Who's Behind 31DoCA?
Kaitlin Y. Cordes
Hi there! I’m Kaitlin. I’m a human rights lawyer and the mother of two young children. I’ve spent years working on food justice, sustainable agriculture, land rights, and more. By working with Columbia University’s Earth Institute, I became familiar with climate change science.
Yet even as my work focused heavily on climate change, my personal actions didn’t alter much. I knew there was more I could be doing in my daily life to take climate action, but I was too overstretched and busy to figure it out or make the time.
Flash forward many years. I left my job in 2021. I was planning to take some time to decompress, but instead I found myself doing an even deeper dive into climate change. I obsessed over all aspects of it -- the facts, the solutions, my personal grief and anxiety. (My friends and family thought I was super fun to be around during this time!) I started trying out different actions, little changes here and there, from calling my senators to zero-waste recipes. Some were keepers (yay, community solar energy!), some were failures (no one would touch my homemade sour cream), but all helped me feel more empowered. I started sharing these ideas with friends, who were eager to make some easy changes, too.
After reading endless articles and books on climate change, my conclusion is this: no one is coming to save us, but we CAN still save ourselves. The more of us that are on board, the faster we’ll move to a future where we can thrive.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Researcher, Aspiring Zero-Waster, & Mom
Solina Kennedy
Climate, Food, & Regenerative Agriculture Enthusiast
Hello! I'm Solina. I worked with Kaitlin, researching climate, food and agriculture at Columbia University's Earth Institute. Similar to Kaitlin, climate change has been at the forefront of my mind and center of my career/studies for quite some time, but nothing I was doing seemed to be enough.
There are so many ways to engage with this issue––as an individual, a citizen, a consumer––so many, that at times it can be overwhelming. What really matters? What makes a difference? Where do I start?
I found myself, particularly during the pandemic, wishing someone would just tell me what to do –– send me an actionable item that I could do each day, from my home, to make the world a little better.
So when Kaitlin proposed 31 Days of Climate Action, I couldn't say 'sign me up' fast enough.
And here we are. We've put together an array of action items, tricks, recommendations and resources to empower you (and me, and Kaitlin) to get a jumpstart this January.
The world is in a really tough spot right now. But there are things we can do, today, and every day, to work towards the future we want to have a hand in building.
We are so excited you've joined us for the ride. This is the first step, and we can't wait to take it with you!
