September 22 marked the opening of New York Climate Week. This was my first year attending, and I have to admit my time there felt amazing. To be in a city full of environmentalists and climate activists helped me realize there is hope for a better, more sustainable future. 
Being a Birmingham native has often humbled my sense of what’s possible in the fight for climate justice, but visiting NYC Climate Week reminded me that those wins are attainable.
I met so many international professionals working in the environmental field, from those developing automated home air purification systems to CDC researchers studying climate-related illnesses and journalists covering the human impacts of climate change and the urgent need for action.
My favorite conversations were with fellow storytellers: podcasters, public relations experts, and writers. I loved hearing about their work but found myself feeling like an outlier when it came to my own. What I discovered was a lack of focus on the communities they came from. At first, I wondered if I was in the wrong place, that maybe the issues we tackle at GASP were too local or too specific for a space like this. But then I realized what was truly missing: a focus on environmental justice.
I wanted to hear about tools that could be used to better serve our people now, real relief that communities on the frontlines could feel immediately. But as I listened more, I realized that perhaps I was the tool. My role there was to bring environmental justice into those rooms and conversations where it wasn’t already being centered. 
There’s often an oversight of t the people and organizations living at the intersection of environmental impact and systemic neglect. Birmingham has long been at the brunt of that oversight. So when I had the chance to speak with panelists and moderators, I made sure to proudly represent my city.
“My name is Madison Naves. I am the Communications Manager and Storyteller at the Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution. I am from Birmingham, Alabama.”
It might have been a long opener, but it was necessary. I wanted to make it clear that our stories don’t end with the civil rights movement of the sixties.
They are still being written today by people in Birmingham and by organizations like GASP, fighting for clean air, health equity, and environmental justice.
I could see why NYC Climate week was a good fit for a young professional like myself. It was right on time to give me the renewed motivation and resources to elevate my skills and broaden my reach. I felt like it was on me to share the stories of community members and I refuse to waste my gift.
Leaving New York, I carried home a renewed sense of purpose. The experience reminded me that while global conversations about climate change are vital, so are the local ones—the ones happening in neighborhoods like North Birmingham, Ensley, and beyond. Climate justice begins with the people closest to the problem, and I’m proud to be one of the voices ensuring those stories are told.
