In the second part of a two part series, we will continue talking about The Whale Child, a book written and illustrated by Indigenous authors Keith and Chenoa Egawa. Keith and Chenoa are siblings and enrolled members of the Lummi Indian Nation and of Japanese heritage. 

This book is a reminder of why we are here, why I am here, and why I am doing this work and this podcast. 

In the first part of the episode, we hear more about the role of magic in telling the story and about the inspiration for the book. In the second part of the episode, Keith and Chenoa talk about influences, habits, and advices that helped them in their work and life. 

Magic is a part of life. It is also the potential that we all have that somehow gets limited through conditioning and socialization, especially in modern world. We are able to connect to that magic – if we wish to – through our dreams. It comes from the heart, not the mind. But now, we do not even know what the heart is saying any more. 

We want you to remember you’re important; this is who you are. You can be what you want to be. But what is your goal? Is it to make money? And, is it to make money at the cost of life? It does not matter if you’re a good engineer; if your job is destructive, you’re destroying the Earth. It is important to bring this reality to our children now and prepare them to what is happening and what is going to happen. 

Episode Highlights

• We have stories about whales and orcas. They’re akin. It is not just some kind of idea of magic, but these are parts of our wisdom and understanding over thousands of years.
• If you want to connect with your magic, you have to open something within yourself to remember what is already in you.
• We were inspired to write the story because we saw the power of the birth of our nephew, and what happened during that time. 
• We want all children to remember that they are this precious and this sacred.
• And then the environmental message came too, because of where we are now. We thought of all our children and our nieces and nephew, thinking about all of them and wanting to have that hope for them. That’s how the story came about. It came from a dream that my sister had. 
• There’s a change of jobs that needs to happen. There’s a change in our conciseness that needs to happen. If you’re doing a job, it needs to have some aspects of caring about the Earth, life, and healing.  

Contact information and other Resources:

Keith Egawa is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Creative Writing program and author of the novel Madchild Running. Keith’s extensive work experience in the fields of Child and Family Services and Indian Education Reform has provided him with both inspiration and insight into his subject matter.

Chenoa Egawa holds a BA in International Business and Spanish from the University of Washington. In addition to being a writer, Chenoa is an activist for Indigenous communities and the environment, a ceremonial leader, medicine woman, singer, storyteller, and artist dedicated to bringing healing to our Mother Earth and people of all origins. 

Breaking Green Ceilings:

Website: https://www.breakinggreenceilings.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaking_green_ceilings/

Follow Keith and Chenoa Egawa: 

Instagram: The Whale Child

Facebook: The Whale Child

Website: http://www.swanclan.com/

E-mail: chenoa egawa

Penguin Random House: The Whale Child

Amazon: The Whale Child

In this first episode of a two-part series, we will be talking about The Whale Child, a book written and illustrated by Indigenous authors Keith and Chenoa Egawa. Keith and Chenoa are siblings and enrolled members of the Lummi Indian Nation, and of Japanese heritage. 

Keith Egawa is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Creative Writing program and author of the novel Madchild Running. Keith’s extensive work experience in the fields of Child and Family Services and Indian Education Reform has provided him with both inspiration and insight into his subject matter.

Chenoa Egawa holds a BA in International Business and Spanish from the University of Washington. In addition to being a writer, Chenoa is an activist for Indigenous communities and the environment, a ceremonial leader, medicine woman, singer, storyteller, and artist dedicated to bringing healing to our Mother Earth and people of all origins. 

The Whale Child is an inspiring book that introduces young readers to the environmental challenges facing the planet through the eyes of Coast Salish characters and authors. It is a story about two children: a young whale and a little girl. Her task is to follow the whale child as he shows her the threats of pollution and global warming to water and thus to all interconnected life and creatures on Earth.  

The book is a reminder of our severed and hurt relationships with nature. We were born with connections to nature. But as we grow older, we get socialized away from nature, which takes us away from our essence, who we really are. 

According to the authors, there is nothing wrong with awareness. We do not need to be afraid. We need to recognize what is going on, and realize that we still have the power to change the situation. Turning our backs and being afraid to look at the truth will not help us to overcome anything. Facing the reality of what is going on, whether it is within or around us, is part of the healing that we all came here to do. And now, perhaps, if we can come together and recognize our common humanity, we can see that together we can make these changes. It is on us to find a way to respect nature wherever we are.

