By Anya Kamenetz for Grist.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Grist-Public News Service Collaboration Jesika Gonzalez will tell you that she wasn t the biggest fan of Porterville, California, while she was growing up. "When I was younger, I was very, like, angsty," the 18-year-old said as she flicked her purple hair over her shoulder. "Whatever, this town s small, nothing to do." Porterville is a predominantly Hispanic working-class town in the Central Valley of California, where environmental hazards include some of the worst air quality in the state; the past year s torrential rains that inundated hundreds of acres of farmland; and a heat wave that pushed temperatures past 110 degrees Fahrenheit this July. " .
This Saturday, North Carolinians who are dedicated to fighting climate change and air pollution will be honored at the annual CleanAIRE Affair fundraiser. CleanAIRE NC, a nonprofit environmental group, will present the 2023 Blue Sky Awards to recognize their honorees commitment. Yancey Fouché, director of sustainability at Davidson College, is among this year s honorees. .
Nebraska environmental leader Jane Kleeb has received the largest environmental award offered to an individual, a $3 million Climate Breakthrough Award. Kleeb is founding director and president of Bold Alliance, formerly Bold Nebraska. She said after 13 years of fighting pipelines, they are moving into being energy builders. .
California’s Porterville school district pioneered a partnership with Climate Action Pathways for Schools, or CAPS, a nonprofit that aims to help high school students become more environmentally aware while simultaneously lowering their school’s carbon footprint and earning wages.