Community Action Interview with Anna Siegel and Samanthak Thiagarajan
When Anna Sigel was seven years old, a massive snowstorm culminated in the very best winter of her life. Every winter before and after became disappointments in comparison to the wintery blitz that was 2014. It was her first realization that the environment is subject to change. However, it was not until she reached middle school that she realized that this change is due to a system of capitalism that drives us to pressure the environment. She noticed impacts in her own community, Yarmouth, and Portland, where she goes to school. On the day of our interview, the nineteenth of August, there was flooding in the latter. She noticed climate change’s effects on lobstering. She even noticed climate change in the taste of pies, as she recalled a neighbor lamenting the fact that Maine blueberries were not as sweet as they used to be, due to the weather changes. She realized the implication of climate change.
Immediately after learning about it, she began to feel helpless. She recounts falling into a “weird defensive mindset,” where if there was “nothing [she] could do, so [she] shouldn’t do anything at all.” She set her mind on growing up and becoming a scientist so that as an adult, she could make statements that people would care about. In the meantime, she settled into a life of anxiety and despair.
Samanthak Thiagarajan, known as Sammy, remembers talking about climate change when he was very young, perhaps in elementary school. However, he didn’t fully realize the large nature of the issue until his junior year, when there was a large, downtown rally in his hometown, Bangor. It was then that he became aware of the size of the community rallying around a problem that was equally as big. He always knew there was a problem, but he never had been in the action himself. After his epiphany, he recalls how easy it was to experience hopelessness. As one person, there was a feeling of aloneness. But in the midst of the rally, he had a realization that he could make a significant change with the help of others. His sense of helplessness morphed into a feeling of hope: as one, he was alone, but like many, he could be a force for change.
Sammy would go on to champion a solar initiative for Bangor’s public schools. He became a member of Students for Climate Justice via his high school’s activities fair. He later went on to research the feasibility of installing solar panels, utilizing his talents in math and science to complement the group’s research on the social aspects of solar panel installation. After a presentation at Bangor’s sustainability summit, the group reached a new height in their advocacy: the proposal. In the next few moments, they will put the final details together and submit their plan to the school board, which will lead to a greener Bangor School department if successful.
Similar to Sammy, Anna too had an epiphany. Her steps into youth activism began when she realized that she wasn’t helpless. After hearing about the Julianna vs. U.S case, in which twenty-one youths sued the government due to climate change, Anna became inspired; there were people her age, or perhaps even younger than she, standing in the court, standing in front of a judge. She too, had a realization: her voice was not meaningless.
Today, she is a nationally, if not internationally recognized activist, campaigning for the environment. She educates others on the effects of climate change and lobbies for reform. Still, she does not believe there’s enough action on a state level, a national level, or a global level. She believes there’s a desire for change, but slowness in government response. Anna is, as I noticed in our interview, passionate about real action. It is reflected in her deep knowledge of climate policy and the initiatives she believes in. In her local community, she cited subsidized housing and public transport expansion, noting the importance of the justice in climate justice. On a state level, she supports a larger, greener transport system, made of sustainable electric buses and electric rail. She’d like to see the emission of the South Portland oil tanks lowered, and she’d like to see a consumer bill create Pine Tree Power. On the national level, she is similarly hungry for real change and hopes to see money invested into sustainable COVID-19 recovery. “We need to build back better,” she says, “and greener.”
Sammy’s take is a little different. In his own view, he is a scientist, which according to him is good for the environmental movement as a whole, but perhaps not for organizing rallies. He encourages people to find their area expertise and use their skills to provide climate solutions. Speaking as a scientist, Sammy’s vision for the future is one of an open-minded nation, willing to listen. He says that those stuck in their beliefs find it hard to incorporate new ideas into their frameworks. This especially affects science, which may conflict with religion, self-interest, and money-making. He hopes to see a future of cooperation, understanding, and debate of good faith.
Later in our interviews, I asked both about the role of youth in the greater environmental movement. Both were adamant about the importance of youth in the climate advocacy space. Anna believes the role of youth is to learn and grow as they try and make positive changes within the world. “They should not bear the burden of the world,” she states, “as they are young people.” It’s a double standard, in her own words, for youth to have a crisis foisted on their shoulders, despite the fact they’re not yet listened to or respected. Instead, she believes youth should grow into loving people as they prepare to fight for their entire lives, becoming life-long activists. Sammy agrees that youth play a big role in activism. In his words, the older one gets, the easier it is to consolidate one’s beliefs into a specific mindset. But young people, who have grown up in the climate crisis, with no nostalgia of different, perhaps easier times, are primed and able to act. Young people are also familiar with the fools of the current technological age, allowing them to connect quicker and on larger scales.
However, both acknowledge obstacles that prevent youth from entering the environmental area. Sammy states that “there is a perception that young people are wrong, or not mature enough to make their own decisions.” He refutes this, saying that young people are just as able, if not more able to advocate for the environment. He also acknowledges a lack of resources may keep students from researching and making decisions about climate change. He was able to access research through his school’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Academy, but many youths in many communities, especially rural ones, may go without these opportunities. Anna points to other obstacles that she believes keep youth out of environmental activism. The jargon, including terms like, “net-zero,” and “carbon neutral,” make advocacy hard to access without a higher level of knowledge. This may work to freeze youth out. She also cites how hard it is for youth, who are just coming into themselves, to find their place in the movement. One could be a speaker, an artist, a writer, or a lobbyist. “Everyone is needed,” she says, “but you can’t be told what to do. Activism is very self-driven and you need to carve out a place for yourself and begin work.” This can be a challenge to youth motivated to begin climate advocacy but she assures them that “anyone can do it,” so long as they take time and have patience.
Finally, I was able to ask both my interviewees for their vision of a future where the climate crisis has been solved. Anna sees her local community as a bustling hub, full of locally grown food. She sees it as more condensed and walkable, with every business solar powered. On a state level, she sees the same thing, but on a larger scale, along with restored marshland and an economy that prioritizes people over profit. For the nation, she’d like to see the Green New Deal passed, ensuring a livable planet for all. Sammy sees a country where people understand the lives of those around them and take into account historical and cultural differences that influence the way people think. Both, however, carry an outlook of hope and progress in the face of the climate crisis.
~ Interview conducted by Ogechi Obi
