S1: It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS. It is Earth Day , so we are talking with a panel of guests from local nonprofits working in climate and environmental justice. I'm Jade Hyndman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think.
S2:
S1: Then we'll talk about the importance of environmental justice and how organizations are staying resilient. That's ahead on Midday Edition. This Earth Day climate nonprofits are bracing for possible federal orders that could impact their work. President Trump has suggested looking into the nonprofit status of organizations across the country that could include environmental groups. On Monday , Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said he does not think the government should reconsider tax exempt status for environmental groups. Meanwhile , the EPA canceled billions of dollars in environmental grants affecting some climate projects right here in San Diego. All of this has created a lot of fear and uncertainty among climate advocates. So yesterday I spoke with a panel of leaders of environmental nonprofits. Here's that conversation. I'm joined by Nicole Corporate's , founder and CEO of the Climate Action Campaign. Nicole , welcome.
S3: Thank you. Glad to be here.
S1: Also , Luis Olmedo , executive director of civic Civil division in Imperial Valley. Luis , welcome. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. Hello. Thank you for having me.
S1: Always great to have you on. And Franco Garcia , executive director of the Environmental Health Coalition. Welcome to midday. Franco.
S2: Thank you so much for this opportunity. Great to be here with you all today.
S1: All right. Well , I'm glad to have you all here. I know this will be a very interesting panel. Uh , Nicole , I'll start with you.
S3: And so we're taking things one step at a time. Uh , we actually don't believe the federal government has the ability to just , uh , revoke our IRS status. And , you know , the IRS has clear , established rules , and we're well within them. So we're not too worried about that. Um , but obviously this , you know , there are repercussions to any kind of , you know , threatening environment that's being created. And we're taking that very seriously , and we're partnering with our sister allied organizations , and we're all going to , I think , collectively work together and stay together and , um , figure the right movement forward.
S1:
S4: Um , we know that emotions are high. Uh , we know that there is certainly a big fight to be had on the political platforms. Uh , we're nonprofits. We're organizations , uh , serving a mission. And we have full confidence that the government and the IRS and the attorney generals and secretaries of state. I mean , there's so much oversight over our organizations that , um , I mean , we have no confidence in government. And then what do we rely on ? I mean , as it is , it's very burdensome just to run a nonprofit in this country. And so , you know , the question about , you know , whether it's , you know , from an emotional standpoint , our organizations being threatened or are being threatened because of lack of compliance to our mission and to the regulations that are set forth that are very strict in this country. And so I think that I don't want to get caught up in the narratives. I don't want to get up in the emotions of of political parties. We we are nonpartisan. I mean , I already think the law provides enormous , enormous amounts of burdens on nonprofits. And as long as nonprofits are doing what they need to do and there should be nothing to worry about. Uh , but if this is any , as Nicole was saying , this is an emotional , uh , approach , a rant , a a , you know , a political decision , then I don't know how that fits within the law. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Well , Franco , can you explain what it would mean to lose tax exempt status as an environmental organization ? I mean , what kinds of projects could be affected ? Yeah.
S2: I mean , you know , I think the simple way to put it is if nonprofits like Environmental Health Coalition would not be eligible to receive foundation or other sources of funding that require a charitable , charitable tax deduction. But , you know , it really goes beyond that , right ? Because it would limit the projects and the ability to accomplish our work in environmental justice communities. You know , fighting , fighting for clean air and the ability for folks to live and work in a clean and healthy environment. A lot of that we spend a lot of our time doing that work. And , you know , as Louise said previously , we do a lot of work to make sure we're complying with all policies , complying with any reports that need to be submitted. And so this would really put a hindrance on the ability to get out into the community , do that work , get necessary projects into our community for healthy homes , for cleaner air , for folks to be able to live a better quality of life day to day. This would take that away because the reason we've filled that gap and done that work is because it's necessary in our communities. And and this executive order , the threat of it would really impact our ability to get out there and do that work that we've been having to do for many , many years.
