Grassroots organizations are trying to compete with our hyper-capitalistic society and, therefore, unintentionally becoming exploitative and contradictory of their initial values. There is a cycle of exploitation and violent language present, which leads to short-term involvement and burnout. Some organizers expect volunteers to drop all commitments to come out to actions without considering that this replicates barriers to access for people who already struggle to engage with the movement due to limited resources.

How do we engage people in the long-term rather than short sprints? How do we make the climate movement more accessible? How can we create spaces of collaboration built on principles of ecological and social wellbeing? How do we nurture people in the movement rather than exploit them and ourselves? How can we create models of community to be a buffer to the culture of burnout?

In general, our current way of organizing can be exploitative and inaccessible. To actually work towards a just transition, we must re-imagine how we work internally. By creating regenerative cycles within the organizing space, the movement will grow stronger than ever and create a safe space for collaboration and healing. More people will be applying regenerative principles to their daily lives, jobs, and community, making the just transition to a better world realistic and tangible.

Written in collaboration with the amazing activist, Rachel Roberts.

I asked myself whether there were actually any credentials or policies which standardize and measure transparency in brands? I found the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. They're working on congregating different aspects within the concept of sustainability, like a company's operations and materials.

"You can't manage a problem you aren't measuring"  This quote is from a video on their website explaining the Higgs Index and corresponding tool: a universal standard for intersectional sustainability of a product. This company inspired me to visualize an economy where consumers are choosing products according to their values.

But anyways, going back to the holiday, I understand how small businesses want high influxes of sales during the holidays, but overconsumption of even "sustainable" goods continues the cycle of overconsumption and exploitation. Even if it is much better to buy from an ethical company than the conventional option, reinforcing our current extractive habits will not help with the just transition. Don't get me wrong, I did indulge in buying some sustainable products that are usually unaffordable, but I'm not so sure these sales should occur on black friday.

At the end of the day, it's great to see how we're becoming better equipped with more product options and data to make smart consumer choices. We're experiencing transitional years where a circular economy is getting momentum ideologically but not yet culturally.  

I understand the importance of my role and how I'm the person who is supposed to educate others and be that constant reminder that there are sustainable options out there and things don't have to get done a particular way just because they were done that way before.  But one of the hardest parts about the job is preventing people from feeling threatened (job security) or offended (criticizing their job performance). It's also difficult answering the question "How does this sustainability initiative benefit me?" I always want to yell back "Do you want your kids to have a livable future?" but end up patiently stating "Because it's the right thing to do"

My point is that having a "sustainability" person on your team is probably going to burn them out real quick because they can't do everything at once. Instead, it would be best to invest on some sort of training on your team which gives everyone the tools needed to apply sustainability to their role. Placing the role of sustainability on a few is ineffective and frankly irresponsible.

11/28/21 update:

I believe the previous writing is only true in unsupportive work environments, where, even if individuals are being supportive, the overall culture lacks the incentive to change. Sustainability Analyst/Manager/Director is indeed a wonderful career that requires strong change management skills, compassion, and optimism. I look forward to continue learning about these skills and how this field will continue evolving.

So, what is greenwashing? It's when companies lie or mislead you about the "goodness" of their product to the environment. This often looks like using nature imagery, exaggerating the positives from a product, and slapping some buzz words: eco-friendly, bio-degradable, ethical, and organic.

The most frustrating part about this scheme is that consumers actually do want to find products that are healthier for them and the environment, but they're taken advantage of if they don't take the time to extensively research a particular product.

Here are some things to keep in mind when buying a product or forming an opinion on a company:

1. What is the history/patterns of the company?
2. Does the product have official labels and certifications:  For example:

• Organic doesn't mean anything, USDA organic does
• Ethical doesn't mean much, Fair Trade certified does.
• Is it a B Certified Corporation?
• All things are degradable. Most things are biodegradable, but these are not the same thing as compostable, when disposing of the product.
• Depending on the type of product it will probably have a different certification. Here is a list for certifications in the US.

