House on Fire with Gabi Rodriguez & JP Mejia
What choice do youth have when there is a storm coming your way? It is not a blue or red issue, climate change brings you into the movement.
Gabriela Rodriguez
In this episode I got to hear from Gabi, “I love to spend time with people I love, explore different natural parks, go to see live music, travel to new countries, read books, watch new movies, and run. I love to do things that keep me present and remind me that I have so much life to live.”
As I asked Gabi questions, she pondered on how to really answer questions of the future with the uncertainty of climate change.
“In my sophomore year of college I had a burst of anxiety”, she stated as she started to see slides of what Miami will look like over time with sea level rise. “When I understood this, it activated my second passion, education”
John Paul Mejia
Meet John Paul, or JP, he is an organizer and educator in Miami, Florida. He loves to spend time exploring different places, and enjoying getting to know people,
While there are climate organizers who have started engaging in the environmental movement through a teacher, or a mentor, JP’s story was one that started with a storm.
Hurricane Irma was approaching Miami in 2017, which led to JP’s family taking precautions and leaving for a safer place. “Often in climate spaces, when you asked organizers how they got involved? They will say a mentor or a person. For lots of people here in Miami, it happens to be a series of events”
Ground Zero
According to some media sources, Miami is considered to be the ground zero of climate change. I even found this video where sand is being thrown into the beach to mitigate the rise of ocean water.
It is at ground zero that people are organizing for climate action, climate justice, engaging communities, and education. There is one organization at the forefront of this leadership, CLEO Institute.
House on Fire
“House on Fire” are three words that were shared by Gretta Thumberg that inspired Gabi to think of the idea of a youth led podcast. With the help of folks at CLEO Institute Gabi and JP are able to co-host the show.
I left inspired after my conversation with Gabi and JP because we were able to talk about these large problems, instead of internalizing them, and feeling alone in this movement.
More specifically, I appreciated hearing their story behind the podcast and thinking also about previous environmental leaders who are no longer with us.
Thinking about the words they shared, and the possibilities that lie within for people to create other podcast, shows, or projects.
Stay engaged with Gabi, JP, and House on Fire:
@houseonfirepodcast (Instagram)
@cleoinstitute (Instagram, Twitter)
@gabionearth (Instagram)
@gabivrodriguez (Twitter)
@johnpaul_mejia (Twitter)
While you are here
Hey, Alfredo here. My conversation with Gabi and JP was over an hour long, and we discussed many things that I think you may want to hear, especially if you are about to graduate high school or college. You can listen to the full conversation of all of the shows on my Patreon page.
I would love it if you could be part of my community on Patreon because it will help me continue to generate this content. You will get access to the full conversations, behind the scenes, and maybe even a little gift.
What did you think of the conversation? Why do you think carbon catalyzes or inhibits the change in narrative? I would love to hear below!