Biking for a Brighter Future

Brooke Larsen, EH second year student, spent this past summer riding her bike across the Colorado Plateau collecting stories relating to environmental justice. The ride totaled 1500 miles. Brooke was riding as an organizer for Uplift, a youth powered climate movement supported by Grand Canton Trust. She first got involved with Uplift in 2014, the organization’s founding year.

As she biked across the plateau, Brooke was welcomed by the people of the Colorado Plateau. Locals shared their stories and Brooke began to weave together a long silence narrative of climate justice in the region. Brooke’s experience reminded her that there is more to the Colorado Plateau than just national parks. It is a home to many communities of people who are negatively impacted by “energy sacrifice zones.”

Brooke is using the stories she collected from this trip as the foundation of her final master’s project focusing on climate justice and just transitions. To read more about her experience, find out what 360Durango.com featured here.