MissionThe Environmentalists of Color Collective at UCLA was brought together by and for BIPOC environmentalists as a means of challenging the white-dominated conventions of the contemporary environmental justice movement by co-creating a healing space to amplify and prioritize the narratives, experiences, and needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of color environmentalists. |
Our VisionWe hope to expand the discourse past race and connect the intersections of class, gender, ability, nationality, and other backgrounds as it relates to environmental justice and sustainability. Our body works toward providing a platform for other marginalized identities within the environmental justice movement by inviting local environmental advocates for speaking engagements, co-creating toolkits for other environmental groups to utilize, and attending/co-sponsoring other events that emphasize inclusion and equity within the environmental justice movement. |
The History of ECC
In 2017, Valeree Catangay and Emma Finn founded Environmentalist of Color Collective. The collective bloomed from a project for Carbon Neutrality Initiative. Their goal, when starting the collective, was "to engage the UCLA campus community in issues related to climate change, with a particular focus on reaching community members beyond the current sustainability niche at UCLA." During the first year of ECC, the Climate Justice Forum tradition began.
2023 - 2024 Coordinators
Angel MoreAngel More (she/her/hers) is a a 4th year studying Environmental Science and Music Industry. She is interested in community engagement, the intersection between music and sustainability, and environmental justice. She likes showing resilience through celebration, reading, writing satirical stories about the world, and enjoying the outdoors (preferably picnic style).
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Anya DesaiAnya Desai (she/her/hers) is a 4th year Environmental Science major concentrating in Environmental Systems + Society. She's interested in climate resilience, community engagement, and looking at the intersections between environmental justice and gender, disability, and race. Outside of ECC, she is also the Chair of TGIF and in USAC FAC working on logistics regarding the creation of a disability cultural center. She loves chasing sunsets, reading, and baking cookies, cakes, and bread!
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Past Coordinators
Valeree CatangayValeree Catangay (she/her) is a sustainability professional, artist, and climate justice activist based in Los Angeles, California. Growing up in an area of Long Beach heavily impacted by the oil and gas industry and pollution from the Ports, she has dedicated her life to the movement for a sustainable and just future. She has five years of experience creating climate action plans across entertainment, technology, manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations, and is currently on the sustainability team at Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm dedicated to defending everyone's right to a healthy environment. Valeree believes in art as a powerful tool to advocate for environmental justice in her community and loves painting outdoors.
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Marjan KrisMarjan Kris (he/siya) is a 2018 graduate and co-founder of ECC at UCLA. Born in the Philippines and raised along EJ communities surrounding Los Angeles, his personal experiences informed his interest in sustainability and climate justice.
Marjan now resides in Oakland as a land use and environmental attorney fighting for sustainable and equitable development. He is an avid rock-climber, hiker, and terrarium maker. |
Liliana EppsLiliana Jeanine Epps (she/they) is a multimedia artist and healer. They live, work and play in Los Angeles.
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Nina Adarkar (she/her/hers) graduated in 2021 with a B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Systems & Society, and a minor in Food Studies. She’s interested in joining the fight for environmental justice and food justice through community gardens, sustainable agriculture, or really anything connected to food and being outside. In her free time, Nina loves doing yoga, playing guitar, and of course, cooking, eating, and being outside. Ask her for a recipe to try or a good LA or Bay Area hike recommendation!
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Ayesha Sheikh (she/her/hers) graduated in 2021 with a Environmental Science and Biology at UCLA. She is from Houston and loves cats, laying out in the sun, and spending time, mostly eating, with her family and friends. She spends her days doing arts and crafts, trying new dessert recipes, and watching Iron Chef America.
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Kristen Soares (they/she) is a queer, disabled climate advocate and a Class of 2021 UCLA graduate, where they studied Environmental Science and Public Affairs and were active in various climate spaces on campus, including the Environmentalists of Color Collective, the Carbon Neutrality Initiative, The Green Initiative Fund, Clean Consulting, E3, and more. After graduating, they began working to build bridges within the climate policy community across the country and research climate equity policy at the federal and state levels, and they are currently the State Climate Policy Manager at Climate XChange. Outside of work, Kristen is a visual artist, tea enthusiast, and sci-fi/fantasy lover.
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Isabel Dawson
Isabel Dawson (any pronouns) graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Conservation Bio. They like drawing, writing, going to the beach, and hanging out with their bird. They are really interested in mutual aid + how to build self-sustaining communities as well as using art to communicate environmental and cultural narratives. They also love the collaborative environment of ECC!