S1: And , Nicole , I mean , it's not just the threat of having your tax exemption revoked.
S3: I mean , that's clearly a scare tactic. You know , meant to silence us based on nothing , based on rhetoric , based on zero evidence. I mean , that's not the America we know and love. Uh , so again , we'll wait and see what happens. But I think for community based organizations , you know , we know the value that we provide to the community , as Franklin Lewis were , um , saying , and , you know , we're grounded and focused on achieving our mission , which is to protect the health and safety of our communities. And we're not going to let anything stand in the way of letting that happen.
S1:
S3: And they are committed to harming communities , to exposing us to pollution and frankly , ensuring that we live on a superheated planet which just has grave and dire threats to our future. We're just going to , again , keep our head down , you know , stay focused , stay in community and continue to do our job , which is to , you know , work with the communities , especially those who are most impacted. Elevate their voices. Let the elected officials know that it's their job to protect our future and implement solutions like this. The good news is the solutions are there. We already know what they are. We already have them. The technology is here. It's just about implementation and just about making sure that there are priority. And that's what you know. I'm so pleased to be on the panel with my allies and friends because that's what we are doing. We're making sure that we are creating 100% clean energy world , and we have the ability to do that. And so I think , you know , I don't want to speak for Franco or Luis , but I think , you know , some of this is noise and we intend to just keep moving forward because , um , that's that's our job. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , Franco , I understand you've already had to stall some projects , uh , due to a loss of funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. Talk to me about that. I mean , what were those projects trying to address ? Definitely.
S2: I mean , as I mentioned before , it really was focusing on , uh , the health of families , the health of children in our communities. I mean , I just want to addressing what , you know , was brought up earlier about these accusations and these lies about environmental groups being terrorist organizations. I mean , it's really sad that , you know , we're an organization that fights for , first of all , you know , not a terrorist group. Let's start there. But then also saying we are a group that fights to so that children can breathe cleaner air so that children with asthma can have access to air filters in their home. And the fact that that would be seen as such a threat is just , you know , sad and scary , right ? Even if it's just lies and outright , you know , rhetoric that's being put out there that's really , you know , awful and terrible. So just to talk about a couple of the things , you know , we did , uh , we have had our funds frozen. And let's just be clear that these funds were illegally frozen from contracts that we had with the Environmental Protection Agency. Uh , there was millions of dollars that were supposed to go into projects in Barrio Logan , uh , including , uh , the linear , uh , community park that the community had been working on for decades , talking about how they wanted to see this park in a park deprived area was also going to bring in electric , uh , bus , electric buses and an electric shuttle into the neighborhood. Being able to see that green energy that Nicole was talking about , being able to see it right in your neighborhood is something that our community wants to see. That would be taken away. And a holistic healthy homes program where we're working with homes , low income families to provide air quality air filters in their home. Low energy costs , lower energy costs , improving to electrify their homes and bring in appliances that would be safer and electrified to help that and avoid climate change disasters. And we wanted to see that , and we were trying to do that right now. The ability to get that done , uh , with a contract that was agreed upon , supposed to start the work back in January. But for over three months now , we've had no access to these funds and no response from EPA staff or anybody else from the federal administration. You know , it's kind of sad. We're in a limbo right now where we can't do the work because we don't expect to be able to pay people for the work that's being done because of those funds. Yet we have not been terminated. Uh , this funding freeze represents a 30% hit to our budget. So in many cases , we're having to let go of staff that would be needed to get into the community and do this work to improve healthy homes , to improve the ability for people to have access to clean air. It's ridiculous. That's what we're dealing with right now because of these funding freezes and these threats from the federal administration. We're really , you know , fighting against that right now and still trying to continue to do the work in our communities and in our environmental justice neighborhoods for children's health and the health of families in our communities. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. And , you know , I think sometimes people may not have a clear understanding on why the EPA funding was necessary in the first place.
