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Remember, remember the 8th of September! Greenpeace pipelines organizer Charles Brown went to Louisiana to support the Rise for Cancer Alley events last weekend, which took place in the Gordon Plaza neighborhood of New Orleans, LA and then in St. James, LA. The first rally demanded an evacuation route for residents of St. James Parish, LA and the other demanded relocation for residents living on toxic ground in the Gordon Plaza neighborhood of New Orleans, LA.

A couple years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a young couple to dive in Thailand on one of my favorite reefs. Weather conditions were perfect, with mild currents and excellent visibility of the stunning topography and bright, vivid corals. Even through the regulator, I could see the smiles on my students’ faces.

The doorbell rings and hugs are gleefully exchanged between two teenage girls at the This is Zero Hour home base in Petworth, Washington D.C. What started as 16-year-old Seattle native Jamie Margolin’s idea for a youth-led climate march, the Zero Hour movement now includes a diverse team of youth activists from across the country fighting for climate justice.

Greenpeace’s Oceans Director, John Hocevar, has an 11-year old niece named Anna. When Anna was little, she would spend hours asking John questions about the ocean. “Why are dolphins always smiling?” “Do goldfish like living in bowls?” “Have you ever seen a whale? An octopus? A starfish?”

I’m referring to my early 20’s after I got a degree in environmental policy, when I got so wrapped up focusing on systemic change at all costs that I completely poo-poo’d individual lifestyle choices.