3. Are they trying to tackle issues at the core? For example:

• Are they trying to offset emissions instead of reducing their emissions in the first place? Could they be switching to cleaner energy and more efficient processes?
• Are they making commitments that are really far into the future, or making changes today?
• Are they investing more in PR or in the transformation of their company/product?
• Are they privately investing in fossil fuels?

4. Are they shifting the blame to consumers/government?

• Lots of companies are now shifting the blame away from themselves by encouraging the individual to lower their personal carbon footprint. Or blaming the government of not having better environmental policy (even if they lobby in the other direction)

Overall... be skeptical! There is a growing number of companies that do want to solve issues in the industry and make better products, but there are many more who want to mislead you in order to keep you as their customer.

Yes, I am impatient. Climate change is here and I'm increasingly frustrated that I can't find an impactful job in the field. Why should the people who are most energized to work on this problem be underlooked, undervalued, and underpaid? It's becoming more common to respect young people in the activist space, but it's time for the workforce to reflect these ideals. Society should invest more in the next generation in order to solve the complex issues we face today.

There should be recruiters specific to this field which find you contract positions in all sorts of companies — big corporations that need a better sustainability team and justice organizations that need more support driving political change. I found lots of staffing agencies that want to help people early in their career but mainly in business and accounting positions. Now, we need the equivalent with climate jobs in orde to get smart, qualified people working on these issues ASAP.

Stop wasting young talent. Invest in the problem solvers of tomorrow.

White people hate talking about race. If it's something that doesn't affect you and talking about it makes you feel guilty and uncomfortable, why bring it up? Well, for starters, the environmental movement is a hypocritical mess without addressing racism and intersectionality.

John Muir, for example, "was America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist, and a founder of the Sierra Club" Yet his whole ideology on conservation was based on white supremacy, dismissiveness of indigenous people, and heck his buddies were eugenics enthusiasts. This ideology persisted throughout most of the 20th century and eventually made its way into the mainstream environmental movement of the 60s and 70s. The organizations recruited "white, coastal, democrats" echoing Muir's mission to protect the beautiful landscapes. I'm not saying protecting beautiful landscapes is a bad thing, but it's exclusive of the bigger picture including good local air quality, affordable housing and transportation, and access to healthy, sustainable food. The general perspective didn't seem to be let's conserve nature and change our way of life in order to do so, it was just let's save particular parks so we can use them for recreation. The ideology consisted of preventing destruction/pollution exclusively in your land, but if it needs to happen, make it happen somewhere else. Today, you can see a segregated difference in pollution, with the help from redlining,  between white, rich cities and low income communities of color.

There are 2 topics in modern environmentalism which come off especially racist to me: veganism and offsets. There are many vegans who are BIPOC, including celebrities, but white veganism is a different thing. An example which I think touches the surface on this topic is a PETA ad which the NFL refused to show. To put it simply, it gave me mixed emotions. They basically equate animal's rights with human rights by portraying the animals kneeling down to the national anthem... and demanding the end of speciesism. PETA always reminds me why people hate vegans. What I thought was even more hilarious were the comments; conservatives were angry that PETA had politicized animal protection and others were offended that they insensitively compared animal and human rights in that way. They won no one and rightfully so. White veganism needs to stop. Even though I'm a proud vegetarian, the conversation about animal rights and food production must include human rights, racial disparities, and the long history of veganism in communities of color.

Then, there's offsetting. The greatest greenwashing scheme for a climate silver bullet. Although there are many ways of offsetting, some examples are planting monoculture forests and providing "climate-friendly" cooking stoves to women in the Global South. A section of a report discussing the oxymoron of green flying titles: "Offsetting emissions: A License to Pollute" The only thing offsetting truly does is make privileged people in the Global North feel less guilty about consuming carbon intensive goods and services, such as flying. Or in other words, you can feel good about lowering the carbon footprint of a person who already has a significantly lower footprint than yours. Even though it's good that people are paying extra to release less carbon in the atmosphere, the way that is currently being done is mathematically illogical and racist.

