The Land I Trust

In the season finale, host Rebecca Kling reflects on how the climate crisis disproportionately impacts frontline communities and why these communities should be at the center of our collective fight against the structural inequities that perpetuate the crisis.

In Massachusetts, decades-old gas infrastructure is leaking methane, a super pollutant that heats up the climate much faster than carbon. Audrey Schulman, co-executive director of the Home Energy Efficiency Team, a grassroots non-profit working on cutting emissions from buildings, is advocating for renewable geothermal heating systems, a climate-safe way to heat homes without the worry of leaks and explosions.  

On the South Side of San Antonio, a majority-Latino community lives near a coal plant that accounts for half of the city's carbon emissions. DeeDee Belmares, a climate justice organizer with Public Citizen, is working to educate and mobilize the community to retire the plant after years of toxic air and water pollution.   

Steel mills and coal-fueled industry created a dirty past for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Though the city has cleaned up its environmental act in the past few decades, there’s still work to be done. Resident Laura Jacko fights for her neighborhood’s future. 

Bill Halter has worked in the White House, sat on boards of tech companies, and served as lieutenant governor of Arkansas. In all these pursuits, he says he tries to “do well by doing good.” This led him back to his hometown in Little Rock to become CEO of Scenic Hill Solar, where business is booming.

Christopher Basaldú lives in Brownsville, Texas, where the oil and gas industries dominate. But to Christopher, the danger of the status quo is clear. A proposed export terminal for fracked gas threatens to destroy his tribe’s connection to spiritual and cultural sites.

Flare stacks, refineries and other signs of extractive industry have taken over much of the Gulf Coast of South Texas. But one pristine stretch of the shoreline remains intact near Brownsville. Bekah Hinojosa and her community are fighting locally, nationally and internationally to keep it this way.

Check out Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition at bearsearscoalition.org or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

For Mary Lyn Stoll, the damaging effects of dirty energy and injustices caused by climate change are abundantly clear. But as a professor of ethics in Evansville, Indiana, the heart of coal country, teaching climate ethics is a lot more complicated.

Víctor Guzmán nunca esperó encontrarse esposado. Siendo padre y miembro vocal de la comunidad de Salinas en Puerto Rico, Víctor quiso una comunidad segura y saludable para sus hijos y para todos los puertorriqueños. Pero cuando las plantas térmicas de carbón empezaron a descargar ceniza tóxica cerca de Salinas, Víctor organizó a su comunidad para oponerse al transporte de cenizas tóxicas y a la creciente influencia de la industria carbonera en Puerto Rico.

Víctor Guzmán never expected to find himself in handcuffs. As a father and vocal community member of Salinas, Puerto Rico, Víctor wanted a safe and healthy home for his children and all Puerto Ricans. But when coal plants started dumping toxic coal ash near Salinas, Víctor organized the community to resist the coal ash trucks and confront the growing influence of big coal in Puerto Rico.

Russell Schiermeier runs an 800-acre farm in Bruneau, Idaho. Like much of Idaho, Russ’s farm is in a very arid climate, so irrigation is a must. As a result, Russ says Idaho farmers “live or die by our power costs." To address that, Russ installed solar in the pivot corners of his fields to pump water at lower cost than the grid. Russ is now active in building awareness among other farmers of the benefits of installing solar. Russ doesn’t push solar for altruistic reasons, he advocates for farmers’ best interests. He speaks to how solar can increase the value of farmland, boost the competitiveness of Idaho agriculture, and improve the economic resiliency of farming. Now, Russ has the largest solar farm in Idaho Power’s net metering program.

Read more here: Kinder Morgan sued over drilling fluid spill in Blanco County 

Lucy Molina was a born fighter. Her grandmother, father and mother all marched for the rights of migrant farm workers alongside Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez. Lucy continues that fight by advocating for her home of Commerce City, Colorado, which, according to Lucy, lives up to its name… placing commercial interest above public interests like fresh air and clean water. 

Just a few miles from downtown Mobile, Alabama, Africatown has a deep history that informs its name. It's home to descendants of enslaved people who were brought to this country aboard the last slave ship to enter the United States. When the Civil War ended, they purchased the land and called it Africatown. Today, the community is rich in history and culture, but it also suffers from decades of harmful environmental conditions. But Joe Womack is seeking environmental justice for his community and ancestors. He runs the Mobile Environmental Justice Action Coalition (MEJAC - mejac.wordpress.com) and Clean, Healthy, Educated, Safe, and Sustainable Communities (CHESS - facebook.com/AfricatownCHESS) which are working to clean up the mess and keep industry out, for good.   

