entire country is reaping the benefits of this cultural knowledge as emissions reductions are being credited to fire management practices implemented through the Emissions Reduction Fund, which incentivizes Australian businesses to cut the number of greenhouse gases they create and undertake activities that store and sequester carbon.

These projects are restoring the fire management regimes that have been used for tens of thousands of years by indigenous people on this soil and all over the world.

A collection of tribes in Northern California who comprise the cultural fire management council facilitate the practice of cultural burning on the Yurok Reservation and other Ancestral lands and government agencies are beginning to turn to these practices to help reduce wildfires in the state.

A Flinders University study from 2019 reports that the principles of Aboriginal people’s appreciation and deep understanding of the landscape and its features have been overlooked or sidelined in the past - to the detriment of the environment.

https://youtu.be/sFiqU_20s7Q [2:15-2:31]

The fight for indigenous sovereignty is global, and extends to the rights to education, health, employment, and resource re-allocation among other topics.

Topic Related Calls To Action

Here are some ways that you can support the LandBack movement according to indigenous activist, Corinne Grey Cloud:

1. Find your local indigenous nations

2. Research and find what actions that Nation already has in place for returning land and sacred sites

3. As an ally, research and identify where you can donate your time, energy, skills, and money to uplift the work of those already contributing to this movement

4. Get engaged in local government meetings

5. Publicly recognize whose land you’re on every chance you get. In the US you can use the website Native-Land.ca or the Whose Land App to aid your land acknowledgements

Check out landback.org to learn more about the history and current actions within this movement

Support indigenous activists and thought leaders who are bringing attention to these important issues

Remember that indigeneity does not have one specific color or set of cultural values. There are first nations peoples all over the world actively seeking rights to land rightfully theirs.

Positive News Stories

Here’s some positive climate news you should also know about:

• As of April 1st, a major railway in Japan is now 100% operated on renewable energy, with trains now operating using hydropower, geothermal power, wind power, and solar power https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/major-japan-railway-now-powered-renewable-energy-84334004

• Ecuador’s Constitutional Court declared that Indigenous communities must not only be consulted about extractive coal and mining projects on or near their territory, but they must also give their consent to such projects. https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/ecuadors-top-court-rules-for-stronger-land-rights-for-indigenous-communities/

• As part of Governor Newsom’s pledge to ensure nearly 1/3 of California’s land and coastal waters are preserved by 2030, the state’s indigenous nations may be given $100 million and preserve their lands. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/18/california-indigenous-tribes-purchase-land

• An anonymous donor recently paid $435,000 to purchase then donate part of the Ashby Community Garden in Southwest Berkeley to the indigenous women-run Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/04/20/ashby-community-garden-sogorea-te-land-trust

• And to all the New Yorkers out listening, the state’s Climate Action Council has released a draft Climate Plan. From now until June 10th New Yorkers have the opportunity to weigh in on a number of climate-related issues, including indigenous sovereignty. https://climate.ny.gov/Our-Climate-Act/Draft-Scoping-Plan

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

The first resource in our Digital Toolkit Series is now live! Through this collection of educational resources, IE fellows will delve into a myriad of topics exploring the intersections of various identities, histories, and lived experiences.

This first toolkit of the collection is, “I am not your savior: A digital toolkit on dismantling the Black Woman Savior Trope”. Check out the toolkit on our website: intersectionalenvironmentalist.com under the resources tab where you can view on the page or download the PDF, and you can watch the IG live conversation with myself and the toolkit’s main researcher and writer, IE fellow Thea Gay at intersectional environmentalist.

Closing Statement

As always, remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

Tune in next episode where we’ll discuss the resurgence of the labor rights movement.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you for listening to this episode of The Joy Report

Plant Based Diets + their Cultural Significances

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing the benefits of plant-based diets for people and planet, their history, and how some cultures are using plant-based food to reconnect to their cultural heritage.

"The Joy Report" is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality, optimism, and joy. Tune in to hear stories and updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct, accessible way by Arielle King (@ariellevking), an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education.

