ON DUTY CITIZEN
VERONICA MULENGA
1) We’d love to have you introduce yourself to our ODC community. Where are you from and where do you currently live?
Iʼm Veronica Mulenga and Iʼm a climate and environmental justice activist. I am from Zambia, which is a developing country in Africa, and I am currently based there.
‘Earth Warriorʼ is my platform, where I raise awareness about the Climate Crisis, Climate and Environmental Injustices and how us in the Global South are disproportionately affected.
2) I love hearing about the moment people realized they had to be a part of the environmental movement. What was this moment like for you?
Ever since I was a kid I had always cared about the environment, my parents taught me from a young age to care and conserve our planet and its resources. The moment I realized I had to be a part of the environmental movement was a few year s ago when I first learned about climate change. It was a few days after I finished high school, when I came across a documentary about the climate crisis and that is how it all started.
It was very overwhelming to learn about it like that because prior to that documentary I had absolutely no idea that the climate crisis existed, even though we were already experiencing impacts in Zambia.
My school curriculum did not include climate education, which was also very disappointing. I just felt the urge to speak up and act and that is when my activism journey started.
3) I believe I was introduced to your Instagram page via the @IntersectionalEnvironmentalist platform. What does intersectionality in the environmental movement mean to you?
There is a connection between injustices that happen to marginalized communities and the earth. Intersectionality in the environmental movement to me, means listening and uplifting the voices speaking out from marginalized groups at the forefront.
4) There’s nothing more empowering than identifying as a “warrior”. How did this name come about and what does it mean to you?
I define an Earth Warrior as one who defends the earth, its people and all things in the natural world that cannot defend themselves. (That is one of many definitions). When I learned about the disproportionate injustices of the climate crisis, I immediately felt the urge to speak up and act. It was a fight for justice, so coming across the definition really resonated with me at the time and that is how I decided to use the name ‘Earth Warrior’. There are so many different definitions to an Earth Warrior out there, everyone has their own way of defining it.
5) Tell us all about Youth Climate Save Zambia!
Youth Climate Save is a global movement that defends animals and the planet. It was founded by the amazing Genesis Butler. It is the only climate organization that focuses on animal agriculture. She started the movement during quarantine, and it includes organizers from all over the world, which I’m so honored to be a part of. We create educational content and spread awareness on climate change, and its link to animal agriculture.
6) What are some of the ways in which you think we can make the sustainable/environmental movement more inclusive?
Unfortunately, there is still a struggle and ignorance to connect race to the environmental movement. We can make the environmental movement more inclusive by including frontline communities in conversations and supporting frontline leadership. We are the ones disproportionately impacted by climate change, but so often not included in decision making. Another way would be working towards collective liberation.
7) What are some of your resources you use to learn more about sustainability? Favorite websites, journalists, organizations or Instagram accounts?
There are so many resources to learn about sustainability, but here are a few of my faves.
Social Media:
@dominiquedrakeford
@aditimayer
@venetialamanna
@ssustainably_
@greenmatters
@intersectinoalenvironmentalist
Websites/blogs:
Melanin & Sustainable Style
The Slow Factory
TREEHUGGER
8) What advice do you have for someone who would like to live more sustainably? For someone looking to join this movement as well as for people who are on their path hoping to not lose momentum.
The first thing I would say is don’t aim for perfection when it comes to living sustainably, just do the best you are able to. Start with small changes to lessen your environmental impact, this could be things like; avoiding single use plastic whenever possible, buying secondhand clothing, (my best option is to thrift), reuse as much as you can, turning off appliances you’re not using, hanging clothes to dry, recycle whenever possible; the list is endless.
Some can be small changes, no matter what you decide, your actions will make an impact. You should not punish yourself for not being perfectly “zero waste”, it’s all about all of us aiming for collective imperfect actions.
9) I love all the different signs and sayings you have posted across your Instagram. A favorite of mine was a sign your mother held, proclaiming “climate justice for her future!” What is one of your favorites and why does it mean so much to you?
One of my favorite signs is definitely ‘Climate Justice is Gender Equality’. I posted that one on Women’s Day. Unfortunately, women are at the frontlines of the climate crisis, we are disproportionately affected, especially BIPOC.
We are uniquely positioned to be powerful agents of change in responding to climate change. Successful climate action depends on the engagement of women as decision makers, as stakeholders and planners in ensuring that everyone has access to the resources they need to adapt to and mitigate climate change. That is a sign that definitely means so much to me.,
10)What’s next for Veronica and how can we support you? :)
There is so much work to be done in the movement so I will continue to fight for justice together with my community. My hope is to someday create a climate education program, in the future so people are aware of the climate crisis earlier, unlike my own experience.
I would also love to open a thrift store where people can come over and give away their old clothes to be resold. And lastly, you can support my work by liking, sharing and saving my content, the more interaction there is, the more people it reaches. For financial support, if you want to, you can support me through PayPal.
