Wake Up America! North American Environmental Youth Activism

About our Dialogue speakers:

Lydia M. is sixteen years old and is a plaintiff in Natalie R. v. State of Utah, in which she and six other young Utahns are suing their State government for promoting fossil fuels and causing and contributing to Utah’s dangerous air quality and climate crises in violation of their constitutional rights. In the Salt Lake valley where Lydia lives, poor air quality, dangerous heatwaves, and drought, all worsened by the development of Utah’s fossil fuels, threaten both Utah’s beautiful natural environment and the health and safety of Lydia and other members of her community. When she is not fighting for climate justice and breathable air, Lydia enjoys hiking in the diverse and unique landscapes throughout Utah.

Liv Schroeder is the Fridays for Future U.S. Co-Executive Director and Policy Director, and a core activist remobilizing the Fridays for Future movement in the United States. Additionally, Liv is the Co-Founder and Director of US Strike Coalition, a grassroots network of organizations fighting for climate and social justice across the United States uniting to strategize, collaborate & mobilize. Liv serves as the Zero Hour National Communications Director.

Mars Vazquez-Plyshevsky is a rising junior at Hunter College High School. They are a social justice advocate with a focus on climate justice, and economic reform. Mars Vazquez-Plyshevsky is a core member of Friday’s For Future NYC where they facilitate onboarding and external relations working groups, as well as organize city-wide walkouts on global strike days. In May of 2022, they spoke at a Heart17 event at the UN event on the topic of youth activism in the climate sphere. They are also affiliated with the organizations Treeage, Kids Fight Climate Change, and do volunteer work for other community focused organizations in their free time, such as their local chapter of Food Not Bombs.