Nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world.
We're here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an Impact Uprising.
So welcome to the good community. We're nonprofit professionals, philanthropists, world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.
So let's get started. Oh, Becky, this is so fun, right?
I mean, you know, any day that we talk about the environment, I'm going to have the biggest smile on my face. And I'm gonna go in with like both my boxing gloves on and we brought somebody in here who is used to it today.
We are so excited. Greenpeace is an organization that I remember using as a study when we get to pick in graphic design school, what's in this aspirational organization we get to design for, you know, as picking Greenpeace. And I mean, I have loved this organization, the way that they show up in the market the way that they challenge us and start conversations. And so when we talk about change makers on this podcast, we're talking about today's guest, exactly, we were talking to Ebony Twilley Martin. She's the executive director at Greenpeace, you know, their mission, they're about creating a greener, more peaceful world. That's just for all, and so really excited. Evany is a mother, she's a wife, she's a daughter. She's this amazing, incredible Executive Director at the largest national legacy environmental organization. And she has been the champion for advancing racial and environmental justice, as she continues to expand her focus to include protecting people's voting rights, and ensuring that everybody is able to participate in our democracy. She knows that there's no climate justice without racial justice. And we're going to double click and talk about that today. Ebony it is a delight to have you on the podcast. Welcome to the show.
Thank you so much, Jon. And Becky, I'm very excited to be here. And just hearing you talk about Greenpeace also inspires me all over again. So, so excited to have this conversation with you.
I mean, it's such an honor. Yeah. I mean, I feel like Greenpeace is one of those organizations that's just larger than life. You know, it's been part of so many conversations that I think it's easy to see that in the headline and be like, Wow, how do I wrap my head around this, but we want to get to know this human behind the mission right now. We want to get to know your story, I mean, take us back to growing up growing up what connected the dots for you of why you wanted to pour into this work and kind of catch us up to where you're at today?
That's a great question. So my trajectory towards this organization is very different from many of my colleagues, I am not an organizer by trade, did not go to school for environmental science. But what I am is a mom, and I have two boys. And my oldest son, when he was a toddler, actually started experiencing respiratory issues. And when I took him to the doctor to find out what was going on, she diagnosed him with asthma. And she told me that it was environmentally induced. And this shook me to my core, and she actually asked me, Well, where do you live? And I told her, it was in an apartment building. And she asked if there were grass and trees around, and I said, No, actually, I live in between two highways. And she said, This is why your child can't breed. And from that moment, I knew I needed to take action to ensure that my child and other children have the basics in life. And the basics really start with clean air, and clean water. And so that started my trajectory towards environmental activism. And I've always had a passion for justice, racial justice, and to learn that these two areas actually intersect together. And to achieve climate justice, you have to achieve racial justice, to learn about that in that way. And then to learn about huge organizations that we're doing this work. And of course, as you said, it was Greenpeace. And so I applied for a job there many years ago in the Human Resources Department to support them in diversifying the organization. And here I am almost 11 years later, and named the sole executive director. So it's been an amazing journey that I'm very proud of.
I'm so proud of you. And I gotta draw a parallel to another conversation we had Jon I know you're probably thinking about this when we talk to Damien Mander at the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, which is now called Akashinga. He said the exact same thing as you and I don't want anyone to miss this in the environmental space. He said, I took women in to be our keepers of the bio system and diversity in the environment around us because a woman's ability to protect is the strongest ability there is. And you have tapped into something. And as a mom of two daughters who were also diagnosed with asthma, back in the day, there is nothing more personal in this lifetime than protecting your kids. And I think you have connected your why to that in such a way that all of us can relate to, because we all want to protect this earth for somebody that we care about. And I want you to go kind of a little bit deeper with Greenpeace, because Jon alluded to this. And I know, Greenpeace is just one of those brands, we all know, we all grew up with it. We all saw how it was fighting for the environment. But I think you added this extra layer on that I don't think a lot of people think about when they talk about racial justice and equity work and how that connects with the environment. So can you kind of just take us back take us to the mission of Greenpeace for those who may not be familiar. And tell us a little bit about your work today in that intersection of racial justice?
