Well, hello there, DoSomething members: 

🔥 Is it getting hot in here, or is it just us?🔥

Climate change is a REAL thing, and it’s time we talk candidly about it. Our world is quite literally overheating, and scientists have claimed this is a direct cause of the worsening climate crisis. And, while extreme heat affects millions around the planet, the overall effects of the climate crisis negatively affect low-income, marginalized, or communities of color at a much higher rate. These communities are more likely to breathe in pollution, experience natural disasters, or be situated near sites of contamination like power plants and toxic landfills. 

While the current administration has pledged that 40% of investments in clean energy and water would go to communities that bear disproportionate pollution (s/o to the White House Council on Environmental Justice!), there is still work to be done! We’re equipping YOU to help fight climate injustice and envision a greener future for your community. Our See Us, Hear Us: Climate Justice campaign provides you with the knowledge to better understand climate injustice and envision a green future for your community! Share your story with us today, and you’ll be considered for a $2,500 scholarship. Fighting the climate crisis and funding college dreams? Sounds like a sweet deal to us! 

Let’s Do This!

DoSomething

Here’s the problem: 

Only 20% of young people have a good understanding of climate injustice and environmental racism. Both climate injustice and environmental racism are a direct result of systemic neglect from institutions like the EPA. Over 95% of administrative complaints received by the EPA are either rejected or dismissed. 

Here’s where you come in: 

Learn about climate injustice and how your community may be impacted! Share your vision for a green future, and we’ll put your stories on the first-ever “Youth Map of Climate Injustice” to be shared directly with the EPA.

Check out these DoSomething members who have shared their stories of climate injustice and vision for a green future through the See Us, Hear Us campaign. 

“I personally have been the victim of environmental injustice within my community, which is predominantly African American. I live in Burton which is a small town directly next to Flint, Michigan where the Flint water crisis took place a few years ago. Kids that I went to school with were unable to shower, drink water from their house, wash their dishes, do their laundry, etc., all because of the amount of lead that was present within their own homes,” said DoSomething member Kieran, 19. “This made already low-income families around me suffer more than they already had since they needed to scramble to buy bottled water in order to live. My vision for a greener future is that one day everybody has equal access to clean water and energy within my community, not just those that can afford it.”

“Living just outside of Milwaukee my whole life, I have seen the effects that redlining and gentrification have had on minority communities. In fact, Milwaukee is one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States. From my experience, I've seen that lower-income neighborhoods have less access to parks, environmental education, and sustainable resources than those in high-income communities,” said DoSomething member Clara, 17. “This disparity can lead to prejudice surrounding the climate movement. For example, a rich community may claim that others ‘aren't doing their part; or are ‘disregarding the climate movement.’ However, I believe it comes down to accessibility. In my opinion, an equitable and green future for Milwaukee would include a plan to provide more environmental education to low-income communities and to establish green spaces in these communities, lessening air pollution and improving mental health.”

Join Kieran and Clara in sharing stories of climate injustice in your community–as well as your vision for a green future!

December book club…this month, we’re reading Amanda Gorman’s newly released poetry collection, Call Us What We Carry. 

Our hero today is…Megan Thee Stallion, who proved you can be both a Grammy Award-winning artist AND a college graduate. #MeganTheeGraduate

ICYMI...Breakdancing is coming to the Olympics! For the first time since the artform’s creation, breaking will become an official Olympic competition at the Summer 2024 Olympics in Paris, France!  

Accepted into your dream college? Awesome! Now, let’s talk about scholarships. 

Complete a free profile on CollegeXpress and answer one question: What’s the most difficult part about searching for scholarships?

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