✍🏾Script by @ariellevking + @vampiiirra
📚 Research by @ariellvking + @sydneycheung + @vampiiirra
🗣️ Narration by @ariellevking
🦋Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
🌿Graphic Design by @eileenjawn
🍄Produced by @philthefixer

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Episode Transcript

Welcome to the Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct, accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about making environmental education accessible. The goal of this podcast is to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.

Episode Agenda

In this episode we’re talking about the benefits of plant-based diets for people and planet.

Topic Background Info

What comes to mind when you hear the word “vegan”?

Maybe your first thought is, “a lifestyle that I could never do!” I love cheese way too much!

Maybe you picture the numerous types of non-dairy milks and plant-based meat alternatives for sale at your local grocery store or at your favorite fast-food restaurant.

Or maybe you imagine that one coworker who insists that eating animal meat is akin to perpetuating a modern-day genocide.

All of these perspectives are fair. Often the lens we view veganism or plant-based diets is influenced by our environment, media, and food taste.

However, 14.5% of manmade greenhouse gas emissions come from the rearing of livestock for food. So the fact remains that reducing our meat consumption, by even one day a week, can make a significant positive impact on the planet.

Researchers say if American consumers cut meat out of their diet for one day per week, by year's end they would have reduced their individual carbon footprint by about 400 pounds. That's roughly the equivalent of driving a car from New York to LA over 125 times.

Sadly, exploring options to reduce personal meat consumption can feel alienating to many.

Its hard to picture yourselves in a movement where cookbooks, blogs, and influencers are primarily white, wealthy, able-bodied people so focused on animal rights and sustainability— in a movement completely devoid of the essential intersectional lens needed to ensure that everyone feels like they can take part in a plant-based lifestyle. Even so, a 2020 Gallup poll found that people of color in the US reported reducing their meat consumption at a much higher rate than white Americans.

While mainstream media in the global north may lead people to believe that white vegans originated the cruelty-free, plant-based food movement, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Plant-based and vegan diets have always existed, spanning various cultures around the globe:

One of the earliest records of plant-based lifestyles comes from 5th century India and the religion of Jainism. The principle of ahimsa (ah-heem-sah), or non-violence is a major influence on the Jain lacto-vegetarian diet.

Lacto-Vegetarianism is a diet abstaining from meat and eggs, but includes most other dairy products.

In addition to avoiding meat, many Jains avoid root vegetables to prevent injuring small insects and microorganisms and to prevent the entire plant from getting uprooted and killed.

Popular in the Caribbean islands, Rastafari is another religion that promotes a plant-based lifestyle as an extension of their belief in Black sovereignty, health, and ecological harmony. The Rastafari interpretation of Biblical dietary laws is called Ital, stemming from the word vital. Ital involves eating natural, local, organically produced foods and avoiding processed foods and meats.

On a tiny island in Japan, residents of Okinawa live exceptionally long, and healthy lives. Experts attribute their plant-heavy diet as having a significant impact. The traditional Okinawan diet consists of 60% vegetables and only 2% meat and fish. Japanese staples of tofu, soba, and legumes make up the difference.

These three examples are a tiny sliver of the spaces that people of color have developed throughout history: spaces that honor history, respect for animals, care for the planet, and the intersections of race, class, religion, and culture.

Aph Ko, Activist and Co-Author of the book Aprhrosim, beautifully surmises the modern work that many are doing in plant-based spaces. She exorts “Let's use our erasure from this rotten-to-the-core Western notion of humanity to build up a different “new world,” one that is not defined in terms of dichotomies or hierarchies or emotional death—but centered on love: one in which we accept ambiguity and difference, grounded in an expansive, limitless “we.”

This episode’s featured story centers around a female entrepreneur who is creating a space centered on love for her indigenous culture.

Featured Story:

If you’re like me, when you picture traditional Mexican food, images of tacos al pastor, enchiladas and mole come to mind.

But, before the Spaniards arrived, Mexico’s indigenous population enjoyed staples like jackfruit, avocado, and beans, and “superfoods” quinoa, acai, and chia seeds.

