This is a Q&A panel event with panelists working at the intersections of gender equity and climate change, such as gender and climate activists, CEO’s of leading girl’s organizations. The UN reports that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. This means women and girls are experiencing a disproportionate amount of the consequences of climate change already through natural disasters, food shortages, and scarce resources. The panelists will delve into how environmental justice intersects with the fight for gender equity. They will discuss how climate change affects women and girl’s access to education, healthcare, and the resources they need to succeed. As well as how women and girls are taking a stand and fighting for a better environment and for their rights.

Karin Watson Ferrer is a 24 y/o activist and design student. She was born and raised in Chile, and currently lives in Barcelona, Spain. She is a human rights activist, working especially on the intersection between climate & gender. Karin is working toward a Bachelor of Arts in Design at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile & EINA Barcelona. Karin was a founder member of Amnesty International’s Global Youth Collective, member of the 2020 Class of Women Deliver Young Leaders Program and Co-founder of the Re-earth Initiative and Latinas for Climate, besides working on several different projects related to climate justice, gender equality and human rights, both in Chile and at an international level.

Lauren Ritchie is a 20-year-old climate justice advocate and writer from The Bahamas currently living in New York City studying Sustainable Development at Columbia University. The work that she explores both inside and outside of the classroom focuses primarily on the importance of intersectionality and accessibility within the environmental movement and the nexus between climate justice and social change. Her work prioritizes placing historically underrepresented and marginalized communities at the forefront of the climate movement which has neglected the voices of people of color for centuries, despite them bearing the disproportionate brunt of climate impacts. Due to her interests in media communications and technology, she engages with climate action and education through online mediums such as her platform, The Eco Justice Project, and her podcast, Black Girl Blueprint. She is also a writer and content strategist for Brown Girl Green, a Youth Ambassador for Plastic Pollution Coalition and Global Wildlife Conservation, and the creator of the panel series, Columbia Climate Conversations, which invites activists and scientists of color to speak on topics ranging from agricultural systems to sustainable fashion and disability awareness.

Nadya Okamoto is a 23-year-old Harvard graduate. In early 2020, Okamoto co-founded August, a lifestyle brand working to reimagine periods. As the Today Show describes, “August is a growing online community aiming to "re-imagine and redefine the period experience to be powerful and dignified," with members who engage in conversations about how to properly use menstrual cups or what it's like to be a transgender man having a period, for example.” Nadya Okamoto is also the Founder of PERIOD (period.org), an organization fighting to end period poverty and stigma that she founded at the age of 16. Under her leadership as Executive Director for five years, PERIOD addressed over 1.5 million periods and registered over 800 campus chapters in all 50 states and 50 other countries. In 2017, Nadya ran for public office in Cambridge, MA at age 19 — at the time, becoming the youngest Asian American to run. In 2018, Nadya published her debut book, Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement with publisher Simon & Schuster, which made the Kirkus Reviews list for Best Young Adult Nonfiction of 2018. Nadya is also the former Chief Brand Officer and current Board Member of JUV Consulting, a Generation Z marketing agency based in NYC. She has been recognized on the lists of Forbes 30 under 30, Bloomberg 50 “Ones to Watch” and People Magazine's Women Changing the World.

The conversation is moderated by Columbia undergraduate Kwolanne Dina Felix.

свернуть