Blog Post

Maliyah Womack reflects on her journey navigating the environmental sector and the feeling of imposter syndrome that follows many young women of color in the movement. Despite years of experience in community organizing, she often felt out of place in the environmental space. Through self-reflection and shared experiences with other women of color, Maliyah came to realize that their lived experiences are their greatest strengths.

Lisette Perez discovered her passion for environmental education, storytelling, and advocacy post-graduation. Her career includes roles with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service in Juneau, and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Steph Niaupari is the Founder of Plantita Power, a DC-based collective led by and for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC). Plantita Power fosters community connections where QTBIPOC can nurture their own personal sustenance, relationship to food, and reclaim food sovereignty.

Shane Araujo is a research assistant and the junior editor for the Hot & Cold NYC team at the Energy, Equity, Housing, and Health program (E2H2 at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health) led by Dr. Diana Hernández.

Jennifer is a Program Officer for Mosaic, a national grantmaking initiative focused on building a bigger, more influential environmental movement.

In this blog, Green 2.0 Fellow Ki’Ana Speights explores how their identity as a Black, Queer person intersects with the ecological world, and how they work to reclaim their space in nature. They dissect how White-heteronormative binaries were designed to exclude BIPOC people and make them feel othered. Through the lens of queer ecology, they imagine a future where society can accept and reflect the fluidity of nature.

In this blog, Green 2.0 Fellow Kevin Hernandez discusses the colonization of Mexico and how it streamlined Mexican food becoming meat-centric along with his experience as a vegetarian Mexican-American. He proposes that people try to understand their culture and encourages them to try a plant-based diet.

Through the lens of the award-winning film Oppenheimer, Good Energy Collective’s Michael Mouton argues for a reevaluation and departure from the ‘great man’ narrative. He calls for a collective approach to far-reaching crises and problems — like the climate crisis.