S2: You know , these are neighborhoods that have been hit for years , had a disproportionate impact from , um , industry , uh , near the Port of San Diego , suffering impacts from diesel trucks coming into the neighborhood , uh , suffering mixed land use , having to be right next to light industrial sources. It's no surprise that these are the same neighborhoods that have higher rates of asthma , higher rates of kids missing school due to going into the emergency room for respiratory issues. These communities have historically been impacted by environmental racism. By seeing all of these , you know , these impacts from industry , from other sources , from other entities. And because of that , it was important to have these , um , EPA funding to come in and and bring some of those investments. As Louise was talking about bringing investments into our community , uh , been park deprived. So part of these funds that right now are being stalled is , uh , stopping the development of a park in our community. Right. So that was these , uh , disproportionate impacts that our community has seen for years that have resulted in respiratory issues and lack of access to parks and all of that. These EPA funds , part of the reason why this funding was approved was to , uh , to get to bring some of that back , to bring some of that into the community , bring those investments in and improve health , improve access to transit and healthy transit for all of our communities. And that's why we saw these investments. But right now , we're not seeing them come in because of this funding freeze that we're seeing.
S1:
S2: It's environmental justice communities here in San Diego. It's Barrio Logan , it's West National City , it's the historic barrio communities around Barrio Logan , Logan Heights , uh , south southwest , uh , all of those communities , Sherman Heights , uh , that have been impacted , that whole region was supposed to see the benefits from this EPA funding. And those are the neighborhoods that we're seeing , uh , also City Heights and throughout the region. We work in different communities. But those were where this funding was supposed to come in. These investments were supposed to support projects and work being done in these communities. But that's what we're seeing right now. Uh , and , you know , no , no big surprise , these were the same communities that were really impacted by the flooding we saw last year. Right ? There was the same neighborhoods that were impacted by this , and that's what we saw in those types of infrastructure investments. And is what we need to see to improve those situations. And that's all being stalled right now and possibly going away because of this EPA funding freeze and these ridiculous , uh , you know , challenges that are happening right now from the federal administration. Wow.
S1: Wow.
S3: But obviously , we stand united with Environmental Health Coalition because it is outrageous. And absolutely , those communities are on the frontlines of , um , really dangerous pollution. And they deserve these investments. And I will just say to Franco that I believe we don't also get that we don't get our fair share of state dollars. And so we certainly like to partner , because San Diego gets a lot of per capita money from the state. We are second to last in the state of California , which makes no sense at all. And partly it's because we're so far from the halls of power we sort of get forgotten about. But I believe , you know , we're the fifth largest economy in the world , California. We can certainly come up with resources to invest in these communities that absolutely deserve and need this infrastructure and these dollars. And I know all of our sister organizations would like to help ensure these communities get those funds. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Uh , Luis. Anything to add to that ? Yes.
S4: It's uh it's disheartening to see and hear the stories and the impacts to communities that have , uh , been identified , uh , and are well known to have gotten an unfair deal when it comes to distribution of funding , either because they don't have a strong infrastructure to advocate. Uh , because there have been deliberately , uh , designed communities in which , you know , go back historically where were people of color , you know , people of , of of , you know , considered of a certain class have been , you know , given these very unfair condition , unfair treatment. Uh , no , we're not in that predicament. Uh , fortunately , uh , it is important in nonprofits , you know , being sure that we diversify. Uh , but many of these communities have been identified and finally gotten the attention and had finally gotten the resources only for those resources , uh , to be , uh , you know , pulled back or or as Frank was saying , you know , there's these roadblocks that are there.
S1:
S3: I mean , obviously , we're a progressive state and we have support from , you know , the governor and other top elected officials. And the other unique thing about California is that we have our own State Clean Air Act , Correct. And we have our own state climate law. And that's where our cap and trade program comes from. That's where actually a lot of investment in infrastructure dollars come from. So we do have our own pot of money , and we do have our own laws and regulations and policies. And so that is , you know , a bulwark against everything that is going on at the federal level. Let's lean into being the fifth largest economy in the world. I know the governor , I think , had stated like , let's create our own trade system. Like we don't , you know , we don't. We can completely separate. I think we have to think creatively and reimagine what's possible as a fifth largest economy. And again , I think we are in a good position. I think we already have political support. We clearly have community will. Um , and just it's a question of kind of thinking outside the box and thinking about how we can really leverage the dollars that we do have to ensure that they are , you know , able to extend even further.