There have been BIPOC groups organizing and protesting environmental pollution and degradation for a loooong time, but they weren't able to get national attention until the Warren County protests in 1982 and the federal response that followed. However, in the past decade, several environmental justice organizations have flourished and are starting to take center stage, becoming the new environmental movement. This new movement focuses on the communities which are facing the greatest burdens of pollution and climate change. As a result, it has welcomed a more diverse range of advocates and activists and we can have more comprehensive environmental conversations at a national scale.

This year has especially highlighted the intersections between racial injustices, the environment, and public health. So, many traditionally white organizations were pressured to respond and address their own structural racism and unconscious bias. Although I respect many of these organizations for achieving the environmental protection we enjoy today, I'm more trusting of organizations which embed environmental justice with their mission rather than putting it off as a separate topic for discussion. For example, the Sierra Cub has an article about environmental justice which includes a quote from their racist founder.

Overall, however, we are making progress and getting better everyday at connecting all the issues that impact society and making more space for the youth, BIPOC, womxn, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities to lead. I'm inspired by this generation to creatively and effectively solve issues and guide us to a safer world.

Shoutout to Intersectional Environmentalist for creating educational tools for this topic and using their platform to uplift underrepresented voices.

So my head cyclically revolves around the ideas that I must find a meaningful job ASAP, but also anything is better than doing the nothingness that I'm doing right now. I've let got of the idea of finding a perfect job, but I hate the idea of working somewhere that is not in the direction of my core values.

Additionally, I also feel very burned out. I often feel unmotivated, lonely, and cynical. I need to constantly feel that there are people on the same boat as me, feeling the same way as me, but with quarantine, this has been difficult to get.

For the past few months, I've felt stuck. Living the same day over and over again. Lacking control. I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. I need to take baby steps and regain control of my life.

I need to set concrete goals and timelines for myself, reach out to others more often, be more gentle and accepting with myself, and realize that a step in any direction IS a step forward.

Side Note: I hate that the mainstream news outlets are entertainment channels, so when is the climate crisis considered entertaining? When massive protests arise? When a 15 year old is taking more initiative than most world leaders?

But anyways, how do we keep climate news on top of everyone's minds? How can we as a society accept the reality and be inspired to change. I think a good majority of Americans are aware of climate change, but have the belief that it is not their personal responsibility to do anything. Are they bad people? No, but they trust the government and greenwashing too much. However, on the other side of this spectrum is the people that believe that they have to solve this problem on their own. That is also not the case.

I wish it was easier for people to take action. Now, you have to join an organization and stay updated about what events are happening, but there should be a way that you can easily find out what all organizations are doing in respect to trigger events like this....

• The dooming negativity:
• the common term "fighting" climate change
• the tone that we're trying to avoid a scary and uninhabitable future (even though it's true, I don't think panic and doom is the right tone to inspire people)
• us vs. them mentality, "they" are polluting
• complex scientific jargon that makes people feel distant and unaffected

What I believe the conversation should sound like:

• acknowledge that environmental degradation isn't new, it started even before the industrial revolution.
• change our human-centric perspective, we are another species on this planet trying to survive and thrive. The existence of other species and habitats shouldn't be debated because of its benefit to human kind, but because others have a right to exist
• the world is more connected than we understand and we must acknowledge this to prevent unintended consequences.
• environmental problems have been catalyzed by racism and it is impossible to address one problem without the other.
• acknowledging that this is a multi-scale situation and must be addressed as such

Another reason I wanted to get my produce delivered was because I thought huh less plastic consumed than at the grocery store, but the produce came in a box with an icepack and a plastic #4 wrapper, so I'm not sure if I saved any plastic.

The point that I learned from the article mentioned is that most of the food "waste" does not happen in the farmers --> grocery stores step, but afterwards with the consumer.

This made me wonder, what could be the solution to food waste (and hunger) then?

