Learning is a lifelong process. Every day you wake up, you do something new or old. Still, you learn something. It’s what you can do with that knowledge that will make “mountains move.” I approach engaging in all environmental work as a learning experience. In my time learning in diverse roles, I believe the environmental community is in desperate need of facilitation efforts to build knowledge. I build technical skills like GIS and in-lab conservation research with Brown University Professors, practical skills like interviewing governmental organizations as a legal intern with the City of Central Falls, and policy tools like working to help reform plastic pollution ordinances as an intern for the City of Providence, all to gain a greater understanding of environmental challenges from different perspectives. Knowing these diverse sets of skills and practices allows me to move within spaces to share knowledge and translate ideas into action. I also involve myself outside the traditional environmental community (e.g. academics, government personnel, non-profits) to ensure I engage and involve other individuals with a critical stake in environmental issues; as a Brown University Class of 2024 President and as a previous Residential Assistant to over 50 students, I find every way I can to incorporate my diverse knowledge into my environmental work. While there is no end to learning, if I could share the knowledge I have gained thus far, there is such a need in this world for those who seek diverse knowledge. It is my goal to dedicate the rest of my life to helping to solve environmental issues by continually seeking whatever knowledge leads to “mountains moving.”

The vastness of environmental work never ceases to amaze me. However, that expansive scope plagued me: would I pursue conservation law, energy justice, or coastal climate resilience? I always struggled when people pushed me to pursue a specific track or field. The environment is omnipresent, so how could I choose just one path? While pressure within the environmental field told me to choose a discipline, I knew environmental work did not belong in silos. I first recognized this while attending meetings of the Environmental Council of Rhode Island (ECRI). As I hopped onto my first Zoom, I felt overwhelmed. With the ECRI Chair, Priscilla De La Cruz, leading the helm, bills were being certified, plans were being constructed, and coalitions were being formed before my eyes. Little did I know as a senior, I would sit next to Priscilla De La Cruz, participating in solution-building to environmental stressors in Providence. Collectively, these moments delivered me to my ultimate goal, the facilitation of community. For me, facilitation implies the direct interpersonal interactions that occur within society, structural systems that develop communication, and a philosophical argument about the nature of societal interactions. Amorphous in nature, facilitation piques my desire to create significant structural solutions to all societal problems, just like the environment. One example, in particular, emphasizes how I came to see this as the largest challenge in the environmental community I face. I remember fielding three separate conversations during my tenure as a legal intern in Central Falls: the City Arborist, the local non-profit Groundwork RI, and the City Planner. All three worked on tree planting in Central Falls, yet each partner sat unaware of the others’ workings. While the Groundwork RI professionals began planting new trees for community garden spaces, the City Arborist sat uninformed and upset by the lack of communication. However, when discussing with the City Planner, the system processed the tickets for tree planting. Yet, there was no automated system sending notifications to the Arborist to inspect new tree plantings. Seemingly simple errors caused the three parties to lose trust and community with each other for over a year. As a facilitator, I could understand the interpersonal barrier of lack of direct interaction. I could see the philosophical alignment between the three parties as desiring environmental community through shared goals. However, I could also see the structural barriers to facilitation, like lack of communication, which held progress hostage. When discussing a lack of facilitation in diverse environmental spaces, I constantly hear avoidance: “they aren’t communicating enough” or “there isn’t enough… to accomplish.” However, the problem extends deeper — lack of facilitation encompasses a larger problem in American society. We consistently work against each other by forcing dissonance in individual actions. “Choose x over y.” This mindset influences how we approach our lives, careers, and relationships. As a young professional, I had everyone urging me to settle into just conservation science and to let go of my “gay-ness” to succeed in the workplace. This limits the human race. Our inability to connect on interpersonal, structural, and philosophical grounds leaves us with no community. From my personal life as a gay, Jewish, Latino man to my professional life, where I enjoy community building in student government, writing policy for climate initiatives, and canvassing for voter rights, I constantly balance all the unique parts of me. Each community I participate in gives me the strength to dedicate myself to my passion for helping people and the environment. I have overcome microscale barriers to facilitation within environmental communities, and I will continue to pursue this for the rest of my career.

The intersection of science and politics has always been fascinating to me. Science so inherently should impact the outcome of law, yet there is such a disconnect. Disconnection between both has caused massive systemic problems within research and policy creation, especially within our environment. Policy makers who have no prior knowledge engage with scientific topics, which allows detrimental issues to go unnoticed. From Line 5 Pipeline in Michigan to to the Texas City Y Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, catastrophes continue to occur and go unchecked. My wish is to see a world in which science and law work in harmony to positively impact individuals by protecting environmentally fundamental spaces for marginalized communities. Both my grandfathers are immigrants, one from Cuba and one from Mexico. Countless nights sitting at the dinner table and listening to stories of my grandfathers’ journeys, hard work, and experiences have inspired me to fight for the change I want to see in this world. Sadly both have passed. While extremely sombering, it has given me time to reflect on what I truly want in life and reaffirmed my purpose: connecting science and law together to benefit Americans. For my grandfathers, obtaining resources to be in environmentally equitable areas was very difficult. Working in factories in Chicago, they had to fight through difficult environmental conditions. For any Americans who struggle with access to clean air, water, or environments, I want to work hard to change that. As a gay, Jewish, and Latino man, I also understand the importance of keeping community strong; in order to do so, science and law have to come together to protect communities so they can share healthy physical spaces. Currently my work with Climate Action of Rhode Island (CARI) truly reflects the change I hope to see. Within my organization I focus on political organization and action in the legislature to see bills pass. During the summer of 2022 I am also assisting in leading endorsement interviews with legislators and executive members to build relationships and foster communication between individuals who focus in science and law. I am helping on the governor, lieutenant governor, US Congress District 2, and local Providence races to help decide who will be champions for Rhode Island in the face of environmental degradation. This work to me is the most impactful and helps laws like the Act on Climate (passed in the 2021 legislative session in Rhode Island), that forces the state to make concrete steps towards the inevitable impacts of climate change, which was spearheaded by CARI’s politics team. When I think about my future, I continue to see a path where I follow my passion for creating environmental legal protections to help marginalized communities. I plan to pursue a career in law school, then further go on to serve in a non-profit, to ensure that science and law will continue to come together in beautiful ways to create a world in which everyone has equitable and obtainable access to healthy environments. For both my grandfathers and for future generations of people just like me, I hope to change the world to make sure all communities have the environmental access they need to pass down traditions, to celebrate their communities, and to come together in times of need; to me, the way to achieve that is through bringing science and law together to work in harmony.

