"We deserve more than just to survive, and we can do that through the language of eco-poetry." This is what Aryaana Khan said when leading a workshop at the Garrison Youth Climate Summit on Friday, May 12th, 2023. According to Khan, “eco-poetry is important because it allows us to process things in a poignant way” and express what we process.

As a kid, Aryaana witnessed a lot of flooding in her hometown. Then she moved to Queens, NY, just before Hurricane Sandy and we all know what happened after that. This pushed her to become an environmentalist and climate justice activist because of the flood's impact Aryaana and her families' everyday lives. One third of her hometown in Bangladesh is underwater! 

Eco-poetry can mean different things for different people but it’s always about nature or our ecosystem - that's where we get the eco part of eco-poetry. Eco-poetry is not just a poem, it’s a voice of its own. “I hope that eco-poetry allows us to create language together surrounding the varied experiences of climate change” said Khan about her dream for eco-poetry and its impact on the people who read it. It may take practice, as she's been writing eco-poems since she was seven (and presented her first one at 17), but it's worth it!

Aryaana is an environmental advocate because we can't just ignore the rising seas, the pollution, global warming, and there is still more to tell. We often forget to use our imagination because as we get older, we forget...but our imagination and creativity could be the thing that saves us from climate change. Aryaana encourages us to use our imagination, so we can fight for what is right. 

Since we humans are the cause of climate change, it's up to us to fix it.