S1: Franco , did you have something you wanted to add to that ? Yeah.
S2: I mean , I was going to say I agree with some of what Nicole said there. I mean , California has led on many environmental justice and environmental issues. You know , this current situation , however , I will say will test us all here in California , will test how much can we count on those protections from the government ? And just to say is , we did end up , you know , asking for money from EPA because we were we had asked we had gotten some funding from the state , and they gave us less than what we were looking for. So we are advocating with the state right now to make up some of that difference. What what we're not getting from the federal government right now , how can we get that ? We did pass the state bond , yes , last year on climate. So we do want to see some of those funds flow to these very projects. That and they're not , you know , any projects of privilege or anything. They're projects that this communities need. So I think this this this test , right now , what we're going through is a test for our state and for our communities within our state to push on the state to get those protections , get that support that we really need for where we need that support and we're asking for it now. So we want to see how that comes through and what the state's willing to do for us to support those those communities that are suffering these environmental justice impacts.
S1: KPBS reached out to the Environmental Protection Agency for comment on today's program. In an emailed statement , a spokesperson said , quote. As with any change in administration , the agency is reviewing its awarded grants to ensure each is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and to understand how those programs align with the administration's priorities. The agency review is ongoing. End quote. Still ahead , we look at environmental justice and why it's needed in our communities.
S4: It's about all of us. It's about everything and about everybody. You know , being afforded the same rights and the same guarantees in this country.
S1: Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. This Earth Day , we've gathered a panel of environmental leaders in San Diego to discuss their nonprofit status amid federal threats. I'm joined by Luis Olmedo , executive director of Climate in Imperial Valley. Also , Franco Garcia , executive director of the Environmental Health Coalition , and Nicole Cabot's , founder and CEO of the Climate Action Campaign. And Luis , I'll start with you , because one thing that's come up in this conversation is environmental justice. The Biden administration issued an executive order focused on environmental justice in 2023. But all three of your organizations have really been fighting that fight for quite some time.
S4: You know , some people need more to be able to reach that level of equality that this country has promised us. When we talk about environmental justice and understanding the political climate that exists today. I feel like we have to really explain it in the in the same terminology. We don't want to become a hazardous waste producing community , only to send it over to more affluent , wealthy , well established communities. We don't believe they deserve any pollution any more than anyone , any American in this country who has a heart and who truly believes in this country , believes that our neighbors , our friends , our families , and our ecosystem that we depend on is important. That is environmental justice. I don't Understand why it's become , you know , such , such a , a a debate around the very fabric , the very values and the very principles that we represent as a country that is environmental justice is not some radical , it's not some , you know , there's , you know , whatever it is that they want to name it and call it as a bad thing. It's , it's it's about all of us. It's about everything and about everybody , you know , being afforded the same rights and the same guarantees in this country.