These same foods have now become popular modern meat and protein alternatives.

This diet was altered by the invasion of Spanish colonizers who brought their diseases along with their domesticated cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and animal byproducts.

However, a recent study showed that approximately [20% of the Mexican population identifies as vegetarian and vegan](https://vivaglammagazine.com/20-percent-of-mexicans-now-identify-as-vegan-or-vegetarians/#:~:text=According to data collected in,vegetarian or vegan eating regime.). Often they are adopting these lifestyles for more than environmental or ethical reasons. For them, plant-based diets are to reconnect and honor indigenous ancestral knowledge and wisdom, through cultural-based experiences.

Jocelyn Ramierez is one chef who is celebrating this intersection of indigenous heritage and plant-based food through her restaurant, Todo Verde.

Born and raised on the East Side of Los Angles, California, Jocelyn Ramierez, has been working to make plant-based, culturally relevant food accessible to her community. Here is her vision of the work she's doing:

[https://youtu.be/YOiiNwSL4Cc (0:25-55)

In 2015 Jocelyn left her career in higher education to start Todo Verde. Inspired by Jocelyn’s Mexican-Ecuadorian roots, Todo Verde provides healthy and delicious plant-based culturally relevant dishes to combat the lack of access to healthy food in low income communities of color across LA.

[https://youtu.be/-LHkRvf-zmU (0:40-1:22)

The goal is to advance food equity and support healthy-eating lifestyle shifts that lean into self-care as well as increase awareness and access to naturally good food.

[https://youtu.be/-LHkRvf-zmU (1:36-2:06)

Through their food truck, catering, cooking classes, and delivery bundles packaged with the ingredients needed to make their plant-based recipes, Todo Verde has become a major contributor to the growing community of vegan-mex vendors in California.

Jocelyn’s first cookbook, titled La Vida Verde: Plant-based Mexican cooking with authentic flavor, was published in 2020 and became an instant bestseller.

Around the country, entrepreneurs are looking for ways to promote plant-based and vegan diets in ways that honor their communities and make this lifestyle more accessible.

Related Stories

And in other plant-based news...

Koia, Black woman-owned vegan protein drink company, founded by Maya French, finalized a recent round of financing with 23 A-list celebrity investors. NBA player and Koia investor Chris Paul is supporting the mission of making plant-based foods more accessible by introducing Koia vending machines at multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the US.

During this year’s Coachella music festival, a four-course plant-based VIP dinner event was hosted by Outstanding in the Field. Sibling Chefs Ayinde and Makini Howell featured Jamaican jerk tofu and their famous mac and yease, y-e-a-s-e, with fire-roasted hatch chilies. Their vegan mac and yease is currently available at select Costco stores.

The Coachella music festival also featured an array of BIPOC vegan food vendors, such as Slutty Vegan, El Chino Grande, Cena Vegan, Ramen Hood, and others.

Topic Related Calls To Action

Regardless of what many of us have been taught, people of color have existed in every part of the environmental protection and management space for centuries, including in the movement for plant-based lifestyles. And as IE’s founder, Leah Thomas, writes in her book, The Intersectional Environmentalist, “BIPOC perspectives matter, and these nuances should be explored to advocate for inclusion and equity within the plant-based conversation.”

There are tons of chefs, bloggers, and content creators who are working hard to make the vegan movement more inclusive that you can follow.

Support their work, use their recipes, buy their cookbooks, and continue learning about the importance of prioritizing people and the planet equally in your pursuit to live a more plant-based life.

And if cutting out meat completely feels a little too daunting, no worries! Commit to one day a week where you don’t eat meat at all. Every little bit counts.

[ https://youtu.be/czzktlf07qw 5:56-6:08]

And remember, just because you aren’t eating a completely plant-based diet does not make you a bad environmentalist. There are tons of ways for you to do your part to help protect the planet.