Episode Highlights

• I remember the stories that our great-grandmother would tell us. There was sadness in me because I thought about how those days are gone and these stories are, somehow, disappearing in this new world.
• We wrote The Whale Child honoring the memory and realizing that these things are not gone, that we can remember them at any time. And if we breathe that life back into them, they are waiting for us. 
• All of nature is alive, and the spirits of the stories are not just legends and myths. They are living, breathing, alive hearts of this world in which we live. 
• Every child has a special gift for society as a whole, for our community, and our family to be whole and fully expressed. Each person needs to contribute their unique genius or unique gift that they came to bring to the whole. 
• There is this remembering and forgetting that we go through when we come to this Earth. 
• We have responsibility. We have a voice. And we are taught to use it in a helpful way and a way of being of service
• Let’s be hopeful for our children. Let’s talk to them about what is happening so we can come up with some changes and solutions that can ensure a good life for them, their children, and their grandchildren.
• There are no borders in nature. It is all connected. We are all part of the global ecosystem. 

Contact information and other Resources:

Keith Egawa is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Creative Writing program and the author of the novel Madchild Running (Red Crane Books Inc. 1999). Egawa’s extensive work experience in the fields of Children and Family Services and Indian Education Reform has provided him with both inspiration and insight into his subject matter. Egawa has been awarded several artists’ grants, including the ARTs Up grant through the Seattle Arts Commission, which was used to conduct a series of writing workshops for Native youth in the Seattle area.

Chenoa Egawa is the Coast Salish of the Lummi and S’Kallam Nations of Washington State. She is a ceremonial leader, singer, speaker, environmental activist, and artist dedicated to bringing healing to our Mother Earth, and people of all cultures, backgrounds, and origins through recognition of our shared experiences as human beings. Chenoa has long been active in local and international work for Indigenous peoples, children, and the environment. For over 20 years, she has worked in Washington State schools, creating programs that integrate Native American culture and history, often teaching through songs and storytelling, empowering Native youth, and bringing greater appreciation for cultural diversity to all children in the public school system. Over the past 25 years, she has traveled throughout North, Central, and South America facilitating communication among indigenous peoples with the intent of protecting and preserving cultural heritage, languages, and homelands.

Breaking Green Ceilings:

Website: https://www.breakinggreenceilings.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaking_green_ceilings/

Follow Keith and Chenoa Egawa: 

E-mail: chenoa egawa

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chenoa.egawa/

Chenoa Egawa website: http://www.swanclan.com/

Grace Anderson (she/her) is a network weaver, strategist, and dreamer working at the intersection of race, healing and the environment.

While working in the outdoor and environmental sector, she recognized a lack of people of color in that space, not only in leadership, but also in the program. Their stories have not been being told. She soon realized she did not want to spend her time educating white folks. Instead, she wanted to spend her time, resources and energy on people of color and their experiences, moving resources towards what they needed. 

In this episode, we will hear about what made her become an independent environmental consultant, and what specific issues she is focused on. She shares her thoughts about DEI, volunteering, and philanthropy, among other things. Her insightful article about the problems related to DEI: “Is DEI work upholding the same systems it seeks to challenge?” is available on her web page. 

Episode Highlights

• Nature has played two different roles in my life. Every time I’m outside, I am reminded how small I am in a big system of things and also how powerful I am in a big system of things. 
• Now I see my work as just liberation and joy work. My focus has stayed the same; I’m just approaching it differently.
• We’ve been advocating for what we need for so long. And we know what we need. My goal now is to move resources toward that. 
• Yes, I think DEI is tricky because it does provide some space, and there is a lot of education that needs to be done. I just think it is so out of balance. 
• In 2020, after I left PGM ONE, I was granted a fellowship from the Pisces Foundation alongside Angela Mooney D’Arcy and we are creating a fellowship for folks of color in the environmental space.
• We are creating a framework and infrastructure to have a long-standing fellowship, specifically focused on black and indigenous folks, who need resources and time to create. Another part of it, is acquiring land for people to retreat and rest on. 
• I’m genuinely curious and genuinely care about people outside of the work that I do. 
• I often volunteer on the scholarship committee because I can see the benefit of other people. 
• I would like to distinguish between the people with the money – philanthropist behind the foundation and the people working in that foundation. 
• Too often, we look at philanthropy as a solution, and it’s not. People who have the money need to acknowledge where the money came from. No one gets that much money without extraction and exploitation, like slavery and child labor.

