Episode 16 - Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a 17-year-old climate activist, hip hop artist, and powerful voice on the front lines of a global, youth-led, environmental movement called the Youth Guardians. What does it mean to truly connect with the things that really matter to us? For Xiuhtezcatl, it means that we find our reason to care for our planet and the motivation to take action. He invites us to be energized by all the solutions and innovations that are already out there rather than be weighed down by the problems themselves. In this conversation, Xiuhtezcatl talks about how the movement for environmental change is fueled by more than just hope and inspiration… he's seen the solutions that outweigh the problems; he sees that we are at a moment in time where change has moved beyond dreaming and into doing. Xiuhtezcatl says that by 2020, his young generation will be the biggest voting block in the United States, and speaks about the importance of a movement spearheaded by hundreds of thousands of youth spread among 30 different countries. From tree planting to carbon sequestration projects, he emphasizes all of the good that is already being done and invites you to join in on the momentum.