How to Find Community and Engage in Climate Activism in a Second Trump Presidency (and Beyond)
This post first appeared in our weekly Make Waves Mondays email series on January 27, 2025.
Okay friend,
Last week we talked about how now, more than ever, it’s critical that we all find and nurture community.
Because connected communities are resilient communities.
And boy do we need resiliency right now.
So this week, we’re talking about how to find YOUR community…how to build resiliency and strength around us.
This week’s blog might look a little different than usual, and that’s because I want this to be a resource list you visit over and over and over again (and perhaps share with your friends and family members, too).
I plan to continue adding to it, creating an expansive list of organizations and opportunities for you - no matter where you live - to find new ways to engage in climate action and resiliency in your community.
So please, if you have any suggestions or additions for this list, let me know so I can grow this resource for everyone.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and the more I read, the more I learn, and the more I learn, the more resources I find.
Let’s grow this list together, okay?
Now…let’s dive in 👇
First and foremost - what brings you joy?
First things first, friend, before we go any further, I want you to watch this 10-minute TED talk from Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and do the exercise that she outlines in her presentation.
I’m serious. I really want you to pause here and go do this.
We’re in this thing for the long haul, friend. We don’t want to be doing things we hate just because we feel like we should, or try doing too much at once.
So go watch the video, figure out what brings you joy, what you’re good at, and what needs doing.
And remember - every dang thing is connected.
It’s not ~just~ about limiting carbon emissions.
It’s also about social justice, reproductive rights, eliminating poverty, anti-racism, healthcare for all, improving education systems, queer liberation, protecting the first amendment, and quite literally everything else.
Now here’s why I want you to do this exercise FIRST:
Everything that follows this video is going to be mostly in a list format and there’s going to be A LOT of options.
The absolute very last thing I want is for you to look at the list, think to yourself “Oh dear Goddess that’s a whole lot of options… 😨 I’m just one person, Krystina! How am I supposed to make a difference when there’s SO MUCH that needs doing??”
👆 We’re gonna avoid that, okay?
So go watch the video, do the exercise, and come back to me 😁
What types of organizations or groups can you join (or otherwise engage with) to grow and connect with your community?
Honestly, friend, there are so many options here. When I started brain dumping ideas for this, the list started at like 5 things. But the more I listened to what others were saying and the more articles I read, the list just kept growing.
And I truly think that’s beautiful.
There are options for everyone. We need all types of people doing their little piece of the puzzle.
“I like to envision the whole world as a jigsaw puzzle… If you look at the whole picture, it is overwhelming and terrifying, but if you work on your little part of the jigsaw and know that people all over the world are working on their little bits, that’s what will give you hope.”
– Dr. Jane Goodall
How to Use This List
Now that you’ve done the exercise from Dr. Johnson and you know what brings you joy and what you’re good at, take a look at the list below and go with your gut first.
Which type of organization or group immediately jumps out to you?
Maybe you don’t even know what kind of work that organization does, and you’re just curious about it.
Or maybe you see a type of org that immediately makes you go, “yep that’s the one!”
Whatever it may be, start there.
These are broad categories, and there’s a solid chance there are many different options within each category that are available to you.
So when something jumps out at you, give it a Google.
Or, if you’re on Reddit, find your city or state’s subreddit and ask in there (do a search first to see if someone else has recently asked!).
Once you find a specific organization or group you want to join/support/engage with, pop over to their website and take a look around. See what specific work they’re doing, and how they are seeking community support, and whether those things align with your Venn Diagram from Dr. Johnson’s presentation.
Types of Community Support and Mutual Aid Organizations
Note: This list is sorted alphabetically, and if you happen to be in Tacoma, WA as well, I’ve included a few links for Tacoma-local organizations that I’m already familiar with.
Climate Action Non-Profit
Climate Legislation Non-Profit
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- (Washington State) Zero Waste Washington
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Community Cleanups
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- (Tacoma) Oscar’s Enemies
- (Tacoma) Tidy-Up Tacoma
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Community Gardening
Conservation District
- (Pierce County) Pierce Conservation District
Fix-It Events
- (Tacoma) Fix-It Nights
Food Pantry
- (Pierce County) Emergency Food Network
- (Pierce County) Nourish Pierce County
Government Office
LGBTQ+ Advocacy Group
Local Democratic Party
Local Library
Local Zoo or Aquarium
- (Tacoma) Northwest Trek
- (Tacoma) Point Defiance Zoo
Meetup Group
- (Tacoma) Tacoma Green Drinks
- Book Club
- Crochet / Knitting / Sewing Club
- (Tacoma) Make-it Sew
- Gardening Club
Mutual Aid
Office Green Team
Parks Department
- (Tacoma) Parks Tacoma
Social Justice Advocacy Group
- (Tacoma) Tacoma Urban League
Tenant’s Union
Tool Library
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- (Tacoma) Tacoma Tool Library
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Town Hall / City Council Meetings
Tutoring or After School Programs
Women’s Health Advocacy Group
What types of action can you take with these organizations?
