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Climate Change

Climate change impacts us all. Here's how sustainable family habits can help us all fight it.

Climate change impacts us all. Here's how sustainable family habits can help us all fight it.

Shannon Brescher Shea and family at rally.

If you grew up in the late '80s or early '90s you probably remember all the talk of the ozone layer deteriorating. We traded our Aqua Net cans for the pump hair spray that often left our hair more damp and floppy, than the beautifully coifed waterfall bang teased to the heavens that we were actually going for. We yelled at our parents for not cutting up their plastic six-pack rings because of the sea turtles and their survival. Suddenly, news of the environment and earth's impending doom was constantly on the news and sneaked into our television shows on Nickelodeon and commercials on MTV. We heard about oil spills and animal extinction, and we were rightfully cautious and outraged.

Today, we still cut our plastic rings before discarding them and opt for the pump sprayer over the aerosol can. We didn’t know then that we were young activists, we only knew we wanted to be good stewards of the planet we inhabited and we were going to drag our parents along with us. The fight for climate change and maintaining a healthy Earth didn’t end in the '90s. It’s something people are now more intentional about and are working to raise their children in a way that helps to prolong the life of the planet we call home. That’s why I connected with climate activist Shannon Brescher Shea, author of Growing Sustainable Together: Practical resources for raising kind, engaged and resilient children.


I wanted to know what brought Shannon into climate activism, and how people can involve their children in making a lasting impact on the earth. Shannon was full of insights and ways parents can make small changes to their daily lives and ways they can get involved on a larger scale, joining a growing number of climate and sustainability activists.

Shannon said her activist origin story started in the summer of third grade where she learned about manatees and how they became endangered due to being hit by boats. This prompted her to talk with her class about adopting a manatee. “That was my first, very specific thing I remember falling in love with, and then also wanting to take action at the same time.” After adopting a manatee in third grade, Shannon fell in love with nature and animals, and as she got older, she says, “I came to understand the human impact and how humans and nature are not separate things. What humans do affects nature, but also it affects everybody else too.”

Shannon Brescher Shea at a rally.

Shannon Brescher Shea

Incorporating the passion she developed as a child into her own parenting and current climate activism is what prompted Shannon to write a parenting book on sustainability. When talking about the importance of incorporating the changes in her book with your own family, the climate activist says, “If we fully embrace these, yes, they can be big changes in our lives and sometimes changes that are kind of radical, but they can also lead to much better quality of life and have it help us have more fulfilled, healthy, and not just physically healthy, but emotionally and mentally healthy parts of life.”

Shannon talks about some children experiencing climate anxiety, which she describes as “this feeling that like climate change is happening and there's nothing I can do. And the adults are old school. And they betrayed us. They've handed us this future that we can't do anything about.” According to Shannon, there is something we can do about it and it’s something the whole family can be involved in. She says small changes can make a big difference, such as choosing to bike to school or using public transportation to get to work, which reduces your contribution to pollution and also encourages other people to consider following suit.

Kids at climate rally.

Shannon Brescher Shea

The important thing to remember, says Shannon, is to not stop at the small things. Composting is a great way to produce less waste, but getting involved in local cleanups of streams and advocating for bicycle lanes are tangible things you can do with your family that make a difference for the environment and the community as a whole. Involve children in climate activism, she says, and “just keep kind of expanding these conversations outward and outward, using very practical, concrete experiences that the kids are having, you can have that much more of an impact and help them think about how you have that ripple effect. Not to cause guilt or to shame, but to show how we're all connected and how things we do affect other people.”

Climate change continues to occur, and living a sustainable lifestyle can help combat some of the effects humans have on the climate. More and more young people are joining the fight against climate change and families like Shannon’s are helping to make a difference. If you’re unsure on where to start with living a sustainable lifestyle with your family, you can grab Shannon’s book, Growing Sustainable Together, for ideas on how to get started.

All images used with UN Foundation's permission

Equality is a birthright that belongs to everyone.

True

Equality is a birthright that belongs to everyone. But for girls and women around the world, equality isn’t yet their reality.

Despite the persistence of gender inequality in our societies today, tireless changemakers are fighting to end gender discrimination everywhere so that women’s voices can be heard in all spaces—champions who not only dream of a better tomorrow, but understand the actions needed to make it possible. UN Foundation aims to amplify the stories of those advocates with its fourth annual #EqualEverywhere campaign.

The yearlong campaign, which peaks on International Women’s Day, elevates inspiring stories of gender equality champions from around the world in an online series and on UN Foundation’s digital platforms—from those advocating for more health care access, to transgender rights, to better STEM opportunities, and many, many more. No matter what singular topic these leaders focus on, the message remains the same—girls and women have a right to be equal everywhere.

Here are just a few of those #EqualEverywhere champions working to achieve equality for all girls and all women, wherever they are.

