About Climate Stories Project
Climate Stories Project (CSP) is an educational and artistic forum for sharing stories about personal and community responses to climate change. CSP focuses on personal oral histories, which bring an immediacy to the sometimes abstract nature of climate change communication. Some of us may recount dramatic events such as floods and wildfires, or we may address our observations of changes in seasonal patterns and our fears for the future of our families and communities. We may discuss how climate change is forcing our communities to adapt to extreme weather and sea level rise. Or we may speak about how we are getting involved in movements to build more resilient futures and to fight the fossil fuel industry through community organizing or nonviolent protest. There is no "right" way to talk about climate change as it is a vast topic that is increasingly touching every corner of our lives.
In addition, some climate stories are being used as the basis for music and soundscape pieces that allow audiences to witness the effects of climate change in a novel way. By presenting climate change narratives through music, Climate Stories Project reaches new audiences that may not be currently engaged with climate change. These pieces can be found on the Climate Music page. Jason Davis, Director, is a musician and professor of Environmental Studies at Oregon State University. He was a 2024 Fulbright Scholar in Brazil, studying community conservation of the highly biodiverse and threatened Atlantic Rainforest. Jason holds a Doctorate in music from McGill University and has Master's degrees in Music and Ecology. Jason was inspired to create Climate Stories Project from listening to Different Trains by composer Steve Reich, a piece which uses recorded interviews to explore the very different experiences of people traveling by train in the US and in Europe during World War II. Jason's goal is to create a "living artistic documentary" that engages audiences to share and listen to personal responses to climate change.
Grace Brach, Program Manager, is an environmental advocate currently working as a project manager supporting clean energy research in Washington D.C. Grace received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame where she was inspired to pursue a career in environmentalism and sustainability. Upon graduating, Grace began volunteering with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby chapter of Washington D.C. Through this she enjoyed connecting with her local community on various environmental initiatives. In the pursuit of learning more about climate communication, Grace came across Climate Stories Project and participated in the ambassadors program. Climate Stories Project has shown her how impactful climate storytelling can be in order to evoke empathy and create change in the climate crisis.
Anahí Naranjo, Spanish Language Program Manager, is an environmental justice advocate and oral historian born and raised in Quito, Ecuador. She was exposed to stark environmental injustices from living close to a toxic Superfund site to seeing the impacts of climate change firsthand on her agrarian community in Ecuador. This experience drove her to pursue a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College followed by an M.A. in Oral History from Columbia University. Her current oral history project, the Pachamama Oral History Project, aims to document the impacts of climate change on the physical and cultural landscapes of agrarian communities in Ecuador and beyond.
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