Contact information and other Resources:

Grace Anderson (she/her) is a network weaver, strategist, and dreamer working at the intersection of race, healing, and the environment. She is committed to building the capacity of people of color in the environmental space by moving resources toward their dreams and creating structural programming to support their growth.

With over a decade of experience in the outdoor and environmental sector, Grace has worked in several different capacities to uplift and center Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. At People of the Global Majority in the Outdoors, Nature, and Environment (PGM ONE), Grace co-directed the largest gathering of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who work in connection with the land. Her time in this role significantly deepened her commitment to building and sustaining the networks, dreams, and joy of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Breaking Green Ceilings:

Website: https://www.breakinggreenceilings.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaking_green_ceilings/

Follow Grace: 

Website: https://www.graceanderson.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amaze_me_grace/

Dr. Sri has a really interesting story about how he found himself on a path into environmental conservation and eventually water equity after starting as a construction engineer. When I reached out to Sri he was the leader of the water program at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center. Since then, he took a new and exciting opportunity at the Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc., as the Director of Water Equity and Climate Resilience. Over the past several years, Sri’s work has addressed national water issues such as affordability, aging water infrastructure, extreme weather impacts, financing, and non-point source pollution. 

In this episode, Dr. Sri talks about water equity challenges in the United States.

Episode Highlights

• In the US, we have almost two million people who do not have access to clean drinking water and indoor plumbing services. The majority of them are indigenous communities and communities of color. 
• In its simplest form, water equity means that everyone has access to safe, reliable, and affordable water services. But sometimes, what is safe and reliable is not affordable, or what is reliable and affordable is not safe. 
• There are many forms of water inequity in the US - accidents, contamination with water pollutants, too expensive water for low-income community, or mistrust toward the public service.  
• Inequities in communities of color include housing issues, capitalistic ways of doing things, some version of private industry, or lobbying. 
• We try to work with EPA because certain things have to be done at the federal level. 
• Water infrastructure investments. Smaller systems are more resource restricted, but they are also in most need of these funds. 
• Six million people in the country do not drink tap water. In many cases these are unjustified fears of mistrust. 
• There are certain uses for bottle water. But making that a predominant way of consumption is problematic because there is huge difference in the pricing of bottle water per unit of volume compared to tap water. 

Contact information and other Resources:

Dr. Sridhar Vedachalam leads the water program at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center. His work has addressed national water issues such as affordability, aging infrastructure, extreme weather impacts, financing, and non-point source pollution. He currently serves on the advisory board for Water Hub and is a member of the Source Water Initiative led by the Great Lakes Commission and the Water Equity Task Force led by Virginia Health Catalyst. Dr. Vedachalam is also the Editor for Urban Water at the Global Water Forum, a resource for evidence-based, accessible, and open-access articles on freshwater governance. He brings water policy experience from his years in academia, government, and the non-profit sector. He holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.

Breaking Green Ceilings:

Website: https://www.breakinggreenceilings.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaking_green_ceilings/

Follow Dr. Sri Vedachlam: 

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/drvedachalam

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srivedachalam/

This is the second episode of a two-part series with Afnan Khairullah and Sofia Gilani. Afnan and Sofia are volunteers with the Green Muslims organization that works to connect Muslims everywhere to nature and environmental activism. 

In this episode, Afnan and Sofia continue sharing about the role nature played in their life and how they are using their religion, Islam, to educate and connect fellow Muslims to nature. They also give some good examples of how to live responsibly and be good stewards of this planet. According to them, keeping it simple, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, is the way it is supposed to be. Simple life gives you clarity and a better perspective on what is important in life, and helps you prioritize.

Episode Highlights

• The way Ramadan is practiced nowadays defeats the purpose. We are supposed to spend all our time in worship, yet many people spend their time in the kitchen cooking for a massive feast, and after that massive feast, there is a massive clean-up. 
• The environmental toll on that is that there is so much food, and a lot of it ends up going to waste. 
• Our dinner is our iftar (breakfast). We have maybe one big iftar, and then we have leftovers. 
• In Green Muslims last year we did a Ramadan challenge where we encouraged our followers to do a different theme each week 
• Get yourself out there and make room for yourself. Not many environmental spaces are Muslim-heavy. Make yourself heard, and start where you’re comfortable. 
• Pursue your passion. Learn more about what you want to learn and use it to the best of your ability. 
• Live simply; forget about the stuff and go for the outdoor experiences and quality time with nature. 