Rapid Fire Positive News Stories

Here’s some positive climate news you should also know about:

In an effort to increase mass transit ridership, San Diego County in California has passed the Youth Opportunity Pass pilot program which allows people 18 and under to ride public transit for free starting May 1st

Healthcare professionals in four Canadian provinces can now prescribe free year-long passes to visit national parks, national marine conservation areas, and national historic sites to boost people’s mental and physical health

In Gabon, the Massaha community’s request has been granted to end the logging of their ancestral forest. The country’s environmental minister has asked the company that holds the logging concession to “leave quickly” and remove all the remaining logs from the site in order to preserve the area. This marks the first time in the country’s history that an area will be declared protected at the request of residents.

IE + Community Updates

And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:

Our short film, ‘Intersectional History of Cannabis’ is now available to view on our YouTube channel. The film focuses on the barriers that hinder BIPOC communities from thriving in the cannabis industry and features activists who are working towards bringing justice to those communities.

Do you have a unique story, experience, or research topic you’d like to share? Send in a submission to our new Contributor’s Network! We’re looking for writers, researchers, and creatives to provide an intersectional analysis on various topics related to culture and environment. You can find the submission form on our Linktree in any of our social media bios or click on the “resources” tab on our website: intersectional environmentalist dot com.

Closing Statement + Reiteration Of Calls To Action

As always, remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.

Tune in next episode where we’ll discuss the land back movement and the ways the planet benefit from indigenous environmental management practices.

I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you for listening to this episode of The Joy Report

Black Hemp Farmers, Cannabis Justice, and Demanding Reparations

SEASON 1: EPISODE 2

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing how environmental justice + liberation can be advanced through cannabis decriminalization, legalization, + intentional investments. We navigate this conversion through storytelling of NYC restorative justice efforts for the cannabis industry + a Black-owned hemp farm creating a blueprint for a more equitable industry.

"The Joy Report" is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions + environmental justice grounded in intersectionality, optimism, + joy. Tune in to hear stories + updates on all things climate, social, + environmental justice explained in a succinct, accessible way by Arielle King (@ariellevking), an environmental justice advocate + attorney passionate about environmental education.

✍🏾Script by @ariellevking + @vampiiirra
📚 Research by @ariellvking + @sydneycheung + @vampiiirra
🗣️ Narration by @ariellevking
🦋Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
🌿Graphic Design by @eileenjawn
🍄Produced by @philthefixer

Joy in Movement Building

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing the importance of joy— specifically, joy in activism, joy in advocacy, and joy in movement building.

"The Joy Report" is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality, optimism, and joy. Tune in to hear stories and updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct, accessible way by Arielle King (@ariellevking), an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education.

✍🏾Script by @ariellevking + @vampiiirra
📚 Research by @ariellvking + @sydneycheung + @vampiiirra
🗣️ Narration by @ariellevking
🦋Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
🌿Graphic Design by @eileenjawn
🍄Produced by @philthefixer

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Episode Transcript

Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. The goal of this podcast is to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect people and the planet. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me.

My name is Arielle King, and I’m an environmental justice advocate, attorney, and educator.

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing the importance of joy— specifically, joy in activism, joy in advocacy, and joy in movement building.

Main Topic

First, why Joy?

Why even think about joy when there's so much work to do? What role does joy have in fighting oppressive systems that continue to harm people and destroy the planet? In fighting & pushing against the systems of capitalism, colonialism, racism, misogyny, greed? Or in changing the status quo?

How can joy be found when, for the first time in human history, we’re facing 1 million animal & plant species being threatened with extinction?

What joy is there for the people that will be displaced in the global south? For people who are still struggling to recover from imperialist, colonial regimes and survive climate crisis impacts like drought, flooding, and food scarcity. For the ones who contribute the least to the climate crisis but suffer its worst impacts.

Why should we be thinking about joy?

As people trying to protect people and the planet we are engaged in the exhausting and seemingly unending work of creating systemic change. Yet our urgency and acute engagement can often lead to feeling burnt out, angry, and at times, resentful. The gravity of the times we live in often leads us to equate suffering with advocacy.

