Hi everyone! My name is Raine Zulueta, I'm a recent college graduate working alongside the California Climate Action Corps, and a proud student of the Sierra Club's Activist Academy.
When we all first started this journey together back in April, with fresh faces full of optimism, I had no expectations, nor ideas of what this program would look like. Soon enough, after dance circles in the grass, and a walk around the LA river, it became increasingly clear that one of the Activist Academy's greatest strengths is not only its faculty, instructors, or content, but the cohort that we would end up collaborating alongside, organizing with, and befriending.
Look left, and look right, you probably just looked at one of my classmates. All of us come from incredibly different backgrounds, workplaces, upbringings and experiences, but for the past four months we've convened all over the county to learn more about the frameworks of environmental justice, climate advocacy, and a greener future for all. We have worked on campaigns revolving around clean transportation, public land and coastal water conservation, and of course, my favorite campaign team of all time, Building Electrification!
This campaign is what brought me to sit at tables I never thought I'd sit at. Bringing me to walk up steps of City Hall, to talk to council members about the importance of codifying heat-pump technology into city-wide policy as we disengage from fossil fuel dependence to ultimately secure a greener future for Los Angeles.
But what fueled this campaign team? We had Christine's fantastic ability to meet community members where they were, we had Jomo's charisma and seasoned experience as an organizer, Angela's artistry and creativity in producing beautiful campaign visuals, Jessica's organization and grounded experiences that kept us on track, and Nikki's academic background and devotion to public health in practice. I've gleaned so much from my incredibly accomplished campaignmates, in what it means to wage climate advocacy, and I'm sure my case is not unique.
I stand before you now, microphone and all, amazed by the audience that is in front of me. Amongst you, I see passion, I see courage to make a difference in the looming shadow of climate disasters. I see joy, I see resistance, but ultimately, what I see are a bunch of my friends. This is the strength of this program. I've gotten to talk to a lot of you, and in our work moving the needle towards a greener tomorrow, it can sometimes feel like the weight of the world's future is on your shoulders.
Release it! Lean on your friends, your community, the people that uplift you, the people that you probably brought here today. If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.
Huge thank you to Kim, Ariel, Ethereal, Johanna, Jennifer, Andrea, and Jessie for organizing, facilitating, and running this program, it truly would not be possible without you all.
Thank you.