Ripples of Impact from Climate Education

Behind the Episode

This episode is based on the inspiring story of Shiva Rajbhandari, a young man in Boise, Idaho.

This Q&A from a Teen Vogue interview with Rajbhandari captures the arc of his climate interest rather wonderfully:

TV: Where did your own activism and political career start?

SR: I first got involved as a climate activist. I learned about [this issue] in seventh grade, in earth science, and I was super lucky to live in a district where climate change was part of our science standards, because it wasn’t part of Idaho's state standards.

For two years, this was really isolating for me. I felt like this was not something world leaders were talking about. I turned inward; I did all the recycling stuff, cut down on meat, stopped buying new clothes.

In September 2019, I was in ninth grade and we had our global climate strike in Boise, hosted by the Sunrise Movement. Over four million people globally [participated]. Suddenly, this sense of isolation was replaced by a sense of power and a sense that when we all work together, we can do something.

See these articles for more info:

Teen Vogue: Shiva Rajbhandari, Idaho Teen Activist, Won Election to the Boise School Board

Yale Climate Connections: Teen school board member in Idaho wants to expand climate change curriculum