Arianna Lawrence (she/her)

How are you using education to build more sustainable and equitable communities? Tell us about your EE work and impact.

I’ve had the opportunity to tackle marine conservation issues by representing New York as an EarthEcho Marine Plastics Ambassador. In this position, I launched an educational and policy campaign targeting NYC youth known as “Plastic Free School Lunches.” I delivered a marine plastics workshop to nearly 600 middle school students, gave out 300 biodegradable utensils, and reached an additional 700 students through tabling efforts. I also met with Representative Huffman to advocate for environmental justice provisions in the Break Free from Plastics Act, represented EarthEcho at the White House Council of Environmental Quality regarding the Global Youth Plastics Treaty, and drafted a youth sign-on for HR 9676. Working as an Environmental Education Intern at the U.S. EPA, I developed a free, publicly accessible educational curriculum, featuring topics like ocean ecosystems and marine debris. I also taught these lessons to dozens of students from grades Pre-K to 12 in Los Angeles County.

Tell us about your journey to where you are today. What inspired you? What has your path been like?

I often describe my pathway into environmentalism as accidental. I didn’t learn the word “conservation” until I got to college. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, I was more familiar with skyscrapers and corner stores than I was with the natural world. All of the people I knew in my low-income community were more concerned with putting food on the table than with these abstract ideas of climate change and global warming.

Low-income, marginalized communities in New York, like my own, are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy flooded my family’s basement apartment with inches of water, destroying our possessions and completely wrecking our community. My neighborhood has still not recovered from the physical, financial, and psychological damage that it caused. Understanding New York’s native ecosystems as critical to mitigating the impacts of climate change and building resilience, I am committed to protecting these rapidly dwindling areas. 

How can people learn more about or support your work?

Please keep up with me on LinkedIn, or visit my project websites listed above!

A Little More About Me

What advice would you give to the next generation of leaders? 
If it was easy, it would have already been done. Sometimes things need grit.

What book, film, or art piece has had the greatest impact on you?
I love the book Plutopia; it makes you look at American suburbanization completely differently.

What are you happiest doing? 
I'm happiest when taking an outdoor nap.

What is one thing about you that might surprise others?
I spent a month living in the Amazon.

Do you prefer sunrise, sunset, midday, or midnight? 
I love midday—peak sunshine!