S1:
S2: As I mentioned earlier , the environmental justice communities that have been impacted have had disproportionate impacts by pollution being closer to polluting sources , being closer to waste sites , to landfills , to industry , diesel trucks driving through their community because of zoning , because of land use , uh , or lack of zoning , quite frankly. So that's what's happened. And that's what we've seen has been putting , uh , communities , uh , environmental justice communities , folks near these polluting sources and seeing those impacts has really been an issue. So really , when we're talking about environmental justice , it's the basic idea that every that all folks deserve , all people deserve the right to live , work and play , uh , in an environment that in a healthy environment that doesn't make them sick. But the reality is that's not what we're seeing right now. So what we want to see , you know , the the , the history of environmental injustice is really , uh , based in the history of civil rights , an attack on environmental justice as an attack on human rights. Basic human rights. Civil rights. Doing that , we really did. The environmental justice movement. You know , started with the the disproportionate impacts , the same way other civil rights issues have started. So that's the policies that we've seen. That's the infrastructure , the the system that's existed that we're trying to fight against to bring these bring in policies , bring in programs that help to to combat these disproportionate impacts and these , uh , disadvantages that have happened for years in many of our communities and in environmental justice communities. And that's what we're trying to combat here. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. A disproportionate impact , especially on black and brown communities here. And we know it's been a top priority for the Trump administration to dismantle diversity equity and inclusion program. So , Franco , how does that impact your efforts to seek environmental justice. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. Well definitely I mean , it's there's no way to look at this and not to take that into effect. Right ? Black and brown communities have been impacted. Did you know AAPI communities as well through our area ? So being able to see that and being able to know the reality of that and the truth of it is important to how we implement policies and how we work on programs and how we look at the same neighborhoods that are most impacted by climate change. As we see , as I mentioned earlier here in San Diego , we saw the homes and the neighborhoods that were most impacted by flooding last year were in Barrio Logan , were in West National City , were in many of those same communities that have had this risk of these impacts and everything that we've seen there. So the idea that we're trying to eliminate Dei programs or trying or the administration is trying to get rid of these of of recognizing these disproportionate impacts on how these things have happened would have a huge impact on this. We need people making these decisions who have seen these impacts and are knowing what's happening. So this really would be a is another burden that would be thrown. It's another attack on human rights and on the rights for environmental justice community. So that would have another impact on our work that we're trying to do. Moving forward , we have to recognize the reality of our communities and how they've had disproportionate impacts so that we can address them with the investments , with the programs , with the policies that are needed to get that equity that we've all been talking about. We need to see those impacts , those investments , so that we can fight back and , and , you know , make these strides that are needed for our communities.
S1:
S3: I guess I would just say that in the face of these attacks , I think it's safe to say , um , it won't change anything about the way we approach our work or what communities should be prioritized for investments and resources and support. And that , again , we're sort of , you know , through the looking glass , as it were. And things have been inverted. But at the end of the day , I think you'll see that , you know , our organizations are rooted in community. The community trusts us. The community relies on us , and we're going to continue to stand up. We're not going to , uh , kind of comply , as it were , um , with any kind of , uh , top down demands that we not protect our most vulnerable communities. So I think what you're going to see again is that a lot of the rhetoric coming out of the federal level , um , is going to backfire , I think , because the communities know who we are. They know the work that we're prioritizing and how important it is to our health and our future. So I guess I would just argue he can the , you know , the anybody in the government can say whatever they want. But because we're rooted in these neighborhoods and with these communities , like we are going to continue to do what we always have done , which is make sure that everybody has access to clean air and clean water and a healthy and prosperous future. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Well , in your view , what do you need to see from local leaders to support your work amid threats at the federal level ? Yeah.
S3: Great question. I mean we need them to stand up and fight back. You know , we need them to say regardless of what's happening at the federal level , we have our own autonomy. We have our own authority , we have our own resources. And we're going to prioritize investments into these clean air , clean energy , clean health solutions. And yeah , we are definitely calling on our all of our local and state , um , leaders that to , uh , stand up to rise to , you know , in particularly in this moment in history , if there was ever a time to make sure we are standing up and making sure we're doing the right thing , this is it. And so , yeah , we are definitely looking to our leaders. But at the same time , you know , we always say leaders don't lead , they follow. And I think I , I think Lisa and Franco would agree. Like , you know , the communities are going to lead. The communities are going to let the Electeds know that this is what we expect of them , and this is what they need to do. And I think they'll do it. I think they'll do it. But yes , we this is this is definitely one of those moments where , you know , you have your you kind of stand up and be counted. Um , and so we have a lot of opportunity to navigate , um , challenges and opportunities here , um , in our own backyard. And I , you know , I think we intend to just keep , like I said , keep our head down and stay grounded and keep the issues moving forward.
S1: Luis , I want to ask you the same question.
