Dr. Jessica Hernandez - Transnational Indigenous Scholar, Scientist, Author of “Fresh Banana Leaves”

Dr. Jessica Hernandez (Binnizá & Maya Ch’orti’) is a transnational Indigenous scholar, scientist, and community advocate based in the Pacific Northwest. She has an interdisciplinary academic background ranging from marine sciences to environmental physics. She advocates for climate, energy, and environmental justice through her scientific and community work. Her book Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science breaks down why western conservationism isn’t working–and offers Indigenous models informed by case studies, personal stories, and family histories that center the voices of Latin American women and land protectors. In 2022, she was named by Forbes as one of the 100 most powerful women of Central America. She holds appointments at Sustainable Seattle, City of Seattle's Urban Forestry Commission, and the International Mayan League. Fresh Banana Leaves received the Bruce Piasecki and Andrea Masters Award on Business and Society Writing (2022)."I think my vision for land stewardship is realistic, right? It's not going to go back to the way it was before climate change was a crisis, as it is now. It's not going to go back to before colonialism actually impacted many Indigenous lands. But I think with land stewardship, my vision is that the youth are also empowered to do that intergenerational learning and teaching because we often learn best from our elders, but oftentimes in school settings, we are only learning from the teachers, so we don't get that intergenerational approaches or relationships that are essential as we move forward."www.jessicabhernandez.comwww.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/675699/fresh-banana-leaves-by-jessica-hernandez/www.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.info