Sure. So just to hear you say that someone else recognized that women are caretakers, because I think oftentimes when we think of the environment, we think of a male farmer, but actually, women historically have taken care of this earth and, and, of course, our offspring. And if you mess with a child, you know that Mama bear comes out. But as for our work, Greenpeace, as you said, is the largest environmental campaigning organization globally, we have 55 different offices across the world. And it's something that sets us apart. And when we look at injustice, broadly, the the major thing that Greenpeace is set out to do is to combat this climate crisis. And when we look at the root cause of the climate crisis, it's really the expansion and production of oil and gas. Oil and gas are pretty much a public health crisis. And when we look at who this production impacts is, disproportionately impacts Black, brown and indigenous and poor communities. So when we look across, for instance, this country, nearly 17, and a half million people live within a one mile radius of an active oil well, and overwhelmingly, these people are Black and brown. And actually, if you look at the number one predictor of environmental pollution, it's not property value, it's not income value, it's not education, it's race. And so what we've seen is in specific areas where oil and wealth and gas are you see this production, and then you see the impacts on health, from everything, from respiratory issues, to higher cancer rates, to birth defects, all types of things. And, you know, even in this country, we should not have an area of this country named cancer alley. And that's from environmental harm. And so if we are to combat this climate crisis, we have to look at the underlying cause. And it is inequity with race. And so that is something that's core to Greenpeace. It's something why it's also why we have many offices also across the global South, because we also see the impacts there more disproportionately. And we know that true peace is found in justice. And so green, and peace have to go together in order for us to achieve true justice and liberation for everyone. And that's the mission and the work that Greenpeace is on focused on.
Ebony you are exactly the human being to be leading this movement. And I just think the way you just broke that down, was just so incredible. To give more lens to something we talk about on the podcast a lot is asking a better question, or asking a bigger question. And you're getting to the root of this is a systemic, there's lots of things that play in to solving this crisis. But I think something I've seen that Greenpeace does really well, we're kind of even joking about this, in a serious sense before we launched that we love to lift Greenpeace as this shining example of how to create a brilliant call to action, whether it's to sign a petition or take action or give monthly or whatever it may be. You're able to take something that is such a complex, huge problem with systemic with systemic footprint, let's just say, but you're able to get allow your believers that Sir, on this mission to No, this is what I need to do today. This is the one action that I can do today, we talk about that I mean, talk about how you really have been shaping in this moments, right for these conversations to take action, like people are really clear about how to take action.
Well, I think we all know that historically, justice is is achieved through activism. And we've seen this across many global movements, from civil rights to women's rights to economic justice, to achieve liberation, we have to act and it's at the very core of how we drive change. And when we take action and and also do it in an inclusive way, we can create holistic solutions and reduce impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities. And we can also ensure that the burdens of the crisis are also equitably distributed, so that certain communities aren't bearing it more. And when you take action, it's in essence, creating solutions. And it's also creating hope. And I think hope, is what we all have to hold on to, especially, as you said, the crisis is so daunting and big and huge. And it's like how do you wrap your hands, your, your, your, you know, your hands around it. And really, it's just taking one action every day, and the right direction. And you do that, with hope is I think your foundation.
I love that, because I think that hope is the basis of all movements, mighty movements that are built. And I think the environmental piece is something you know, everybody has causes they care about. We care about, you know, the arts, and we care about women's rights, and we care about getting people educated. But there are very few to me, that hit everybody the way that the environment hits, literally everybody. And we are in this moment right now where we have so much noise, and there is nothing that pulls us together more than the air we breathe, then the water that we drink, in the systems of balance that need to exist in the environment. And so I thank you for talking about this. And I want to connect it to racial justice, because you shared that there is no climate justice without racial justice. break this down for our listeners and talk about, I don't care whether you're white, Black, brown, rainbow, like there is a role for every person to play in this. And please, please explain it to us, like we're five years old. Because there's a lot of us who are bringing our children along, because this is going to be their earth that they're going to inherit, and we want to know how to talk about it and how we can fight for this.
Definitely I often tell people, you know, like I said, I didn't think of myself as an activist or an environmentalist, but I live in the environment. So that I default makes me an environmentalist. And any action that I take to preserve the environment, by default makes me an activist. So I think oftentimes, we think, you know, Greenpeace, we do really bold, creative things, sometimes dangerous, like hanging off of a bridge to send a huge signal and a huge message. And that's amazing. And I think you know, sometimes like, Oh, my goodness, I can't do that. But what can you do? There are things that you can do every single day. Small things, like watching your plastic consumption. Trying not to use things that are like only one time use single use plastic, small things like that. Meatless Mondays, because we don't always recognize.
Come on now.