Choosing joy. And yes, it IS a choice. Allows us to erase that equation.

Ingrid Fetell Lee founder of the blog, The Aesthetics of Joy and author of the book Joyful, defines Joy [as] a manifestation of abundance”.

The threats facing people and the planet are vast and complex and often seem far beyond our capabilities to spark real change as individuals. Yet, collective action is made up of individual choices and communal alignment.

Joy allows us to reject the scarcity and fear that oppression creates in our homes, our minds, and our spirits.

We recognize the beauty in the interconnectedness of people, the planet, and all ecosystems, we have an obligation to ourselves and to the world to protect our joy as we work to protect our collective home.

This work is reminiscent of the Zapatista slogan, “Un Mundo Donde Quepan Muchos Mundos’, which translates in English to “A World Where Many Worlds Fit’.

To achieve “A World Where Many Worlds Fit” we must emphasize the importance of: common struggle, collective belonging, and inherent dignity, in the same way as laughter, dancing, and nourishment.

The Wellcome Collection sums up this whole vibe in their poem “Joy is a Protest”,

[https://youtu.be/X_fIZyD7XJA “joy is a protest” poem; 0:29-1:20]

Featured Story

Although its typically overlooked, joy can be a beautiful tool in organizing against oppressive systems.

In the early 2010’s a Hong Kong pro-democracy political party named “People Power” changed the face of activism in their city. Research was done by Yale PhD students on the impact of Joyous Resistance by People Power in Hong Kong elections. The study states that “By maintaining a radical image in public while creating a festive mood among protestors, People Power is able to attract a large number of discontented but risk-averse supporters. This emotional strategy of joyous resistance is made possible by skillfully including fun activities in[to] protest.” (Emotion Politics: Joyous Resistance in Hong Kong Vitrierat Ng and Kin-man Chan)

Joy as an act of resistance sustains movements. It's essential in creating collective action.

Audre Lorde once wrote “The sharing of joy, whether physical / emotional / psychic / or intellectual / forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference”. Here Lorde reminds us that choosing joy reflects that progress is not a losing game– that an abundance of hope exists. She also illuminates the power joy has in creating connections between people from all walks of life, even if they hold different views and goals.

We can notice joy in action during liberation movements and protests supporting racial, social, and environmental justice across America. There's often music, dancing, community healing, and artistic expression during protest movements that mainstream media paint as frivolous, disruptive, and distracting. Yet, these activities have a distinct lineage to movement building and activism work from Black communities. It’s what Tanya Wallace-Gobern in a 2021 Prism Report article describes as the “power of defiant joyfulness [that] accompanies Black organizing and civil activism.”

That brings us to the term “pleasure activism”, which was first coined by AIDS activist and Housing Works co-Founder Keith Cylar whose work supported unhoused New Yorkers living with AIDS.

Black feminist Adrienne Marie Brown reintroduced the term pleasure activism to the world with their NY Times Bestseller book, “Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good”

Pleasure activism has two main elements: The first: shaping “traditional” activism/organizing work to be as pleasurable as it can be, while supporting and making space for historically marginalized and disenfranchised folks to reclaim pleasure in their daily lives.  This is a radical act in and of itself because of the way the capitalist, white supremacist hetero-patriarchy keeps our relationship to pleasure strained and disconnected.

The second function of pleasure activism is making justice and liberation the most pleasurable experiences we can have. Learning that pleasure gets lost under the weight of oppression, and reclaiming that pleasure is liberatory work.

Brown believes that it is imperative for us to see ourselves as part of interconnected systems that depend on each other to not only survive, but thrive. The protection and preservation of the planet is deeply connected to the liberation and joy of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities globally. A commitment to intentional collective action ensures that those disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental hazards are prioritized in solutions-oriented action.

Topic Related Calls To Action

So how can this be achieved?