Lucia Urreta is a junior in high school from Houston. Growing up on the Gulf Coast, she was used to big storms and hurricanes. But she noticed they were getting scarier and more frequent. Then in September 2019, Tropical Storm Imelda hit, and Lucia knew it was time to take action. She organized a climate strike in front of city hall, spoke in front of the city council about the need for action, and started a petition to create a youth climate council for Houston. Lucia has been vocal about helping her community fight the climate crisis ever since.  Lucia also works with Climate Cardinals (climatecardinals.org), an organization that makes climate science accessible in over 100 languages.  

Will Behm grew up in woodsy southwestern Pennsylvania where he hiked, camped, and caught crawfish in a local creek. Now the local coal plant is threatening the beloved creek that defined his youth. 

Paul Wilson is the pastor of the Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Union Hill, Virginia a small, historically Black community. When he found out that Dominion Energy and Duke Energy wanted to build a compressor station for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in the middle of his community, it felt all too familiar. After organizing around protecting their community’s health from air and well water pollution from the station, Union Hill residents won their legal battle against the pipeline, leading to its cancellation in July 2020.

Casey Camp-Horinek is a member of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma and a longtime Native rights and environmental activist. She remembers what it was like to travel to South Dakota to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and protect the sacred drinking water of the Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. While there, she and other protestors were attacked and arrested by hundreds of militarized police with tear gas and percussion grenades.

In North Minneapolis, the city’s largest Black neighborhood, a garbage incinerator burns nearly half the county’s waste to generate energy for corporations and businesses. The pollution from all those tons of burned trash stays right in North Minneapolis. Kyra Brown grew up near the incinerator without ever knowing about its damaging health effects. Now, Kyra is working to raise awareness and shut down the incinerator that has been polluting their community for years.

The new season of The Land I Trust, Sierra Club's stories podcast, launches on Aug. 24 with the first episode featuring storyteller Kyra Brown. Kyra Brown fights for environmental and racial justice in Minneapolis, focusing on incinerators in the city. This season, we'll hear from people from all around America who are working hard to create a just, sustainable, and equitable future in their communities. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss an episode! Listen to all seasons of The Land I Trust at http://sc.org/stories or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Do you know about No Place Like Home, the podcast that gets to the heart of climate change? We thought listeners of The Land I Trust and The Overstory would enjoy this show, hosted by Mary Anne Hitt and Anna Jane Joyner. Climate scientist and Zen Buddhist Dr. Kritee Kanko shares her journey through depression into interbeing with the No Place Like Home family. We look at ecodharma and how meditation and Buddhist teachings can help us navigate the climate crisis - and any crisis. In this new “Bring the Light” season, Mary Anne and Anna Jane are exploring how spirituality helps us face the climate crisis. This isn’t something we can beat with technology, policy and science alone. It takes heart and strength and courage - the kinds of things many people draw from their spiritual practices and faith traditions. Learn more and subscribe at noplacelikehomepodcast.com/ ! Additional music: Chad Crouch - Pacing Ketsa- Multiverse Chad Crouch - Moonrise Daniel Birch - Bodhi Ambient Pictures of the Floating World - Memories

Josh Usdan [pronouns they/them/theirs] is a 17-year-old high school student from Nashville, Tennessee. Josh is also a climate activist and a member of the Sunrise Movement, a group of young people fighting climate change. But for Josh, it all started with their love of the ocean… Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

St. Louis, Missouri, is home to the headquarters of coal companies, but it’s also about to become a lot more solar friendly. A couple years ago St. Louis passed Resolution 124, which called upon the city to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2035. Leading that effort was Lewis Reed, the president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

Bob Pashos is from St. Louis, Missouri. For him, reckoning with climate change meant he had to grieve for what we’ve already lost, and for what it’s too late to do anything about. But he didn’t just bury his head in the sand and give up. He came out the other side. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

In the season finale, stories from a man whose faith was tested by climate change, a city going to 100% clean energy, and a high school activist in Nashville. All that, plus the definitive answer on whether or not you should stay hopeful about the future. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

