@queeringenvironmentaljustice is calling you to action. In hopes to bring awareness of the intersectionality of LGBTQ Youth and how they are being impacted by Climate Change. When we think of Climate Change, it can be hard to see specifically how LGBTQ youth are impacted, but did you know that LGBTQ youth have a 120% higher risk of reporting homelessness? LGBTQ youth represent 7% of the general population but make up 40% of homeless youth (true colors United). Think about how climate change has impacted our weather, and now think about being an LGBTQ youth with no where to sleep but the street. How would you adapt to the constantly changing weather patterns? Could you sleep in an industrial area where the pollution is higher? Could you survive food scarcity with limited access to nutritious foods like fruits and veggies? According to the Trevor Projects 2021 Survey, 30% of LGBTQ youth experienced food insecurity in the past month.

We are creating this call to action to invite you to play a part in making your environment cleaner, not just for you, but with understanding that climate change is impacting specific populations at higher rates. We are asking that you commit 3 hours to picking up garbage and neatening up your community. You pick the day, the time, and the place, we just ask that commit to volunteering your 3 hours before Earth Day on Friday, April 22nd, 2022. 

• Is there a road that you always pass that you can’t help but notice garbage sprawled across the sides of the roadway? Find a safe space to park, bring some gloves and garbage bags and take action. 
• Is there a park you used to play in, but is now run down and riddled with trash? Contact your parks and recreation department and ask how you can help return the park back to its former glory. 
• Do you have an elderly neighbor that has let their property fall in disarray? Knock on their door and offer to do some yard work. 

The possibilities are endless of how you can spend your 3 hours, but we ask that you do it while holding the intention of why you are doing it, and how there is no planet B, so we must do our part to save and protect what we can in our environment. 

As we come out of the last 2 years of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we know that it is possible to reduce the harm caused to our environment. In the first few months of lockdown we saw a drop in CO2 levels, NOX levels, and eight other pollutant levels (Le Quere et al., 2020). Although the levels have begun to risen again, we must do our part, where we can… so will you commit 3 hours to cleaning an area in your environment?