Both my grandfathers are immigrants, one from Cuba and one from Mexico. Countless nights sitting at the dinner table and listening to stories of my grandfathers’ journeys, hard work, and experiences have inspired me to work hard to achieve my dreams like they did. Sadly both have passed. While extremely sombering, it has given me time to reflect on what I truly want in life and reaffirmed my purpose: becoming an environmental steward to ensure easier access to success for immigrants. My grandfathers both worked arduous hours in factories in Chicago as a beginning of their life in America. During their work they met their wives also working in the factories, had children, and began to raise families of their own in cheap districts of the then booming Chicago. Growing up my parents both remembered their parents being gone most of the days, only to come back and cook a quick meal before rushing to sleep to be ready for the long day of work ahead. It was that dedicated struggle that allowed me to be the first person in my family to attend an Ivy League school, and gave me my passion of creating a more sustainable environment for struggling immigrants in America. My family has taught me it is under my control to determine my success, no matter what roadblocks are ahead. Because of their tireless work I continue to derive inspiration from their success. Seeing my family’s struggle to make a successful life forced me to evaluate what I could do to create easier access to success for generations of my family and families like mine. To me, that work was rooted in environmental stewardship. Generations of immigrants can not succeed if our physical environments are being destroyed by big corporations and wealthy American elites for monetary profit. To combat these prevalent harmful agendas I currently attend Brown University taking a full course load, work three part time jobs, work as President of Brown University Class of 2024, participate in two environmentally focused research labs, volunteer with two community organizations focused on improving policy in Rhode Island, and am in a leadership position on one political organization board through Brown University. I further plan to attend law school, work for environmentally focused NGOs, and make a transition into serving for public office to become a State Senator, all to protect physical spaces for immigrants and marginalized communities. My grandfathers, family, and immigrants I have met throughout my life continue to inspire me and drive me to do anything in my power to make my passion a reality. In my mission I hope to pay tribute to all the past immigrants that contributed to my ability to write this essay today and build a sustainable future for all generations of immigrants that will come to America like my grandfathers did.

Brown University’s Professor Amanda Lynch has given me the opportunity to assist her, Fall of 2021 semester, with a critical project regarding environmental policy in Uummannaq, Greenland. Greenland has for most of history been controlled by a combination of Denmark and Norway. “Act on Greenland Self-Government was granted to Greenland on June 21, 2009”(1). From then on, Greenland has the opportunity to become self-governing given its people vote in favor. This possibility has raised many questions about the options that Greenland can take environmentally. Greenland as a whole is afforded many business opportunities to gain revenue to institute an official government, including interest from individuals like Jeffery Bezos. However, these actions could act as a detriment to the environment in certain areas. Specifically, in the Uummannaq Fjord, sea caps are rapidly melting because of global warming. Unknowing in the decisions of Greenland going forward, Professor Amanda Lynch tasked me over Fall 2021 semester to uncover, understand, and delve into the people of Uummannaq using a special technique called the Central Theory Model. The Central Theory Model follows a basic principle but holds many nuances. When addressing a question (ex. what should Uummannaq next steps be) there are many factors to consider. First, goals, then trends, then conditions, then projections, and finally alternatives. Goals are oriented around understanding the people of Uummanaq’s wants and needs. Trends retrace the historical precedence and importance in past events in shaping future outcomes regarding all aspects of life. Conditions tease out the possible externalities of the situation you are analyzing that could impact trends and goals. Projections include how the trajectory will look if nothing is done. Alternatives, which should only be addressed at the end of the process, detail the best steps to connect the goals and projections. In an environmental policy framework, it is important to remember that individuals are a key aspect of the process. One can save the environment but end up hurting indigienous peoples. One can ban fishing, but also destroy families' lives. Using this framework ensures that both the environment and people of a land, like Uummannaq, are being taken care of. As the creators of The Central Theory Model state, this format holds many nuances and includes a multidisciplinary approach that attempts to help the researchers realize and accept their own biases in situations. When solving environmental issues like climate change, it is important to remember there are multiple actors and many perspectives. A true advocate for climate change needs to take the time to understand the perspectives of the individuals in crisis and also realize that not all solutions are universal. By using the Central Theory Model, one can accomplish just that. For example, I would propose that forcing a city like Los Angeles to produce their own energy instead of outsourcing it would be ineffective if research hadn’t been done into the implications on poor people. Chances are richer cities will advocate (using vast resources, most often money) to have things like power plants not be built in their suburban neighborhoods. Innovative solutions are important, but making sure you take the time to truly understand your solution is the most important aspect of making a critical decision for environmental policy. That’s why I propose a radical push towards using the Central Theory Model might help scientists revolutionize climate change and take both big and small steps towards solving problems. Giving the tools to individuals is just as important as them using the tools. Works Cited 1. “Politics in Greenland.” Til Forsiden, naalakkersuisut.gl/en/About-government-of-greenland/About-Greenland/Politics-in-Greenland.