I started thinking about a similar "hip" program to imperfect foods, but with compost. A "study reports that 72 percent of Americans don't compost at home, but 67 would be willing to do so if it was easier" so if there was some sort of easy delivery service that bought your compost or something, less food scraps would go to landfill.

But this still doesn't solve the problem of people throwing away edible food, not just food scraps. How do we prevent food waste?

I've noticed people enjoy buying more food than they need, but why?

I've also noticed that during the pandemic, it's become increasingly difficult to do things that require sharing/ dealing with other's waste. Apparently imperfect is typically willing to accept your returned boxes and ice packs, but not during these times. Something positive about imperfect is that it does bring waste into consciousness. Produce begins to feel more precious and it heightens awareness of what gets thrown away.

I do believe there is something about American culture that facilitates food waste. In lots of other countries, people buy their necessities for the next few days, in the US people try to buy groceries for the next few weeks, and produce most of the time simply doesn't last that long. I feel that most environmental problems can be solved with a shift in culture and public opinion.

How can we inspire people to only buy what they need and what they don't need can go to food banks and such?

The pandemic has made organizing a whole lot more difficult since most things have to be online and retaining that sense of community online is very hard. I think we're less empathetic to our online counterparts than we are in real life. For example, Twitter has completely desensitized me. When I log on, I am thinking: what horrible thing is happening today? The sense of community in Twitter has become panicked and angry. People on Twitter have the capability of joining forces and becoming more powerful than the sum of its parts, but I don't see this often. What I do notice is people "raising awareness" But what does this mean? The same sphere of people are repeatedly seeing horrible news, that makes us go crazy, and quite frankly depressed. It disempowers us to believe that everything that happens in the world is nonsensical and you are the only person who cares. That is simply not true, but what does "raising awareness" actually do? I think it's awesome that viral tweets can get the attention of celebrities, politicians, and the media and become mainstream, but shouldn't we be more mindful of what becomes viral for a period of time and then forgotten?

I'm not saying that we should ignore the horrible injustices that have been happening such as murders, kidnapping, and evictions. What I am saying is that repeatedly retweeting these things without the appropriate action steps depresses and disempowers us. I think we should realize how much more control we have over this narrative. These are our communities and our world and your voice matters. We need to start connecting in more than superficial ways and build the community that we want.

Now, what is a community? A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. What is that characteristic we share? Is it hating the current system of government/economy? Is it love for one another and passion for ensuring everyone a just future?

My favorite quote from Get Together is "build your community with people, not for them"

So I want to experiment creating a chat room with activists and name it chat4change: https://discord.gg/Qbz5fp

Since the pandemic began, I turned 21, graduated college, adopted a cat, and have been living with my boyfriend. Yet, I feel like a depressed bum. I feel paralyzed by so much uncertainty. So much change is happening everyday that I feel like I'm constantly trying to process what happened the day before.

I've learned change and growth is painful, but it can be beautiful. My views on environmental problems has shifted. Before the current civil rights movement, I understood that there was a relationship between racial and environmental justice, but I now understand that they are literally the same thing. Many environmental atrocities throughout history have occurred in communities of color— causing genocide. Therefore the proper acknowledgment of all people minimizes the places that can be considered "disposable" by some. The way we're moving forward recognizes that we are all connected, what hurts you, hurts me.

We need to continue this fight, not by protesting what we hate, but making our desired future a reality. Now, this is extremely hard considering it's hard to think what I will be doing tomorrow. But thinking positively day by day still works. The point is to increase the amount of conversations around the world discussing what we would like to see in the future.

For example, during the beginning of the pandemic, it was absolutely insane that the Bay Area did not have traffic during rush hour and you could see across the bay clearly. I really liked seeing that. It makes me think if people can work from home, why stop them? I understand that not everyone can, but how can we decrease the amount of people that commute by car every single day. Similarly, I'd like to see people buying experiences and services rather than physical objects that accumulate very easily. I'd like to see toxic waste and pollution out BIPOC communities. I'd like to stop the rhetoric that there are tradeoffs between a group's health and livelihood and the economy flourishing. I'd like to see less judgement and more compassion among one another— we need to stop yelling at walls and speak the same language.

