{"id":14440,"date":"2020-07-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14440"},"modified":"2020-07-22T09:04:40","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T13:04:40","slug":"climate-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/climate-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"A Movement for Our Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was born in 1994, making me 25 years old.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that short amount of time, humans have pumped more greenhouse gases into our atmosphere than any time before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the present and future I and so many young people were thrown into. Now, it\u2019s become our responsibility to ensure a habitable and healthy planet for us and our children. I care about climate change because a changing climate is all I know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Andrew Ahern, Community Engagement Coordinator, Mass Audubon Broad Meadow Brook Conservation and Wildlife Sanctuary.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s my generation\u2019s future on the line.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I like to say the 21st century is a century of solving global problems at a local level, so no one can claim boredom: there\u2019s too much to do. Young people have been hearing this call, especially in the last four years with the rise of the youth climate strikes, the Green New Deal, and the Sunrise Movement\u2014all of which I have been a part of and have served as catalysts for educating, activating, and inspiring me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People are always looking for hope and motivation. Climate action can provide that space for young people who haven\u2019t found it yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stay motivated by the climate movement<\/em> I am a part of.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s being part of the movement<\/em>, surrounded by so many caring, smart, talented, and passionate young people, that keeps me going, engaged, and ready for action. Being part of a movement<\/em> gave my life purpose and will do the same for many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find hope in strangers and friends alike who stand next to me in marches; who listen to frontline communities about the disproportionate toll climate change takes on them; and who are actively pursuing a world based on justice, democracy, and ecological well-being. You can and will find hope in a movement based on collective community action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m Andrew Ahern, and I\u2019m a Climate Champion.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over the past ten months I\u2019ve had the privilege of serving as a Terracorps member with Mass Audubon and the Worcester community organizing, educating, and activating people towards climate action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this time, I organized over 40 of Worcester\u2019s youth for Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary\u2019s<\/a> first Youth Climate Summit. I created community spaces for people to learn and talk about climate change through our Climate Caf\u00e9<\/a> series. I reached over 1,000 unique viewers during digital Earth Day events I organized with the Worcester chapter of the Sunrise Movement. These are just some of my accomplishments during my service term, and I\u2019m thrilled I get to build and continue this work as I enter into a new position with Mass Audubon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As my work continues with Mass Audubon, climate action only gains importance with each passing year. The need to get off fossil fuels, change our agricultural systems, reduce our consumption habits, and invest in education, healthcare, and renewable energy (all \u201cgreen\u201d jobs) are initiatives for the future I direct my time and energy into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have two pieces of advice for young people: build a better future and repair a broken past.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Begin imagining what a better world will look like for our generation and the following ones. What we lack is not the technological feasibility or even political power, but a shared vision for a better future. Having a vision turns this project into a mass movement<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Show up and get involved. I don\u2019t mean just attending a climate change program or joining a rally, but also supporting those most affected: from disaster relief, to homelessness, to caring for our elders. Climate change puts our most vulnerable in increased danger. They will need help in a warming and sea-rising future and we need to be able to hear the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s to the next and most important 10 years of our collective lives!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Andrew Ahern, Community Engagement Coordinator, Mass Audubon Broad Meadow Brook Conservation and Wildlife Sanctuary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominate your local climate champion by commenting below or sending us an email at climatechange@massaudubon.org. If you\u2019re looking for more ways to engage with Mass Audubon\u2019s climate action work, visit our Instagram Story<\/a> to ask us all your questions about climate action on Monday, August 3 at 12 pm for our First Friday Climate Action AMA. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was born in 1994, making me 25 years old.   In that short amount of time, humans have pumped more greenhouse gases into our atmosphere than any time before.  This is the present and future I and so many young people were thrown into. Now, it\u2019s become our responsibility to ensure a habitable and healthy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":14443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[178],"tags":[246,344,150,353],"class_list":["post-14440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","tag-climate-action","tag-climate-champion","tag-climate-change","tag-movement"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/Andrew-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3KU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14942,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/on-bug-boxes-and-climate-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":14440,"position":0},"title":"On Bug Boxes, Climate Grief, and Human Health\u202f","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"November 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"My connection to nature sparked as a \u202fkid in the eighties.\u202fI owned a bug box\u202f\u2013 my \u202fgrandmother\u2019s neighbor made them in bulk and then let the kids on the block decorate them. It was a simple wooden construction with a panel door that swung sideways and up, with fine mesh\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/Claire_Leverett_Pond.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/Claire_Leverett_Pond.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/Claire_Leverett_Pond.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/Claire_Leverett_Pond.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14500,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/towards-an-equitable-net-zero-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":14440,"position":1},"title":"Paving the Way Towards an Equitable, Net-Zero Future","author":"Rishya N.","date":"August 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Photo \u00a9 Rishi Jain. 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Are You Ready to Listen?","author":"Alexandra Vecchio","date":"March 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"We have all heard, and perhaps even been on the receiving end of the \u201cyoung and na\u00efve\u201d stereotypes. Young and carefree. Young and impressionable. Young and idealistic.\u00a0 And while all of those adjectives might be accurate, they aren\u2019t stopping youth around the world from calling into question the actions (or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9 Sarah Houle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/03\/2671Sarah_Houle9528_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/03\/2671Sarah_Houle9528_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/03\/2671Sarah_Houle9528_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/03\/2671Sarah_Houle9528_1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14471,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/local-climate-lessons\/","url_meta":{"origin":14440,"position":3},"title":"The Importance of Local Climate Lessons","author":"Rishya N.","date":"July 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Climate change can sometimes feel like something happening far away that\u2019ll only reach us in the future.\u00a0Even more worrying is that\u00a0Americans are\u00a0least likely\u00a0to think\u00a0they themselves will be harmed by climate change, and over half of Americans say that haven\u2019t personally experienced\u00a0its effects.\u00a0 These findings demonstrate a need to emphasize how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/0061_RoxburyLatin2017_061.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/0061_RoxburyLatin2017_061.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/0061_RoxburyLatin2017_061.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/0061_RoxburyLatin2017_061.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14875,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/planting-a-forest-with-the-climate-in-mind\/","url_meta":{"origin":14440,"position":4},"title":"Planting a Forest with the Climate in Mind","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"November 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"More than 50 volunteers turned out in the last days of a mild October to help restore a floodplain forest at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Northampton. Together, these nature heroes planted around 1,500 of the 2,000 trees and shrubs going in the ground before winter. Volunteer at Arcadia In this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"volunteer planting a tree at Arcadia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/PXL_20201024_193516319.PORTRAIT-01.COVER-750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/PXL_20201024_193516319.PORTRAIT-01.COVER-750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/PXL_20201024_193516319.PORTRAIT-01.COVER-750.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/PXL_20201024_193516319.PORTRAIT-01.COVER-750.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13126,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/stand-with-youth-climate-strikers\/","url_meta":{"origin":14440,"position":5},"title":"Stand With Youth Climate Strikers","author":"Alexandra Vecchio","date":"September 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"On September 20,\u00a0Mass Audubon will stand with millions of people of all ages around the world to amplify the voice of youth activists who understand the urgency of climate change.\u00a0\u00a0 We have partnered with Youth Climate Strike Massachusetts to share our support and stand in solidarity with youth and adults\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mass Audubon Supports Youth Climate Strike","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/MAClimateStrike_blog.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/MAClimateStrike_blog.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/MAClimateStrike_blog.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/MAClimateStrike_blog.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14440"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14467,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14440\/revisions\/14467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}