EJ Changemakers are driven to know more about the world and make a habit of observing, pondering, and questioning their environment. 

EJ Changemakers strategically seek out reliable sources of data, on both the past and the present, and use that data to inform their understanding of the climate crisis and their decisions on how to restore environmental justice. 

EJ Changemakers maintain optimism by being well-informed on liberatory solutions to environmental crises, and draw on these solutions while advocating for change to encourage enthusiasm. 

 Throughout the semester we have been encouraged to chase our curiosity through books, documentaries, and more. I was given the chance to create my own science project and I chose to test the growth of radishes when given water as opposed to different solution levels of acid. 

I researched information about lead poisoning to prepare for my work with my action project partner, redhouse studios. I also researched about the company itself- learning about bioremediation, green architecture, and their creation called myco-bricks. This research helped me learn how to explore my curiosity and understand how many different issues fall under the umbrella of environmental justice. 

As a part of our literature circles, I read the Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas. This was a great introduction to how important environmental justice is. It taught me how interconnected the climate crisis is to the oppression of marginalized communities. I hope to use what I have learned in this book for practical applications in the future. 

I was given the chance to interview Mary Dansie, Head of Primates at the Phoenix zoo, about her journey working with animals. This was a great experience for me because I would love to work with animals or work on animal conservation. I got to learn a lot from her and am very grateful for the experience. 

I attended an author presentation at my local library for The Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell. I learned about how much more serious global warming is than the public believes. This was a good introduction into the severity of different issues. It was also a good reminder to be diligent about my own research and not just trusting news sources blindly. 

We were given the opportunity to research a solution to different issues that fall under the climate crisis. I chose Degraded Land Restoration and created a poster about what it is, who is affected by it, and some basic facts about it. This was good practice for learning how to keep a positive mindset and focusing on the solutions of climate change as opposed to all the problems.