Intertribal Earth Day was an incredible start to Earth Day season! We were joined by about 500 attendees out at the La Jolla Campground on April 6th to celebrate Mother Earth and remember our responsibility to be good stewards. Thank you to the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians for hosting us and to all the Tribal groups involved with organizing the event!
Intertribal Earth Day, hosted by the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians on April 6th, 2024, kicked off the Earth Day season with about 500 attendees who all came together to celebrate this year’s theme: Being a Good Ancestor. Under the many beautiful oak trees at the La Jolla Campground, the Climate Science Alliance team and project partners had booths to share resources and information with attendees about the Alliance’s Climate Kids program and two collaborative projects: the Collaborative of Native Nations for Climate Transformation and Stewardship (CNNCTS) and the Center for Community Energy and Environmental Justice (CCEEJ). We had many wonderful conversations with the 500+ attendees and participating partners throughout the day, celebrating Mother Earth and remembering our responsibility to be good stewards.
At the Climate Science Alliance booth attendees learned about our Stewardship Pathways program and we offered them the opportunity to write a postcard to a loved one that we would send for them on April 22nd (Earth Day!). The postcards featured artwork by Audrey Carver that can also be seen in our Colors of Conservation and Plant Relatives of the Southern California Desert coloring books. The Alliance team also shared about the upcoming release of the Southern California Montane Forests Project's Conservation Strategy, a roadmap for increasing the resilience and persistence of Southern California's montane forests, and signed up for updates.
At the Climate Kids booth our newest educational resource, the Climate Science & Fire Traveling Trunk made its public debut! We played the educational game Up, Down, & All Around: the Pathway to Good Fire with kids and adults that visited our booth. The game teaches about the relationship that plants and animals in Southern California have with fire and the ways that we can be good fire stewards. It’s just one of many interactive activities found within the Climate Science & Fire Traveling Trunk that will be available for check out at the Climate Kids Hubs later this year.
At the Collaborative of Native Nations for Climate Transformation and Stewardship (CNNCTS) booth attendees spun the wheel to win a CNNCTS sticker and to share their thinking around a variety of climate topics by writing or drawing on a collaborative art piece. They shared what brings them hope, their key concerns about climate change and learned about some of the CNNCTS projects that are building resilience to the impacts of climate change throughout California.
At the Center for Community Energy and Environmental Justice (CCEEJ) booth attendees were able to learn about the great support and training around environmental projects that is offered through CCEEJ, such as grant writing support, learning about Tribal-specific grants, and other professional development opportunities.
Thank you to the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians for hosting us, and to all of the host Tribes for making this event possible: La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians, Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians, Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, and Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
Thank you to CLIF Kid and Dr. Bronner’s for supporting the Climate Science Alliance’s Climate Kids program this Earth Day season—thanks to their generous sponsorship, we were able to provide amazing and delicious giveaways at our table!