Stories Change Everything: Announcing Seeds of Climate Justice
What happens when frontline communities become the architects of municipal and county climate policy? The answer transformed King County, but the power-shifting stories have never been fully told.
The following section of this publication is made possible in part by support provided by 4Culture Heritage and Open4Culture Grants
Over a decade ago, something unprecedented happened in King County. For the first time in local environmental history, communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and frontline leaders weren't just consulted and pitted against one another. Instead, they became the visionaries designing climate solutions from the ground up.
The result? Seattle's groundbreaking Equity & Environment Initiative, policies that influenced Seattle Public Utilities, City Light, and more, the creation of the Environmental Justice Fund and shifting of strategy and resourcing across a multitude of city and county grant programs, and a complete reframing of how our region approaches climate action.
And it didn’t happen by accident. It happened because:
→ Community leaders named the gaps and co-authored solutions.
→ Strategists translated bold vision into systems change.
→ Funders invested early before detailed plans.
→ Across sectors, we stayed accountable to something bigger than any one of us.
Small, community-led organizations began to have the resources and leadership capacity to weave climate justice into their everyday work. Leaders who helped design these initiatives now hold senior environmental roles across government and nonprofits, carrying this justice lens forward. The work initiated over ten years ago laid the foundation for the bold climate justice programs of Seattle and King County.
The work also transformed narratives of who belongs, who leads, and who should get funding when it comes to environmental and climate justice. Nothing about us, without us, we said. And then we made it happen.
But here's what's missing when we talk about these outcomes and the work: the organizing, movement, and power-building stories of how all of this was made possible.
Introducing Seeds of Climate Justice
I'm launching Seeds of Climate Justice. This is an oral history and storytelling project to document and amplify the voices of the leaders who made this transformation possible. Through recorded interviews, memoir vignettes, and digital storytelling, we'll preserve these critical histories and make them accessible to anyone advancing climate justice today.
This isn't just about looking back. These stories hold blueprints for how to build power, transform systems, and center frontline wisdom in our climate responses. They're maps for the future, created by the people who've already walked this path. In this fraught time, local leadership on climate remains a lighthouse for our ability to win. But it’s simply not enough to talk about outcomes of the work; we need to learn together, reflect, and understand how we can transform power, together.
Why These Stories Matter Now
Young climate leaders regularly ask me: How do we create real change? What does successful inside-outside systems leadership look like? Meanwhile, the trailblazers who answered some of these questions, who figured out how to partner with government while maintaining community power, who created entirely new funding streams, who proved that centering justice makes climate solutions stronger, haven't always had the platform to share our collective wisdom.
In a moment when climate justice conversations are both everywhere and stalled, we need these real-world examples of what works. We need to hear from the people who didn't just advocate for a seat at the table, they redesigned the table, and in doing so expanded what’s possible.
There are many “best told over drinks” stories from that time. So let’s create a place for that exact kind of virtual conversation.
You're Part of This Story
Here's where you come in. This project is community-driven from day one, and I need your help to shape it.
Help Shape the Interviews
What would you like to ask the leaders who created this bold climate justice effort in King County? I'm looking for both the obvious questions AND the unusual ones that might reveal unexpected insights. Think beyond policy details and get to the heart of leadership in challenging times. The majority of interviews will be with leaders of color who may not have seen themselves as environmental leaders prior to this work together.
Some ideas to get you started:
What they wish they'd known before they started?
The weirdest or most surprising alliance that made things work?
How they maintain hope when progress feels impossible?
The failures or missteps that taught them the most?
The ways they navigated their power and systemic power?
What created belonging in this work in ways they hadn’t experienced before?
What do they still long for in this movement-building work?
What stories do you need to hear? What lessons would help your work or organizing?
Submit your questions in the comments below!
How Do You Want These Stories Told?
We're co-creating the format with participants, but I want to know: Are you drawn to podcast-style deep conversations? Written memoir pieces you can save and share? Short video clips? Mini-masterclass formats that break down specific strategies? A mix of everything?
Our current grant funding is limited but if you have ideas for more resources to help expand this project, or want to support in any way, please let me know.
Spread the Word
Know someone who should hear about this project? Share this post. Tag friends who care about climate justice, environmental history, or community organizing. Help us build the audience these stories deserve. And, if you know someone who might want to sponsor this series and add resources deepen the project, please let me know.
Stay Connected
Hit that subscribe button to follow the journey. You'll get updates on the storytelling process, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the interviews, and be the first to access the stories when they're published.
A Personal Note
As a co-founder of the Equity & Environment Initiative, I've carried these stories for over a decade. I've watched people discover our region's climate justice history and light up with possibility. I've seen organizers connect the dots between past innovations and current opportunities. I've heard the hunger in people's voices when they ask: How did you do it? What can we learn?
Here’s what I know:
🌀 Imagination is a strategy - especially when the national tide is going the wrong direction.
🌀 Power-building must accompany resourcing, or nothing truly shifts.
🌀 Visionary change is collective work. Audacious ideas need co-dreamers, bridge-builders, and people who persist through the ups and downs.
Seeds of Climate Justice is my attempt at exploring the BTS aspects to those knowings and to reflect on the questions that organizers ask me all the time. I want to share not just my perspective, but the perspective of all of us who were part of building something new.
This is about heritage work. This is about movement building. This is the narrative work that expands what’s possible and reinvigorates our imagination.
Subscribe to follow Seeds of Climate Justice as it unfolds. Together, we're making sure these transformative stories finally get told.
About Seeds of Climate Justice: This project is supported by 4Culture and developed in collaboration with the original leaders of King County's Equity & Environment Initiative. All interviews and stories will be freely accessible online.
About the Project Lead: Sudha Nandagopal is a writer, documentarian, movement strategist, and environmental and climate justice advocate. She co-founded Seattle's Equity & Environment Initiative and Environmental Justice Fund and was named to Grist's inaugural 50 “Visionaries changing the world.”
Special thanks to those of you who have been early collaborators and supporters of this project.
This is so incredibly cool, Sudha! Congratulations on bringing this project to life. 🤍
Congratulations!