Pelumi Obisesan: supporting women survivors of Boko Haram in Nigeria

While living in northwest Nigeria from 2014-2015, Pelumi Obisesan witnessed firsthand how women in the country are treated as people who wield no political or social power. This lack of agency that women experience was only exacerbated during violent conflicts like the Boko Haram-led insurgency, and their debilitating aftermath. Despite the grave injustices that women suffered as a result—having their sons go missing, being abducted from their own homes and subjected to violence—their experiences, needs, and perspectives were (and are) often relegated to the background in post-conflict efforts. Through personal interviews, Pelumi’s doctoral research has helped their perspectives and experiences play an important role in how policymakers in the Nigerian government move forward in their peace building process, by taking both genders into account. In addition, she is the co-founder of Social Good Lagos, a network dedicated to harnessing the power of new media and technology to make the world a better place.

Saro Imran: fighting for transgender rights in Pakistan

At only 15 years old, Saro Imran was attacked for being transgender in her home country of Pakistan. Since then, she’s been an outspoken defender of transgender rights and justice, speaking with people across the globe about what sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice means for transgender individuals like herself through the Universal Access Project. Her efforts have helped make huge strides, as with the passing of Pakistan’s landmark Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, which safeguards the access transgender people have to education, employment, and voting rights, in addition to protecting them from having to undergo nonconsensual clinical assessments of their bodies to determine gender identity. However, Saro notes that “cyber-harassment of transgender people in Pakistan is on the rise.” By organizing local workshops focused on financial education, Saro hopes to give transgender people more independence, and ultimately, the freedom to fully embrace who they are.

Andrea Wollitz: advocating for access to health care for all

As a domestic violence survivor and a mother to a 14-year-old girl, Andrea Wollitz is both motivated by the past and the future in her efforts to advance gender equality and equal access to health care. When volunteering at SafeSpace, a hotline and shelter for survivors of gender-based violence, Andrea helps empower other women who have been through a situation similar to hers, listening to their stories and providing potential resources that might help. And while pursuing a degree in nursing, she became involved with Shot@Life to help more women get access to vaccinations. Mothers typically handle the vast majority of child care without pay, making it especially challenging if they or their children get sick. That’s why having access to vaccinations “gives all of them the ability to reach their full potential,” Andrea says. She’s also involved in other projects related to improving gender equality in health care, including organizing feminine hygiene supply drives to address period poverty and collecting clothing for survivors of sexual assault, whose clothing is often retained as evidence following examination at the hospital.

Whitney Mwangi: helping girls across Africa own their story

Knowing that everyone has a unique story to share, Whitney Mwangi teaches girls and young women across Africa to express themselves through writing. Her platform, The Story Book, is a fun, safe space where young people can find their voice, gain more confidence and learn from others through storytelling. Whitney often saw women (especially young women) sidelined. She even experienced it herself on more than one occasion. Now she takes every chance she can get to offer mentorship and encouragement so that women can live up to their full potential.

Whitney is equally passionate about ending infectious diseases across Africa, especially the three deadliest diseases: AIDS, TB, and malaria. Malaria in particular is a threat to Africa’s younger generations, both for their health and their education, as it prevents them from being able to go to school. By working with global campaigns like United to Beat Malaria, Whitney helps ensure that the voices of young African girls and women are fully accounted for and represented in the global fight to end malaria for good.

Isabel Liu: championing STEM for Girls

17-year-old Taiwanese American Isabel Liu is reimagining what’s possible for the next generation of computer scientists. As a Teen Advisor for Girl Up and a Community Ambassador for the free coding camp Kode with Klossy, Isabel became moved by the glaring gender disparity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The underrepresentation, she notes, is “consequence and a curse” that leaves women “more likely to be excluded, manipulated, and powerless.” So now she graces stages to share her own stories, and those she’s gathered from others, whether that’s in the form of spoken-word poetry, emceeing, or interviews. Often surrounded by men, Isabel introduces ideas that put female and genderqueer youth at the forefront of social change.

Lady Tee Thompson: creating opportunities for women to grow

Lady Tee Thompson's experiences as a disabled, marginalized, and minority female entrepreneur have shaped and inspired her lifelong efforts to ensure women of all backgrounds have access to education and opportunity. Back in 1989, Lady Tee spoke to the Board of Education as a young student to keep open Highland Park Community College, Michigan’s only Historical Black College at the time, where women made up a majority of the student body. Her efforts kept the school open for several more years, helping more women and marginalized students change their lives. Lady Tee has since shifted from local to global advocacy with a focus on supporting women entrepreneurs around the world. In 2015, after speaking at a women’s empowerment conference in West Africa, where she learned that female farmers were denied training and land rights to scale up their business, she launched a training firm called AgroBiz.org. Their U.S. Study Tours offer a variety of learning opportunities, everything from special farming practices to entrepreneurship. To date, AgroBiz has mentored over 50,000 girls and women across the U.S. and 14 other countries.

In addition, Lady Tee acts as co-Chair of the Women’s Affinity Group for The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA).

UN Foundation’s #EqualEverywhere campaign makes it easy to support these champions and spread their message. Take a stand for women and girls everywhere by posting their stories to social media using #EqualEverywhere and take the pledge at equaleverywhere.org.

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