Yeah. This system is responsible for 80% of like our deforestation and cutting down trees and we need the trees, they put out the oxygen. So meatless Mondays, preserving our oceans, our ocean is like the heart of the climate. So doing things is to ensure that they're kept clean and and participating in your community. In my neighborhood, we have a Anacostia, the river that flows through DC, we often go out and just clean up right along the banks of the Anacostia. There are so many things you can do. Also, electing climate champions being involved in the democratic process. Our democracy should be one of the best tools we have to protect our environment. So making sure that we're electing climate champions and those that are putting people over profit and understanding what's at stake because we don't don't have a planet B, we only have one planet. And so we have to do everything that we can, every day to shift and to push ourselves in the right direction.
I love that you took it back to that. Because I mean, we're not to our one good thing yet. But that's why we always ask that because there is something that each of us have a role to play, it's when we believe in the power of activating the base of our movement, not just the top of this golden pyramid, it's about how to all of us band together, and we all have the same vote, we all have the same, you know, voice to play in that in that framework, too. So, one thing I love about Greenpeace, and you just alluded to, it's I have to like kind of chase this down a little bit, is that y'all are not afraid of doing things that get people talking. And I mean, this is just like days ago. Okay, we gotta bring this up. Because one of the trends that we always lift in a conversation we start is like, marketing is mission, how do you use marketing to fuel a much bigger conversation? It's not just about the conversion. It's about how you change people's minds. Well, y'all did this really beautiful thing of taking the Hollywood sign and projecting, like what could happen, you know, in the future, just kind of this imagery of flames and fire on the Hollywood sign, I think you're the first organization to take this over. Yeah. And it was a very serendipitous time as the UN was really talking about climate. So I want to paint the stage and let you talk about this. Because this is just one example. I want all of the organizations listening to think, what does this look like in your community in your reach? How do you work with different groups to activate on this really cool campaign just create more conversations.
I think that is key to activism, also just creating conversations continuing to talk about the things that matter, and that concern us and also igniting response, and igniting others. And so what we did do on Tuesday, just before the start of the United Nations climate negotiations in Dubai, we sent a huge message to Governor Newsom, and also President Joe Biden. And also all of the other leaders in the world to demand an a demand an end to the age of oil and gas, as I said, that's the number one driver of this crisis. And so what we did was a projection onto the iconic Hollywood sign, it had never been done before. And what we did was show the cycles of what has been happening across the country, the record baking heat waves, the wildfires, the drots, droughts, I'm sorry, the extreme weather that we've all been experiencing that we've all seen, because the climate crisis is here, we used to talk about it as if this was coming. But you know, we're like living it every day now. And we figured out that we have to send bolder, more direct communication, to those that hold power to actually let them know the ones that put them into power are demanding more, and that we want to ensure that our world is healthy and safe. And we have basic rights to the necessities that we need. And so we sent this, this large message across the Hollywood sign to declare that we can have a Hollywood ending, we can have that ending that, you know, we see in the movies where everything ends on the right note, and everybody can go off into the sunset, without fires raging. And we can go off into that sunset collectively, we can have that Hollywood ending, but it's time for us now to have the courage to create that ending. And so that is what that action represented for Greenpeace and the entire environmental movement and not just the environmental movement. But for everyone.
You are such a bold badass, I like you so much. I just think this is such a clever way to get your point across. It didn't hurt anybody. It didn't hurt the environment. But Hello, we need to wake up and we have to start moving and talking about things that are bold and the part the biggest part of being an activist is channeling that courage channeling that conviction channeling that love that mama-bearness. And I just thought, Jon, I'm so glad you brought that up as marketing as mission because no one has done that before and it does get people talking and I don't even care if we have a Hollywood ending. I just want a healthy ending for our planet, for my kids. And I just think that you know people are feeling a lot of fatigue right now for so many for so many things and The world. And I want I want you to like speak to the one person who is listening to this podcast right now saying to themselves, what can I do? What can I as a singular individual do, because we want people to stay motivated, and inspired to make these sustainable choices in their daily lives on the daily, and especially just considering the scale of the environmental challenges that we face. We're worried people are going to get overwhelmed, so to speak to the one and let's just like start those 1% shifts.