Contact information and other Resources:

Afnan is a New Jersey native who moved to Northern Virginia in 2020 to start a career in the federal government. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies and an MS in Sustainability Science with a concentration in sustainability leadership. Throughout her life, she has been drawn to the outdoors and is happiest hiking, bouldering, or exploring Washington, DC. 

Time and again Afnan has found herself drawing parallels with faith and eco stewardship, so working with Green Muslims was a natural fit to address environmental stewardship in the Muslim community while also promoting environmental awareness. She hopes that more people will one day share the same affinity for the well-being of the Earth. 

Sofia Gilani (she/hers) is the Climate Action Advocate for Green Muslims. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Sofia spent much of her youth outdoors with her family & later traveled to her parent’s home countries of Pakistan and Nicaragua. This travel experience shaped her view of an interconnected world that influenced her passion for environmental and social justice. She holds a BS in Environmental Science from George Mason University where she was involved with the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition and Mason Environmental Justice Alliance (MEJA). During her participation with these two organizations she was a collaborator for events to address activist burnout, conflict resolution discussions, prepare for marches, and organize clean-ups. Sofia has a strong passion for education and advocacy that she utilizes in her work with Green Muslims to help involve the Muslim community in environmental advocacy. Professionally, Sofia has worked in environmental compliance for solid waste, as well as construction. In her spare time outside of work and advocacy, Sofia enjoys kayaking, biking, boxing, and hanging out with her cat.

Here's a link to a video that created by Peter Toscano of the Citizens Climate Lobby for the “Religious Communities and the Planetary Crisis” hosted by the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network, the Hartford Seminary, and CT Interfaith Power and Light.

https://www.facebook.com/528075872/videos/10158758547730873/ 

Breaking Green Ceilings:

Website: https://www.breakinggreenceilings.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaking_green_ceilings/

Follow Afnan: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afn%C3%A1n-khairullah-78aab910a/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khairful/

Follow Sofia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreengilani/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegreengilani

Green Muslims: https://www.greenmuslims.org/

In this first episode of a two part series, we will hear from Afnan Khairullah and Sofia Gilani, who are volunteers with Green Muslims. Green Muslims is an organization that works to connect Muslims everywhere to nature and environmental activism. Their mission is to serve as a source in the Muslim community for spiritually-inspired environmental education, action, and reflection. 

Afnan and Sofia share with us about the role nature played in their life and how they are using their religion, Islam, to educate and connect fellow Muslims to nature. They both see their religion closely connected to environmentalism. 

According to Afnan and Sofia, all creatures are important, and our responsibility is to treat everything that the Creator has given us with kindness, compassion and respect. It is important to be humble and respectful of others. 

Episode Highlights

• Environmentalism in Islam is an obligation. 
• Our interpretation of the scriptures and God’s will, may take us down the rabbit hole. Instead of using the resources to live better, we are overusing them. 
• We are tested by what God gives us. Do we use this great wealth He gives us to improve other people’s lives, or do we live lavishly? 
• We’re advocating for this planet, for the entire creation. Any good work we do here in Virginia, can benefit outside these made-up borders. 
• Being able to connect Islam and education does a whole lot. Starting on kids young and get them in that thought process, but also adults who may not have been thinking about that.
• It is important to maintain the balance in our environment by preserving, protecting and not altering our habitats to our convenience.
• We should all ask ourselves what our priorities are. Why are we here? Why are we chasing all this materialism and lifestyles?

Contact information and other Resources:

Afnan is a New Jersey native who moved to Northern Virginia in 2020 to start a career in federal government. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies and a MS in Sustainability Science with a concentration in sustainability leadership. Throughout her life she has been drawn to the outdoors and is happiest hiking, bouldering, or exploring Washington, DC. 

Time and again Afnan has found herself drawing parallels with faith and eco stewardship, so working with Green Muslims was a natural fit to address environmental stewardship in the Muslim community while also promoting environmental awareness. She hopes that more people will one day share the same affinity for the well-being of the Earth. 

Sofia Gilani (she/hers) is the Climate Action Advocate for Green Muslims. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Sofia spent much of her youth outdoors with her family & later traveled to her parent’s home countries of Pakistan and Nicaragua. This travel experience shaped her view of an interconnected world that influenced her passion for environmental and social justice. She holds a BS in Environmental Science from George Mason University where she was involved with the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition and Mason Environmental Justice Alliance (MEJA). During her participation with these two organizations she was a collaborator for events to address activist burnout, conflict resolution discussions, prepare for marches, and organize clean-ups. Sofia has a strong passion for education and advocacy that she utilizes in her work with Green Muslims to help involve the Muslim community in environmental advocacy. Professionally, Sofia has worked in environmental compliance for solid waste, as well as construction. In her spare time outside of work and advocacy, Sofia enjoys kayaking, biking, boxing, and hanging out with her cat.

