What We Do

Our Climate empowers young people to advocate for the science-based, equitable and intersectional climate justice policies that build a thriving world.

We engage and empower young leaders to eliminate greenhouse gas pollution and achieve a transition away from an extractive, profit-based economy towards one that is equitable and regenerative to build a thriving world. Since our founding in 2014, Our Climate has mobilized thousands of young people to advance state and federal level climate justice policy. 
  

Since 2020, we’ve celebrated the passage of 22 climate justice policies that Our Climate youth leaders advocated for:

In the past year, we’ve celebrated the passage of 13 state climate policies that Our Climate youth leaders advocated for:

  • The Climate and Community Protection Act in New York; 
  • The Climate Pollution Limits Bill in Washington;
  • Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Executive Order to cap carbon pollution in the industrial, transportation, and natural gas sectors in Oregon;
  • 2050 Roadmap Climate Bill in Massachusetts;
  • The HEAL Act in Washington;
  • The Clean Fuel Standard in Washington;
  • The Working Families Tax Credit in Washington;
  • Capital Gains Tax in Washington;
  • Police tactics reform to ban chokeholds/no-knock warrants in Washington,
  • Farmworker Overtime in Washington;
  • Growth Management Act in Washington
  • SB 289 (a racial justice policy preventing biased crime in Oregon Parks)
  • The Energy Affordability Act in Oregon
  • SCR 17 (racial and environmental clause in approaching environmental policy in Oregon).

We have engaged young leaders in ongoing efforts to pass comprehensive policies. Since January 2022 we have:

  • Mobilized over 4,000 students from communities across the United States to advocate for climate justice through legislative advocacy, media engagement, and campus organizing;
  • Organized over 112 legislative activities to build power for climate justice on the state and federal level;
  • Supported students to organize over 113 legislative actions to build power for climate justice policy, including letter writing, petition signing, and direct lobby meetings;
  • Brought together 30 young climate leaders from across the US in Washington, DC for our Climate Justice Summit.

Our team has greatly built the capacity of our youth engagement and leadership development programs to provide meaningful opportunities for rising student leaders across the country. We have:

  • Recruited, hired, and trained over 45 Fellows and Field Reps across the country in our 2022 cohort; 
  • Offered structured curriculum for Fellows and Field Representatives on intersectional justice, just transition, storytelling, and other advocacy topics; 
  • Amplified the voices of young climate leaders from around the globe through our social media Influencer Outreach Campaign and via our Communications Volunteers Program, which offers structured training and hands-on guidance for young people interested in honing their environmental communications skills.

Our Climate’s leaders have elevated the conversation about concrete climate policies around the country and have:

  • Reached more than 1 million people online through videos, digital actions, student stories, and our podcast Is It Hot Enough For Ya?
  • Reached over 11,000 young voters across the US and held voter information events at 15 campuses.
  • Facilitated 3 Resilience as Resistance: Mental Health and Climate Activism events, engaging over 67 young participants in conversations around building emotional resilience in the fight for climate justice.