No Denying It

The coal plant never saw it coming.

When a new coal project was quietly announced, Chibeze Ezekiel began mobilizing his community to resist, by educating them about the danger of fossil fuels. In the end, Goliath was no match for Mr. Ezekiel's “submarine” campaign, and Ghana went on to commit to renewable energy for all future projects.

We talked to Mr. Ezekiel about why we should be treating climate change with the same urgency we have treated COVID-19, how he works with local leaders and youth to protect Ghana’s environment, and why he faced arrest for simply speaking out against coal.

Learn more about Chibeze Ezekiel and The Try Guys here.

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There aren’t plenty of fish in the sea - not anymore.

Lefteris Arapakis grew up in a family where generations before him were fishermen. But, as the climate of the Mediterranean changes, so does the fishing economy.  And while he was trying to solve that, Mr. Arapakis stumbled on a different solution. Now the self-proclaimed “worst fisherman in Greece” is hauling in a bountiful catch every day - of plastic pollution.

We talked to him about how to use local knowledge and direct action to find solutions that work for your community - and how a bottle of whiskey can kick start the process.

Learn more about Erin McGoff and Lefteris Arapakis here.

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Grief can be powerful when we put it into action.

Yvonne Cuaresma knows climate grief. Her family in the West watches as wildfires burn more acreage every year, while her friends back in New York City watch flood waters rise. The pandemic, the heat, and the fires, all led Yvonne to a kind of climate crisis of her own. But then she found a way to start to heal.

We talked to Ms. Cuaresma about The Climate Journal Project, her strategies for building communities of action, and how to move through climate paralysis through self-discovery.

Learn more about Dr. Karl and Ms. Cuaresma here.

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You aren’t alone. You just haven’t found your community yet.

Cassia Moraes knows the power of community. She’s building a global network of young people, trained to take on climate jobs and to support each other in solving the climate crisis. 

We talked to Ms. Moraes about the Young Climate Leaders program, where young people work to solve real problems, and to provide a reality check to the climate movement bubble, strengthened by the “entrepreneurship of scarcity.”

Find out more about Ms. Moraes and Mamadou Ndiaye here.

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Nature has proven that we can’t beat it - so we better join it.

Tariq Al-Olaimy calls it “partnering with nature,” to find solutions that benefit both people and planet. It’s a strategy that requires both an understanding of our planet’s complex systems, and a healthy dose of humility. 

We talked to Mr. Al-Olaimy about the open source innovations of nature, how biomimicry allows us to leverage millenia of research and development, and how the climate crisis is also a spiritual crisis.

Learn more about Michelle Yeoh and Tariq Al-Olaimy here.

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What’s in the water?

That’s what legions of volunteers are finding out with MyH20, a network that collects drinking water data to help find solutions to improve water quality across China.

Globally, two billion people lack access to safe drinking water, a figure that will only go up as infrastructure struggles to keep pace with new climate change-related weather patterns.

Xiaoyuan "Charlene" Ren is the founder of MyH20. We talked to her about the challenges of securing safe drinking water, and the power of citizens to collect data to make big changes.

Learn more about Jane Goodall and Xiaoyuan Ren here.

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Kids are mad, and they’re willing to take it to court.

Children from across the planet have been sounding the alarm about the climate crisis, fearful that their future will be unlivable. And now they’ve got a lawyer on their side.

Mat dos Santos, Managing Attorney at Our Children’s Trust, works with young clients to bring climate litigation to federal and state courts in the United States, and tribunals across the globe. 

We talked to Mx. dos Santos about how all other rights hinge on the right to a safe climate and policy built on the best available science.

Learn more about Kyne and Mat dos Santos here.

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When we decolonize fashion, the climate benefits too.

Aditi Mayer is an American blogger and organizer of South Asian heritage. Ms. Mayer uses her social media platform to host conversations about fast fashion, climate, race, and gender. 

We talked to her about “fibresheds", looking to the pre-colonial past for indigenous solutions for clothing manufacturing, and organizing garment workers in Los Angeles.

Learn more about Dia MIrza and Aditi Mayer here.

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Reuse plastic, solve the housing crisis, and create jobs.

That’s what Nzambi Matee, a Kenyan materials engineer is working towards.  She’s partnered with manufacturers and waste collectors to capture plastic that would otherwise be headed to the landfill, to turn it into paving bricks, and eventually, building materials for homes.

We talked to Nzambi about how to tap into existing systems to improve how waste is managed, and how to scale beyond your community.

Learn more about Ed Norton and Nzambi Matee here. 

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Solar works in the Arctic - so what excuse do city folks have? 

That’s the question posed by Old Crow, Yukon’s new solar installation project, which, when complete, will allow the community to stop burning nearly 200,000 litres of diesel fuel annually.

The initiative is being shepherded by Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm, the elected chief of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, based in Old Crow, a fly-in community of around 300 in Canada. 

We talked to Chief Tizya-Tramm about making climate decisions that honor generations past, present, and future; and the solutions that our nations have access to right now ... if we’re only courageous enough to choose them.

Learn more about Ezra Miller and Chief Dana Tizya-Miller here.

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