Casey Weinstein probably is the most public environmentalist in Northeast Ohio, where he lives. In 2018, he ran for office and flipped a seat by 51 percent. Now, he represents part of northeast Ohio in the State House. Before that, he served on Hudson City Council. He’s in the public eye often, but the reason he ran for office started at home. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

Pete Lenzen lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where Duke Energy operates. When Pete heard that coal-burning Duke Energy proposed a rate increase, this got him really fired up. So fired up that he testified in front of the The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

Shikha Bhattacharya lives in Terre Haute, Indiana. Some people call it Terrible Haute. In this episode, see how Shikha wants to change that, by helping the environment. Also: stories of standing up to big utilities and getting into politics. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

In Pleasant Plains, Illinois, Girl Scout Troop 6195 does more than just sell cookies. They speak up and act on environmental issues. For them, environmental activism started small, literally, with protecting the Monarch Butterfly. Their success with the monarchs got the girls fired up about other environmental issues. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

To Charles Hua, Madison, Wisconsin, is more than dairy. It’s his hometown and the land has shaped who he is as a person, and how he approaches the issues of climate change. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

The Michna family has lived near Caledonia, Wisconsin since the 1800s. In fact, there are now 11 Michna siblings living on Michna Road. But they have a bad neighbor now—a coal plan. Frank Michna and two of his sisters, Renee Michna and Maureen Michna-Wolff, sat down to talk about living in the shadow of coal plants…

The 11 siblings of the Michna family grew up on Michna Road in Wisconsin where nearly all of them still live—despite the coal plant that they have as a neighbor. Their story in this episode, plus: how a Madison high school went solar, and…Girl Scouts. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

Kate Madigan is the director of the Michigan Climate Action Network, which organizes grassroots climate action. For her, the next steps to address climate change are pretty obvious, it’s just a matter of whether or not we can get it done. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

Some call Traverse City, Michigan, the Cherry Capital of the world. It produces nearly 75 percent of the country’s tart cherries, and about a fifth of our sweet cherries. However, in recent years, cherry farmers have been feeling the effects from climate change -- farmers like Jim Nugent. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet.

Theresa Landrum has lived in Southwest Detroit her whole life. Her zip code is 48217, which is infamous for being the most polluted zip code in the state of Michigan. Nearby is an oil refinery from Marathon Petroleum Corporation that sends chemicals up into the air. There’s also a coal-fired power plant just a few miles away. I-75 runs right through the zip code. Right in the center of all this is Theresa’s community. She’s been fighting for environmental justice for a long time. But when she was a kid, she saw her neighborhood much differently. Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet. In these "My Story" segments, people like Landrum tell their own story in their own words.

Season 3 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Midwestern US who share their experiences of climate change, the impacts of dirty fuels, the fight for clean energy—and more. Host and narrator Precious Brady-Davis weaves together these stories and shares some of her own perspective as well. The series is a unique window into this important part of the country, at a pivotal time for the nation and the planet. In this episode, series host Precious Brady-Davis shares her unique journey to environmental activism. Then: a visit to one of the most polluted zip codes in the state of Michigan, and a journey to the imperiled cherry groves of Traverse City.

Coming soon: a new podcast from Sierra Club. The Overstory brings listeners some of the most surprising, heartfelt, and provocative stories from across the American landscape. With each episode our reporters go beyond the latest news headlines as they profile the people and places on the front lines of environmental activism. Every episode also includes hilarious Q&As with our advice columnist, "Mr. Green," along with conversations with newsmakers, authors, filmmakers, and rank-and-file environmental advocates. Our regular first-person audio essays featuring incredible real-life characters are by turns funny and poignant. First episode out now! https://simplecast.com/s/ca82d821

Season 2 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Western US who share their experiences in harvesting, protecting, and living with the four natural elements: water, fire, wind, and air. Narrator Mary Anne Hitt weaves together the tales of individuals across the Western part of the country as they share their tales of climate change, clean energy and everything in between.

Season 2 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Western US who share their experiences in harvesting, protecting, and living with the four natural elements: water, fire, wind, and air. Narrator Mary Anne Hitt weaves together the tales of individuals across the Western part of the country as they share their tales of climate change, clean energy and everything in between.