Yeah, I think about this often. And I alluded to this earlier, but I talk about this all the time. And it's hope. Because I think often we think hope is a feeling of optimism. And it actually isn't, hope is the thing that drives you every day. And it's something that you have to make a conscious decision to do, you have to wake up in the morning and say that I choose to believe, or I choose to work in a direction that will bring positive outcomes, having only positive expectations. And so that is what I say fuels me every morning when I get up out of the bed. And also, when you are hopeful, it rubs off on others. And when you join in a community and you create a community of hope, there is nothing that you can achieve with that community when that community is united around a common interest or a common goal with hope at the center, they're going to accomplish everything that they set out. And so when thinking about different actions that you can take, of course, please join Greenpeace, we have a large community of supporters and donors who helped to fuel our work. We are an independently funded organization, meaning we don't take funds from government officials or from from corporations. So that means that our funding comes from individual donors every day, who choose to invest in hope. And so that is, of course, one way that you can always be involved. And for those who also like to participate and like our climate action, you don't necessarily have to climb the the large oil rig.
Or the Hollywood sign.
And the funny thing is, when I joined Greenpeace, everybody was like, Oh, are you going to go climb? I said, No. But what I will do is, I will be on site and I will support those who have climbed or I will the oil rig, I will cheer them on every step of the way. I will explain to the media what's happening and why it's happening. I will go to the courthouse if that's what's needed to defend the rights of those who are speaking out and putting themselves on the line to take action for such a noble and necessary cause. So there are many ways there are so many ways. We often say even if you don't climb the oil rig, we need someone that is devising the strategy. I'm a mom. And so sometimes I can't go out to the marches, I need someone home to watch the kids. So I can go sometimes you have to be the one that puts the sandwiches to go give them to folks who are out on the front lines. So there, there's so many things that you can do. And so many organizations also other than Greenpeace, even in your local communities, I would really encourage you to tap into there's so many environmental justice organizations that are doing work on the ground. And so yeah, there's there's just so many opportunities to take action and to perpetuate hope, especially at a time when we need it the most.
I mean, this whole conversation, we just love what you stand for, and how you go about your work, too. And the it's not lost on me this idea of hope, because we talk, I'm trying to think when it first came up, it's been a couple of seasons of that we don't want to just be these organizations that are against all these things. But it's like what are we for? What is that hope that we're calling people into? And yeah, of course, that means we're going to reject a lot of crap that's out there and stand up against the thing. But this hope that you're pulling into I want to give you a second to just talk about what your hopes are. What are your aspirations for the future of Greenpeace and really for the global environmental movement, like what what do you see on the horizon that you can bring us into.
For Greenpeace and I think the broader global environmental movement. I see Greenpeace, as it has always been, that beacon of hope. But what I think we have to strive a bit more for is that cross connection, not just an environmental movement, but across the broader movement, everyone who is working to affect change to achieve justice and liberation. I think if we look at the core of the guns rights issue, if we look at the core of Me Too, if we look at the core of the climate crisis, if we look at the core of any major issue that we're facing today, we all have the same goals. We all just want to live a life of peace, and harmony, where our children, and we have the right to self determination, and can achieve our best selves. We all have that goal at the core. And what I would love to see is for the broader progressive movement, to really unite around what connects us, as opposed to what pulls us apart. And I think once we are able to do that we can achieve so much, I think we often focus on what disconnects us. But there are so many things at the end of the day that just connect us together. And what I really would love to see is a more united movement, working to achieve hope, justice and liberation for everyone, because no one is free until we all are free.
Gosh, I just like I feel so motivated. Right now I feel like you are really creating a call to arms for just kindness, for peace, for joy and ease. And I think that's to me, what you're talking about is the much bigger calling, of nonprofit of activism of doing good. And it's about seeing, it's bigger than all of us. It's bigger than our one issue that we're fighting for. And this is why I'm so honored to just sit at the feet of organizations like yours, who can come in and say it to us straight and say it to us with humanity is insane in a way where it's like, we can't just listen to podcast, and we can't just read books, and we can't just scroll past our phone, we've got to put something into our lives, that creates activism that creates doing, because we got to be a part of the change that we want to see in the world. And we got to get that ripple going with someone I challenge you and say it starts with you. So we hold court for story here because we think it has the ability to change us all. We would love to know about a story of philanthropy that really stuck with you in your life. It could be at Greenpeace, it could be a kindness that someone gave to you, at some point in your life, what's the story of philanthropy that really sticks out to you.