S4: Uh , you know , to the dei , uh , question , I mean , call it potatoes , call it potatoes. Uh , I mean , the more fundamental question is , is this an attack of an American people ? Uh , because the American people are made up of very diverse immigrant communities , and we know that very well based on the history of this country. And so , um , so that's really the question. Is it an attack on the American people ? And that could be , uh , I would say a very dangerous , uh , attack on the Constitution and the values and the principles and the laws that protect every American people and attacking any Americans , attacking every American. Communities like ours , communities that like Franco's community , many communities throughout all this country. We depend on the federal government. We depend on the resources we depend on. We depend on the on the for implementation of those protections that every American has been afforded. And and if you take all that away , uh , you make our country more vulnerable.
S1: And what do you hope to see from local leaders right now , Franco. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. I mean , as I said , it's local leaders. It's our representatives at the federal level , our representatives at the state level. Step up , right. Step up and support what we need to what we need to see , uh , they're they're the ones who represent those communities that we're talking about. So they should step up to , to protect those communities , the services that are being brought in , taken away from those communities , the parks that are being taken away from those communities. And , and , you know , bring in the funding , bring in the investments that we need to see , because there's a reason why these are environmental justice communities. We've had a lack of investment , we've had a lack of prioritizing. And we need to see these these communities be prioritized. We need to see the health of the children in these communities be prioritized. And local officials , local local officials , but also officials that represent these communities at the state level and at the federal level , have the ability to do that and to step up and you know and say and do what they need to do for the communities that they represent. So that's what we need to see. We need to see that now , and we need to see that in many ways , passing policy , also stepping up and stepping up against some of these policies , moving forward against them in this rhetoric , A lot of I mean , these people are elected for a reason , right ? So people do have some faith and the things that they say. So you know , them stepping up and uh , um , speaking against some of this rhetoric and some of these lies and misinformation that's out there is also needed because people do believe what they say. And there is some , some , uh , people put some stock in that. So that's what we need to see right now , that leadership from those , uh , elected officials.
S1: Nicole , this work can be incredibly draining , uh , especially amid recent federal policies and widespread misinformation at that. Uh , what keeps you going ? What gives you hope ? Yeah.
S3: I mean , I want to acknowledge that , of course , we're all feeling the impacts of this chaos that has been unleashed and the dangerous rhetoric. But at the same time , I think if you're in this work , um , you sort of , uh , build this stamina and this , uh , ability to speak truth to power and to always roll with the punches. And I think at the same time , what really gives me hope is watching everybody else in the community who is acting in solidarity , who are coming together in the streets , who are going to their city halls or their state capitals and demanding action and demanding new policies and demanding resources. I think the more we as a community continue to align and come together , then I think we sort of , you know , expose the boogeyman for what he is and or what he isn't. I think that the emperor has no clothes in a certain way. And so , again , that community , that solidarity , um , that coming together gives me hope. And that is what keeps me going , um , every day.
S1:
S2: You know , amidst all of these attacks and the concerns right now , I will say , is this Thursday , Environmental Health Coalition is celebrating 45 years as an organization , 45 years of working in communities in the region. We work here and we you know , we do work with residents and leaders throughout this whole region. And those leaders have fought for many victories , you know , bringing new community plans to the neighborhoods that they live in , having both a national city and a Logan , despite the fact that we're having trouble , uh , actually obtaining the funding that was approved , that funding was approved , and it was community leaders , folks coming together to put those projects and proposals together to win that. You know , we know that these attacks I mean , the truth is environmental justice. Uh , it it is a sign that our , our that that term is getting out there when we're being attacked in such a strong way. Right ? I mean , you know , they wouldn't attack us unless we were really accomplishing something. And that's what's happening right now. So that belief and that the community continuing to fight and continuing to show up at community meetings to speak out and talk about why they want to see these victories and why they want to see these projects happen. I mean , this may be one of the biggest fights that we've had in recent years , but I'm very sure it's not going to be the last fight we'll have. We'll keep fighting , we'll keep having these and we'll keep having victories. We're going to keep fighting and we're going to keep winning. And I do believe the community and environmental justice as a whole will. We'll get past this and we'll we'll be able to move on and continue to work in the community and continue to see these victories. We're celebrating 45 years of Environmental Health Coalition this Thursday , and we plan to have another , at least another 45 years of this work going on , because it's not just I mean , I'll say , I haven't been working here for 45 years , but that work's been going on. Many people have contributed to that , including Nicole , but many people have contributed to that. And really , it's not just the people working here , but the communities. And that's why we keep fighting , why we keep doing this work , and why I really do believe we'll get past this. And again , this is not going to be the last fight we have. It's a big one , but it's not going to be the last one we have. And it's and we're going to continue to get victories.