Season 2 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Western US who share their experiences in harvesting, protecting, and living with the four natural elements: water, fire, wind, and air. Narrator Mary Anne Hitt weaves together the tales of individuals across the Western part of the country as they share their tales of climate change, clean energy and everything in between.

Season 2 of the Land I Trust brings you storytellers from across the Western US who share their experiences in harvesting, protecting, and living with the four natural elements: water, fire, wind, and air. Narrator Mary Anne Hitt weaves together the tales of individuals across the Western part of the country as they share their tales of climate change, clean energy and everything in between.

Aaron Cage moved to Colorado to work in the oil and gas industry. But it wasn’t long before he made the switch to working in wind energy. Here, he talks about what led him to change jobs. The Land I Trust is a storytelling project brought to you by the Sierra Club. In season two, we travel through the American West to talk with folks about the dirty energy projects that threaten their homes and the work they’re doing to build a clean energy economy that allows all of our communities to thrive. Hear all of the first-person stories from The Land I Trust at http://www.sc.org/stories.

Gabriel Hunt is a fourth-generation coal miner living in Carbon County, Utah. He’s also a hip-hop artist. In this piece, he remembers using his rapping skills to quit his job in the mines. The Land I Trust is a storytelling project brought to you by the Sierra Club. In season two, we travel through the American West to talk with folks about the dirty energy projects that threaten their homes and the work they’re doing to build a clean energy economy that allows all of our communities to thrive. Hear all of the first-person stories from The Land I Trust at http://www.sc.org/stories.

Kayla Molloy is an 8-year-old climate activist. Here, she talks to her mom, Rachel, about how she got into activism, and what she likes best about planet Earth. The Land I Trust is a storytelling project brought to you by the Sierra Club. In season two, we travel through the American West to talk with folks about the dirty energy projects that threaten their homes and the work they’re doing to build a clean energy economy that allows all of our communities to thrive. Hear all of the first-person stories from The Land I Trust at http://www.sc.org/stories.

Krystal Two Bulls is an Oglala Lakota / Northern Cheyenne activist from Lame Deer, Montana. She visits Crazy Head Springs, a source of natural spring water on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, to talk about her work to protect the land. The Land I Trust is a storytelling project brought to you by the Sierra Club. In season two, we travel through the American West to talk with folks about the dirty energy projects that threaten their homes and the work they’re doing to build a clean energy economy that allows all of our communities to thrive. Hear all of the first-person stories from The Land I Trust at http://www.sc.org/stories.

Larry Dozier is the pastor of St Johns United Methodist Church in Watts, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. Here, he talks about how outsiders view Watts, and his efforts to improve his community by installing solar panels at his church. The Land I Trust is a storytelling project brought to you by the Sierra Club. In season two, we travel through the American West to talk with folks about the dirty energy projects that threaten their homes and the work they’re doing to build a clean energy economy that allows all of our communities to thrive. Hear all of the first-person stories from The Land I Trust at http://www.sc.org/stories.

Mishka Banuri is a 17-year old student in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this piece, she talks about being one of the young people who got Utah to pass a climate resolution—and how her faith informs her activism. The Land I Trust is a storytelling project brought to you by the Sierra Club. In season two, we travel through the American West to talk with folks about the dirty energy projects that threaten their homes and the work they’re doing to build a clean energy economy that allows all of our communities to thrive. Hear all of the first-person stories from The Land I Trust at http://www.sc.org/stories.

Patty Gladstone is a junior high math and science teacher in Seely Lake, Montana. Here, she talks about the challenge of teaching young people about climate change—and how recent wildfires have affected her community and her family. The Land I Trust is a storytelling project brought to you by the Sierra Club. In season two, we travel through the American West to talk with folks about the dirty energy projects that threaten their homes and the work they’re doing to build a clean energy economy that allows all of our communities to thrive. Hear all of the first-person stories from The Land I Trust at http://www.sc.org/stories.

Richard Grant raises cattle on his family ranch in Wyoming. Wind is not always a rancher’s friend—it can chill newborn calves and blow away hay. But in this piece, Richard talks about how he found a way to make the wind work for him. The Land I Trust is a storytelling project brought to you by the Sierra Club. In season two, we travel through the American West to talk with folks about the dirty energy projects that threaten their homes and the work they’re doing to build a clean energy economy that allows all of our communities to thrive. Hear all of the first-person stories from The Land I Trust at http://www.sc.org/stories.