We need all types of people and action. There’s no one right way to get involved and be an activist.
You can…
- Volunteer or become a member
- Donate
- Attend meetings
- Share and amplify their work
- Follow them on social media
- Engage with them on social media (don’t be stingy with your likes, comments, and shares!)
- Join their email lists (and open their emails!)
- Invite friends and family members to join you at an event
On the topic of donations I have two follow-up points:
- Every little bit matters. Even if you only have $5 a month to donate, that $5 makes a difference. Even better if you can set up a recurring donation.
- A couple of years ago I was having a conversation with the Executive Director of the Emergency Food Network here in Tacoma and I will forever remember her telling us that food donations are great, but monetary donations are even better. With monetary donations, they are able to purchase food in bulk, greatly lowering the individual price of items. These organizations have access to resources we don’t and plans for how to responsibly spend every dollar they receive. So if you’re going the route of donations, especially for organizations like food pantries, please consider donating monetarily if you can.
What climate activism can you do on your own?
Like I said earlier, community is going to be imperative in the coming years. I know that especially during The COVID Times we all fell out of community engagement, but I implore you to get involved in your community, and do so in-person if at all possible.
We need each other.
yes, and… There is a lot that we can also do on our own.
Besides, ya know, (*gestures broadly*) everything we’ve ever covered on previous Make Waves Mondays, these are some of my other favorite ways to give a big ‘ol eff you to the billionaires:
- Ditch Amazon. It’s time. Here’s how.
- Support small, local, woman-owned, BIPOC-owned, LGBTQ+-owned businesses. Support them HARD.
- Buy from them.
- Leave them product reviews.
- Leave them Google reviews.
- Like and comment on their social media posts.
- Recommend them to your loved ones.
- Shout them out on your own social media.
- When someone asks for recommendations on Reddit, recommend them.
- Join a local CSA - or Community-Support Agriculture.
- When you join a CSA, you are buying a “share” of a local farm, and in return you receive a weekly box of fresh produce during the growing season.
- Start a “Friend Emergency Fund”
- I saw this on Threads the other day and knew immediately I had to add it to this list.
- Get your money out of big banks (yes, even the “small” accounts like your checking account), and get your investments out of fossil fuels and billionaires.
- This is on my list for 2025 and I’ll be doing a whole Make Waves Monday on it too, but here’s a great resource from Going Zero Waste on how to get started.
- Become financially literate and confident.
- My two faves for this are Your Rich BFF and Her First 100K.
- Take back your attention.
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Watch this TikTok from Hank Green about taking back your attention. Like, right now. Go watch it.
- Find joy. Move your body. Do something creative.
- Joy is resistance. Find something that brings you joy and make it a priority. Personally, I’ve started looking into local dance classes for adults, and I’ll be subscribing to a Patreon that I discovered on Threads with monthly coloring pages, calligraphy workbooks and doodling workbooks.
- Learn a new skill.
- While doing research for this post, I came across Trainings Skill-Ups from 350.org. They cover climate change, how social change happens, fracking, and divestment, and I can’t wait to dive into them.
In summary…
Okay friend, I know that’s a lot. And I think that’s a good thing.
Because like I said above, there’s room for everyone.
So to recap, here’s what I want you to do:
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Watch Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s TED Talk on finding joy in climate action.
- Do the exercise from Dr. Johnson’s TED Talk.
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Review the list of community organization types, and go with your gut at first. Look up groups in your area, and find one or two to get involved with - and get involved with regularly.
- Review the list of climate actions you can take on your own, and choose one or two to commit to.
And most importantly…do what you can, when you can, where you can.
We’ve got a long road ahead of us, and none of us can do everything. Just do the best you can.
And whatever that looks like for you on any given day, I want you to remember this:
You are doing a great job.
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