S1:
S4: This is about community business. It's about what community needs. If this is of somebody values that really doesn't believe in environmental justice , then turn the golf course lake into a petroleum lake , turn the sand trap into a pesticide sand trap , and turn the turf into hazardous waste cleanup material. Right. I mean , let's see that , because then we will really see the environmental justice , uh , lack of lack of interest in environmental justice values. Right. We will see them in practice. Right. But if this administration isn't willing to do that , then they believe in environmental justice. But they believe in environmental justice for themselves , but not for every American in this country. Again , this is not personal. We as nonprofits exist to help fill the gap where government has not been able to serve every American in this country , in this state. We are very optimistic. I mean , this is this is where we exist , is to help communities , to help serve them. Um , if this administration is about that , then we should be best friends and we should be working together. We should be bringing solutions into our community , and they should be opening the , uh , the vaults and writing the executive checks and pushing money into our neighborhoods. We should. That's what we should be doing. You know , if this is what this community is. Ah , because I came here in America. America. I believe in America. I believe in American values. So let's get to work and let's start serving all these communities , especially those who have been left behind.
S1:
S3: I haven't thought of it that way. I mean , there's so much to learn from nature , obviously. I mean , it it will all survive. all of us. And even if you know the worst case scenario occurs with the climate crisis and yeah , the Earth , it just regenerates and it repurposes and it reinvents and it reimagines. And I think there is a lot to be gleaned from that. And obviously nature is a source of healing. It's almost impossible to go , uh , into a forest or near the ocean or in the desert or on the beach. I mean , they're just anytime you're in nature , you you can feel yourself connected to the mothership , as it were , and , you know , feel more grounded and rooted and powerful. Frankly , I think there's a lot of power to be gained from being , uh , as connected as possible to nature. Mm.
S1: Mm. Franco , a lot of this really comes down to the need for self-preservation , especially when governments fail to keep people safe from impending disasters like the climate crisis.
S2: Uh , you know , it's their it's their stories that help design our our policies and our projects that we're working on and why we advocate for clean air. However , I will say is that , you know , there has been a history of moms who have children with asthma that , you know , want to fight back against the pollution in their community. And we have connected them with what policy which how can we advocate for that policy and how can we combat that ? And we're doing the same thing now , right ? You know , our our community is being attacked and our organizations are right there to talk about the best way to fight back. The best way to legally fight , fight back against these attacks. And how do we do this and how do we address this and how do we protect ourselves ? So we are working together. It's not I wouldn't I mean , you know , it could be said as leaning on , but we're really our organizations and our community lean on each other to make sure that we're both bringing to the table what we need to fight back in these challenges and in these challenging times. And that's what we're doing right now.
S1: This has been a really insightful conversation. I've been speaking with Franco Garcia , executive director of the Environmental Health Coalition. Franco , thank you.
S2: Thank you very much for this opportunity. Really appreciate it.
S1: Also , Nicole Capri , founder and CEO of the Climate Action Campaign. Thanks for being here , Nicole.
S3: Thanks for the opportunity.
S1: And Luis Olmedo , executive director of Climate Devi in the Imperial Valley. Luis thank you.
S4: Thank you. Jade. Thank you for having us.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
