Rizelle Rosales; Mast Magazine Editor; rosalera@plu.edu
It was a sunny day in late May of last year when I started my summer job at the Environment Washington office in Seattle. I had just been offered a position as a street canvasser. My job was to raise funds and gather signatures for this nonprofit organization by engaging with passersby outside of co-ops, farmers markets, grocery stores and outdoor retailers in Seattle.
Donning a t-shirt emblazoned with the organization’s logo and a bag full of brochures and membership packets, I was ready to greet anyone and everyone who walked past me outside the downtown REI that day.
That same week, Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement. When I walked into the office, I was expecting somber faces and “we’ll make it through this” hugs from the directors. To my surprise, the office was buzzing with energy.
During our morning brief, the directors were caffeinated and ready to canvass. They introduced the news of Trump’s withdrawal with optimism and encouragement.
“These issues can no longer be ignored,” my director said, eyes ablaze. “We’re making connections with people and starting conversations every day—this is why our work matters.”
The Paris Climate Agreement unites a network of government leaders across the world in a collective long-term goal to reduce the rise of the global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius. This looks like lowering emissions and adopting more sustainable policies and practices on an international scale.
Thankfully, the design of the agreement will not allow the withdrawal to actualize for another four years—coincidentally, the same year that marks the end of Trump’s term. Even so, this move showed Trump’s true colors.
Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement was a dramatic move. It showed the world that Trump will protect the interests of corporations at all costs, risking the safety and futures of threatened, polluted communities worldwide.
On top of the withdrawal, Scott Pruitt was appointed as the head of the Environmental Protections Agency (EPA). This former Attorney General of Oklahoma has a track record of opposing environmental regulations to the point of ignoring earthquakes and flammable tap water. Pruitt has filed 14 lawsuits against the EPA in the span of his career according to Business Insider.
Surrounded by threats to vital environmental protections, my job as a canvasser took a different tone. Every day I was assigned a different location, and every day I was met with dismissal and rejection. Yet, every day I had at least one meaningful conversation with someone who fortunately found the time to stop and listen.
I remember a woman, who was an environmental activist working towards a Ph.D. in Urban Planning, encouraging me to continue this work. I remember a man from the Duwamish tribe who shared with me the stories of his bloodline. I remember the five-year-old who begged his mother to give me three dollars of his ice cream money.
I talked to a lot of people who were concerned, frustrated and angry—but never hopeless. There were movements starting up to counteract the withdrawal from the agreement, including the Climate Mayors.
According to the Climate Mayors’ website, the group was founded in 2014 as a peer-to-peer bipartisan network of U.S. mayors who are dedicated to standing up against climate change in policy and community.
There are 392 mayors dedicated to upholding the expectations listed in the agreement regardless of Trump’s decision. It comforts me to know that 12 of those mayors are from Washington State—Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham, Edmonds, Olympia, Snoqualmie and Vancouver are among them.
Though there were headlines upon headlines with dire news about the Paris Climate Agreement and Scott Pruitt’s obscene leadership and track record, it made me hopeful to work with a nonprofit led by passionate directors and engage with people in Seattle who hadn’t lost hope either.
We may not know what the future holds, nor how long we can preserve our environment. But today in 2018, I know I’m surrounded by supportive mayors and determined environmental activists. Last summer, the City of Edmonds recently committed all city-owned buildings to renewable energy by 2019, according to My Edmonds News.
We have the momentum, and we have the support of our legislators. The weather is getting warmer, and the Pacific Northwest is blooming. Go out there and enjoy the view, and in the words of South Sound Proud—let’s live like the mountain is out.