I'd like to see more motivation, hope, and courage to guide us forward.

Trash is sad

Plastic is sad

It's everywhere and inevitable. Yes people are able to go zero-waste and that is awesome for them! But I could never imagine everyone becoming zero waste any time soon so we need something more moderate that includes everyone: across different countries and socioeconomic status.

We need to thrive from a circular economy. Somehow REUSE all the materials that we have on earth today. We need to figure out a way to prioritize accessibility and convenience for this transition.

Why does society reward the ones doing the most harm to our environment?

Why don't we pay for people who take care of us and our shared home?

Why are left-minded people considered to be more high-achieving than right minded people?

In my current job, we're trying to get young climate activists and crisis responders well paid jobs doing a variety of projects. However, I'm thinking society needs a shift that is larger than this. We need to appropriately pay people based on the healing they can provide for the planet.

What if we push the social cost of carbon a bit further. What if it was incorporated in individual's taxes? If you work in a climate-positive job you get a bonus with your pay check yay, even if you are just volunteering you can get paid! If you work in a climate destructive job and earn more than x amount of dollars per year, you get some sort of fine. This would motivate people to switch jobs on more than a moral standpoint. In order to ensure a just transition into a green economy it is important that everybody is truly motivated to change regardless of their climate knowledge. (even though education is the best it's not the fastest answer).

This can be expanded to all jobs of folks who take care of us: moms, teachers, healthcare workers. What if you got a bonus for growing your own food in your backyard?

The point of taxes is to reduce an undesired behavior and fund the alternative. California currently has a cap-and-trade system that creates a market of permits for industries. Those that pollute over the limit must reduce their emissions or buy permits from industries that pollute below the limit. This is extremely more efficient than giving everyone the same quantitative limit of pollution since industries naturally pollute different amounts. This method is also significantly more politically feasible than taxes and has an equivalent outcome. So... should we have permits of carbon with our individual earnings and spending? What is the most ethical way to properly charge pollution and emissions without leaving anyone behind?

Are we destroying our planet because we are ignorant, careless, or we lack alternatives?

The world is changing and it is important to truly imagine all the possibilities that the world holds for us. We must not go back to "normal" after this pandemic. We must learn what works and what doesn't for our society. We need to choose what is best for ourselves, our children, and the place we call home.

From a standpoint of natural disasters, famine, and disease, things aren't looking too promising in the future. IM SICK OF NOT TAKING ACTION BEFORE THE SHIT SHOW. We are smart human beings and need to learn that we can work on problems before the point of no return and tragic loss.

I think the idea of valuing workers appropriately is an essential part of the transition out of this pandemic. If we don't do anything the most vulnerable will continue to be vulnerable and die at higher rates. This is simply unacceptable. The pandemic shows us how well we can come together if we have to and we have to take advantage of that.

We need to think big and we need to think fast. We are capable of changing our economy and society and live on a new, unrecognizable world, not everything has to go to shit if we get our shit together.

what????????? all said by some privileged white dudes?????

Sure overpopulation is a problem, but who are you to regulate people's families? Have you not seen the horrors of attempting to control population? We should invest in women's health and education before we even think of any population regulations.

Sure overconsumption is bad, but are you really not going to demand better policy and industry while you're consuming less? And how specifically does the government enforce that?

At first I liked the criticism of solar and wind, saying how they rely on other mined materials and fossil fuel products to function. I thought well, having this discussion is good since we have to improve this new technology so much. But then I started realizing the great amount of misinformation and outdated facts sprinkled through the documentary.

But then the documentary gets darker and darker...there is no hope... we have screwed up. What type of mentality is this? Should we all just kill ourselves? Is that the point?

I wish we could have debates without judgement, misinformation, and hopelessness.

One more thing I want to say is that the us vs. them mentality is truly what will kill us all. If we don't come together and realize we do have common goals, we will never get anywhere. Earth is one and humans, animals, and plants are just part of a balanced ecosystem.