ENCORE: Gloria Walton and Wawa Gatheru Believe in Grassroots Change, Not Just Charity

Those standing up to climate and environmental injustice face challenges they weren’t seeing a year ago. But Gloria Walton, head of The Solutions Project, sees a bigger picture: “ The reality is that the same systems that created the climate crisis, whether that's colonialism, white supremacy, racism, and the patriarchy, those are the same ones that have harmed communities of color for generations,” she says. Her organization has channeled tens of millions of philanthropic dollars to grassroots efforts that build community resilience. Black Girl Environmentalist founder Wawa Gatheru is helping more Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people enter and lead in the climate space. She says the climate fight has shifted from education to action, with over 70% of Americans now understanding that climate change is real. So what should this 'action phase' look like? Guests: Gloria Walton, President & CEO, The Solutions Project Wawa Gatheru, Founder & Executive Director, Black Girl Environmentalist For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org 00:00 – Intro 05:30 – Gloria Walton on the impact of the Altadena wildfires 10:30 – Walton’s work as an organizer in South Central LA 13:00 – Living with idea of abundance 19:00 – Finding and keeping your individual power within our democracy 21:00 – Work of West Street Recovery Project in Houston 22:30 – Developing local resilience hubs 24:00 – Reframing frontline communities as victors, not victims 27:00 – Channeling philanthropy to climate resilience and frontline communities 36:00 – Story of Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai 42:00 – Wawa Gatheru’s start in climate and environmental advocacy 44:00 – Not seeing herself in climate spaces 48:00 – Climate storytelling can offer nuance and move people 55:00 – Work and growth of Black Girl Environmentalist organization 59:00 – Climate One More Thing **** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today at patreon.com/ClimateOne. Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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ENCORE: Gloria Walton and Wawa Gatheru Believe in Grassroots Change, Not Just Charity is an episode from Climate One by Climate One.

This episode is 62:50 long.

This episode was published on Jan 2, 2026.

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