I think, as I said, the fact that we are an independent organization, and we rely on supporters. And our supporters and donors are like the greatest people in the world, we have so many supporters who are on fixed income and are like, I can only send you $20 a month. But I know that when I send you the $20 a month that you are putting that money back into the work, you are making a difference, you are getting the global oceans treaty signed, you are sending a huge message to world leaders that for Greenpeace to we are like the only organization environmental organization whose major funding source is our monthly donors. And when you think about that, at its core like it, it us it moves me to tears because folks don't have to send us any donation. They can. There's so many other noble causes to even invest in. But the fact that they invest in us and have invested in us for many, many years. It just it actually sends chills up my spine because I think it is also where our power is rooted. And our power is found in the communities that we build. And like I said, when you get a community on one accord and moving in one direction they'll achieve everything they set out to. And so when I, when I think about something that's core to Greenpeace, and actually, the foundation on which we stand it's our supporters, our donors, and our supporters
have any I mean, kindred spirits, my, I've got the chills. I've also, we're just sitting here thinking of collective power was the word that and it's something that we're really into and really amplifying of the power is so much stronger from the collective. And y'all been doing that it's your core DNA of how this movement even started. So what a beautiful way to lift and I love that you didn't have to pick one out, you pick the collective as your story. So I'm just so I want to give you space, we asked for your one good thing, what is a piece of advice, maybe a mantra, or a life hack, or whatever you want to give us this kind of we close up this conversation today as a one good thing.
One thing I think that I love about Greenpeace and also in the space of activism, and what I would share with your listeners today, is to lead to lead. Greenpeace created the space for me to lead. And I often think about that in terms of how I give back not only to the organization, but also to the movement at large. Who are we creating the space for, so folks can lead. And that is what we need in this movement. Now, leaders, those who are unapologetic, who are bold, who aren't afraid to try new things, who aren't afraid to think outside of the box. And it's something also that like, I have to think about every day. And I know you're like well, your executive director, you know, you naturally wake up and lead. But I often challenged myself to really push myself and say, Are you really leading in this space? Are you really showing up giving everything it is that you have, and using all of the gifts that you have to make change, and to make an impact. And often leading can be scary, because when you're a leader, you think about things sometimes other folks haven't thought of, or you think about it in a different way. And I would just encourage your leader, your listeners, when that idea comes up, that you're like, No, nobody would go for that. Now, that won't work. I encourage you to lean into it, explore it a little bit more, write it down, wrestle with it, and then go for it. And that's how you'll start to see real change.
Okay, normally I just emote after the one good thing, but I gotta teach for a hot second here because I want no one to miss what was just said here, because we're talking we're about to slide into 2024. And we're getting questions almost on the daily over here of what's going on with nonprofit, how is the sector changing? And what you just said there was one of the great ahas was that we have seen happen in the last probably 18 months. You are an executive director not talking about your mission. You're an executive director talking about your movement. And you are not just asking others to come along and your movement, your ask them to come in lead that level of humility from the very top of an organization saying, we don't just need bodies, warm bodies that care about this. We need leaders, we need ideas, we need strategy. We need your stories. We need whatever you're gonna get if you want to get in the lane monthly giving is the way that we start which is brilliant. Just put somebody in a lane. But I do think that this mentality shift of I'm trying to, you know, fund my nonprofit is such a smaller, smaller question when you can think about, we've got to unleash the potential that our movement can have so brilliantly said, I think this is the future. I am so jazzed about Greenpeace, it gives me hope about my little corner of the world and all the corners of the world that we have not yet had ventured to yet. So tell us Ebony how can people connect with you? Where do you hang out online? And how they can? How can they connect with Greenpeace and what do you need the most right now? Give us all the things.
Well, you can always connect with greenpeace@greenpeace.org backslash USA, because we have 55 offices, like I said, But us Yes, you can follow me on what is formerly known as Twitter at ebony, underscore justice. And I'm on Facebook, I'm on Instagram, Ebony, underscore, Monique. I'm out and about all of the time. You can shoot us an email, you can join an action podcast action pod, not a podcast. I'm on a podcast now.
You should have a podcast, but yes, keep going.
we have action pods that you can also join and volunteer communities where we work with folks and figure out what is it that you're trying to achieve and accomplish in your community? And how can you become a leader in that community, and create other leaders. And so we've done that in a number of different communities. And we also do it a lot around the election cycles as well to ensure that we're bringing in climate champions and those that are really about combating this climate crisis. So again, come find us. We're around and there are so many opportunities for you.
Gearing up. This is the time. Yes, exactly. Ebony, our hearts are full. Just so grateful to know you in this work, and to see the impact y'all are having. Thank you for spending this time with you today. It's been so good.
This has been awesome. Thank you so much, Becky and Jon, and thank you for the work that you do, to support nonprofits and to help us get our mission out and to make us stronger, because we need that.
It takes a village. We're with you.
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