Here's a link to a video that created by Peter Toscano of the Citizens Climate Lobby for the “Religious Communities and the Planetary Crisis” hosted by the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network, the Hartford Seminary, and CT Interfaith Power and Light.

https://www.facebook.com/528075872/videos/10158758547730873/ 

Breaking Green Ceilings:

Website: https://www.breakinggreenceilings.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaking_green_ceilings/

Follow Afnan: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afn%C3%A1n-khairullah-78aab910a/

USGS: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/afnan-khairullah 

Follow Sofia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreengilani/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegreengilani

Green Muslims: https://www.greenmuslims.org/

Nadia Ahmad is an author, attorney, law professor, and environmental justice advocate. She has spent her academic career focusing on frontline communities who are the most vulnerable to energy production.

She is a Visiting Associate Professor at Yale Law School and an Associate Professor at Barry University School of Law. She teaches environmental law, property, and business organizations. She has presented her research on the law and policy of advanced biofuels in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Cambridge, Doha, Denver, New York, and San Francisco. Her over 45 scholarly publications focus on the intersections of energy siting, the environment, and sustainable development and draw on international investment law and corporate social responsibility.

Three Exploredt: 

• Third World vs First World
• frontline communities are vulnerable to energy production
• climate cages
• environmental justice activism

Best advice: don't listen to anyone. (meaning if someone has something negative to say to deter you away from doing something you love don't listen to them and do it anyway) 

Connect with Nadia Ahmad: 

Website: https://nadiaahmad.org/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiabahmad

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profnadiaahmad

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NadiaBAhmad

Additional resources: 

https://youtu.be/QP39lio396s

https://law.yale.edu/nadia-b-ahmad

http://www2.law.mercer.edu/elaw/ahmad.html

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=fm22ArEAAAAJ&hl=en

Earl B. Hunter, Jr is an unapologetic business owner of an outdoor recreational and marketing company that is committed to get more Black folks out in nature, and encourage white allies to extend invites on their outdoor excursions. Earl worked in the RV (recreational vehicle) industry as an executive for many years until he realized how people of color and particularly Black folks are rarely to be seen purchasing recreational equipment or even enjoying outdoor spaces like parks. So, he took matters into his own hands and he created Black Folks Camp Too, which is based on one simple slogan, “Treat Everyone Everywhere Equally”. This is depicted in the Black Folks Camp Too Unity Blaze.

Follow Earl

IG:@blackfolkscamptoo

Facebook: @blackfolkscamptoo

YouTube: @Black Folks Camp Too

Website: blackfolkscamptoo.com

Follow Breaking Green Ceilings

IG - @breaking_green_ceilings

Ecologist Dr. Rodrigo Medellín is one of the most vocal and well-known advocates for the protection of bats and bat habitats. Rodrigo fell in love with bats when he held one for the first time at the age of 13 and today he is known as the “Bat Man of Mexico”.

He is especially known for making significant contributions to taking the lesser long-nosed bat off the endangered list in Mexico and the U.S. The lesser long-nosed bat, found in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, is one of just three bat species in North America that are responsible for pollinating cacti and agave plants across the continent. 

• IG:@batmanmedellin
• YouTube: @Rodrigo Medellin
• Researchgate: Dr. Rodrigo Medellin

• IG - @breaking_green_ceilings

Rocio Villalobos is from Austin, Texas. She's an avid trail runner who promotes mental health, having experienced her own challenges and finding a place to belong in nature. She runs to promote Indigenous values around running to heal the soul and healing one's relationship to the land and to raise awareness on the importance of increasing racial representation in the outdoors. She is also a mentor who helps connect young people to nature and themselves. In addition, she is also an environmental and social justice activist who is fighting to promote a healthy community in her East Austin neighborhood which is predominantly Latinx and a Black community and has experienced environmental injustices. Last but not least, she is currently working with the City of Austin's equity office as an immigrant affairs coordinator. 

• IG: @thexicanaexplorer
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rociodelrosario

• IG - @breaking_green_ceilings