Blog Post

In November of 2022, staff of color at The Wilderness Society (TWS) gathered for a retreat named TWS in Color. In this blog, TWS’s Vice President of Equity, Culture, and Learning Wordna Meskheniten reflects on the experiences and learnings of their convening and provides advice for other groups looking to better support their staff of color.

Coming from a tradition of resilience through humor expertly modeled by her family, Jasmine grew up surrounded by wordplay, a love for the environment, and parents that could have been authors. Early on, this piqued her interest in how we talk and, later, how we talk about climate change. In this blog, Jasmine explores the current rhetoric employed when discussing climate change, its history and implications, and alternative approaches we can adopt moving forward.

SaAnkhessa Meskheniten is a senior at Trinity Washington University and majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Environmental Justice. To mark the end of her fellowship with Green 2.0, she explores her experience in the environmental field and how Black Americans can reclaim leadership within the movement.

Bobbie Green is a Communications Specialist for Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental nonprofit that brings together policymakers and business leaders to solve the toughest environmental issues and find solutions that work. In this guest blog post, Bobbie spotlights ChargerHelp!, a Black-owned clean technology company with a mission to revolutionize access to technology solutions that maintain electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. This green tech company is pushing the envelope for clean energy solutions and creating new workforce development opportunities for local communities of color using a tech-based approach.

The Carter Barron Amphitheater is a cultural landmark in Rock Creek Park that has lain dormant due to deferred maintenance. After overwhelming interest from residents, the National Park Service (NPS) has committed to working towards reopening the amphitheater. In this piece, Rock Creek Conservancy’s (RCC) Tony Richardson discusses how the organization has launched the Carter Barron Alliance, a network of community groups working to support the revitalization of the venue.

In this blog Richemond Assie, Transparency Advisor at UNDP, and Eva Huttova, Global Coordinator for GEF Enabling Activities and Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency Portfolio at UNDP, dive into the details surrounding COP27 and their organizations work to support climate transparency and accountability on an international scale.

This Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, Green 2.0 is featuring Azul’s National Policy Manager Carlos Ochoa. The Washington, D.C.-based Ochoa offers a glimpse into his work alongside Latinx communities, family background, and why he loves his culture.

Mai Sistla is the Deputy Director of the Aspen Institute’s Tech Policy Hub. She helped lead the inaugural class of the Aspen Climate Cohort, a ten-week joint initiative between the Hub and Aspen’s Energy and Environment program that trains engineers, scientists, technologists, and business experts who already understand climate on how to better apply their ideas to policy.

The Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that advances policies and institutional actions that promote racial equity and shared prosperity for all in the growth of metropolitan Atlanta and the American South. Through forums, research, and organizing efforts, PSE brings together the regional community to lift up and encourage just, sustainable, and civic practices for balanced growth and opportunity.

The Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters is a community-built initiative by Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness in Ely, Minnesota — a gateway town to the Boundary Waters. The movement has grown into a national coalition of 400+ conservation, hunting & fishing organizations, and businesses united by the same original goal: to achieve a permanent ban on sulfide-ore copper mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters, Voyageurs National Park, and Canada’s Quetico Park.