Climate Progress in the Midst of Ecocide

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This environmental and climate action training brings together three powerful voices—Andrea Vega, Shannon Rivers, and Dr. Loraine Lundquist—to explore the intersection of science, justice, and Indigenous wisdom in the fight for a livable planet.

Drawing on her frontline organizing with Food & Water Watch, Andrea Vega will share strategies for effective community mobilization—how to confront fossil-fuel interests, build coalitions, and win local campaigns that protect air, water, and public health. Shannon Rivers, an Indigenous spiritual leader from the Akimel O’otham Nation, will ground the session in ancestral knowledge and Indigenous ecological ethics, reminding participants that climate justice is inseparable from land, culture, and spiritual sovereignty. Dr. Loraine Lundquist, physicist, sustainability educator, and climate advocate, will connect the dots between scientific reality and civic responsibility, offering tools to translate data into policy and action.

Together, these leaders will challenge participants to think beyond recycling bins and carbon offsets—to build a climate movement rooted in moral clarity, scientific truth, and community power. Attendees will leave with practical organizing tools, renewed conviction, and a deeper understanding of how collective action can shift both systems and consciousness toward ecological balance.

Moderator Lorraine Lundquist holds a Ph.D. in physics from University of California, Berkeley and began her career studying the Sun’s magnetic field and working in astrophysics. She later shifted to focus on Earth-based problems, teaching sustainability at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) within its Institute for Sustainability. 

Andrea Vega is a climate and environmental justice organizer based in Southern California who currently serves as the Senior Southern California Organizer with Food & Water Watch. Her work focuses on mobilizing communities against fossil-fuel infrastructure, advocating for clean water and air, and holding polluters and political decision-makers accountable.

Shannon Rivers is an Indigenous spiritual leader, cultural advisor, and activist from the Akimel O'otham (River People) Nation in Arizona. Raised in the Gila River community, he draws on his cultural heritage in his public-work. Rivers serves as a spiritual counselor to incarcerated Native Americans, advocating for healing and re-connection to Indigenous traditions within prison systems. He speaks widely about issues such as colonial legacy, Indigenous rights, the climate crisis, and the impact of Christian nationalism—which he argues is rooted in dispossessing Indigenous peoples of land and spiritual authority.