The Joyful Revolution, a global people-driven movement honoring the sanctity and interconnectivity of every ecosystem on this planet, has outlined three steps for honoring joy in activism:

Step 1: Identify PAIN POINTS in your community, in whatever way you’d like to define it (like transportation, food access, the need to phase out fossil fuels)

Step 2: Identify a solution YOU CAN DO, and

Step 3: JOYFULLY take part in that solution

Combating systemic harm doesn’t always mean we need to become traditional activists. However, Adrienne Marie Brown reminds us of the perils of complacency. She emphasizes that “The work of changing the world has a million frontlines. You have to be aware that if you are not working on solutions for solving society’s ills then you’re probably participating in creating those ills. You just have to be awake to the fact that you are in a community, and there are people who rely on and are impacted by the decisions that you make.”

This awareness, like great power, comes with great responsibility. It's our responsibility to educate ourselves and those around us on the intersections of systemic injustices and current issues in our communities. In doing so, its vital that we refrain from speaking for the communities experiencing climate injustices, and instead, uplift and honor their voices and work. Learning about and calling out capitalism, colonialism, racism, misogyny, and greed by name is the first step in fighting against these oppressive systems.

It's also our responsibility to bring joy, contentment and satisfaction to ourselves and those around us, in our daily lives and while doing this work.

So take this message as a sign to do something that brings you joy today: spend some time outside, read a few pages of that book you’ve been meaning to start, call a friend or family member, listen to that song that you can never sit still to and dance like nobody is watching, cook a nourishing meal, change into an outfit that makes you smile, buy yourself a new plant, invest in your art practice... whatever brings you joy, even just or a moment.

Conclusion

Before we wrap up this episode, I want to share some positive climate news with you

• Development has begun on a net-zero affordable housing complex on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens, New York. It’s the first development of its kind in NYC.

• Honduras is no longer granting environmental permits for open-pit mining projects due to the deforestation and pollution they cause.

• Medical schools across the United States are incorporating climate change into their curriculum. Medical professionals must understand the ways that climate change continues to exacerbate many health issues in order to adequately treat them, and expanding their curriculum to incorporate these realities is the first step.

• A Hawaii Circuit Court Judge ruled in favor of the city of Honolulu, despite attempts from oil companies to get the case dismissed. The city has been trying to hold oil companies accountable for climate change impacts that continue to threaten Oahu, so this is huge a win!

• A Colorado bill was recently proposed to compensate homeowners and businesses replacing their grass lawns with native plant species that are adapted to the state’s arid climate

IE + Community Updates

Our founder Leah Thomas has released her first book, The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet. Head to your local bookstore to pick up your copy.

IE is hosting our first Earth Sessions event in Brooklyn On April 21st. Earth Sessions will be an ongoing series of community-driven climate justice educational concerts. At each show, we’re inviting local environmental non-profits ,as well as artists and activists, to create an intimate experience for you to find joy, learn, + take action. Be on the lookout for updates on our Instagram at intersectional environmentalist

IE’s very first publication, The IE Agenda, is hot off the press! The IE Agenda started as a zine last Spring and has since grown into a 200-page, community-created publication. If you missed our pre-sale, no worries! You can get yourself a copy on our website.

Closing Statement + Reiteration Of Calls To Action

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of The Joy Report - remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for the, now more than ever. Remember, this isn’t an independent fight, and focusing solely on doom and gloom will freeze us into inaction. Join initiatives and communities advocating for the same things you do, virtually or in person, and use your talents and interests to contribute to this joyful movement.

Tune in next episode for a download on the evolution of cannabis reform and the ways states are using cannabis justice as a form of restorative justice. I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you for listening to... the Joy Report

The Joy Report Trailer

SEASON 1

"The Joy Report" is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality, optimism, and joy.

Tune in to hear stories and updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct, accessible way by Arielle King (@ariellevking), an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. The Joy Report is an evolving project created to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect people + the planet.

✍🏾Script by @ariellevking + @vampiiirra
🦜Narration by Arielle King
🦋Audio Engineering + Music by Kayin Albright
🌿Graphic Design by Eileen Tran
🍄Produced by Phil Aiken