Lauren Wood

I grew up in the canyons of Southern Utah. My family instilled in me a sense of duty to our collective backyard; the public lands of Utah, and the dendritic canyon veins that kept her heart beating. Past this, I learned from countless role models, teachers and guardians alike how interconnected this world is and that people cannot be separated from the places and conditions in which they live. I was additionally taught that every individual has the potential to affect meaningful change. It is these lessons that I carry with me into my activism.

I am currently working on a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Psychology from the University of Utah, with hopes of going to graduate school in Public Administration, Law or both; yet these titles do not include the education I receive every day from my work with Peaceful Uprising. Peaceful Uprising stands as a venue through which I am able to work alongside fellow change-makers, visionaries, mentors and friends alike. Through a common set of core principles we have established, I am able to bring my hearts sentiment in line with my day to day action.

I joined Peaceful Uprising because our global society is about to face a challenge like none it has ever dealt with before; and we are far too interconnected for any part of society to be immune to the effects of climate change. My friend and fellow activist, Tim Dechristopher, recognized this in an all-too-realistic way, and realized he had to do everything in his power to prevent that vision of our future. I work for many other social justice causes like LGBTQ rights and immigration issues, but climate justice is the single umbrella issue that will inevitably affect all of us. Even the half solutions our government has proposed cannot get passed at a federal level. I believe it is time for whole solutions—and that time, more than ever before, is of the essence. We citizens must remember our place in this living breathing process we call democracy, and empower ourselves enough to seek the real change necessary to ensure that my kids and your kids grow up safe, happy and healthy. In the end, I want to be a good mom; therefore, while I am many things, I am a climate activist first and foremost.

laurenwood@peacefuluprising.org