Where climate activism meets community building
We sit down with Paris-based climate activist to Lucie Boutez to learn how saving the planet can be a passion and a party!
Note: This is the second installment of our “Greenest Generation” series, where we profile Gen Z climate warriors across the globe who are tackling the climate and nature crisis. We’d like to give a special shoutout to Ana Sofia Thomas, who is working with us on this series!
Know a young person doing inspiring work on climate or nature we should feature? Leave us a note in the comments or reach out to travelfortheclimate@gmail.com with your suggestions!
A month ago, tens of thousands of people took to the streets worldwide as a part of the Global March to End Fossil Fuels. From Linkedin to Instagram to the New York Times, feeds were flooded with demands to stop oil & gas expansion, end fossil fuel subsidies, and advocate for a future where humankind maybe wasn’t so screwed. For activists, scientists and educators worldwide, it was an uplifting day, a shared human experience that reaffirmed “hey, we’re actually making progress here!”
And then, as usual – the news cycle moved on to the next big thing, mainstream coverage of climate pushed to the sidelines until the upcoming green-washy COP28.
But behind big marches and headline-grabbing direct actions, there are 1000s of climate activists worldwide who work tirelessly on a daily basis to keep the machinery of their movements churning. We recently sat down to interview one of these inspiring activists: Lucie Boutez, a vibrant young Parisian whose extensive resume in the climate social justice movement reads like that of someone who’s been out of high school for fifty years, not five!
The story she tells us is one of community and hope in collective action, highlighting those who work together to drive change in society.
Getting started in climate activism
The Green Journey (TGJ) : Thank you for making the time to meet with us, Lucie! To begin, could you tell us a little about yourself and your current involvement in climate activism?
Lucie: Hi, I’m Lucie and I’m currently a Master’s student at Sciences Po in my second year. I started really working in climate-specific issues about two years ago when I joined Sciences Po Environment, but I have been very involved in broader activism for about five years now.
My climate and social activism takes many forms. I’m an animator at different fresques such as Fresque du Climat and Fresque du Partage, which are organizations that deliver workshops on sustainability, climate and creating positive change. I’m a supporter of Alternatiba, an EU-based organization advocating for very holistic change, and Dernière Rénovation which uses many organizing tactics, including civil disobedience, to advocate for a single issue: retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions from that sector.
I also work with Racines Artivists, a workshop of Le Bruit Qui Court which brings creativity to activist spaces under the theory that art can constitute a formidable space for commitment and profound social and ecological change.
It’s a lot of different organizations, but this diversity of interests I have reflects the diversity of ways to get involved in climate and social justice movements!
TGJ: What sparked your interest in climate issues?
Lucie: I think my interest grew over time. Starting in childhood, my mother was a role model for collective action, although not necessarily in climate. When I was young, she was always taking action with the parents association, working with our local town hall and social center. She’s always taken with me her voting.
As a teenager I became more concerned about the environment and it became something I wanted to do with my life, to work for the systemic change that must come. Reading all the books, listening to all the podcasts, joining the initiatives. Growing up and being a student I had the space to do it. Now I’m trying to find the balance between tackling social and climate justice to create a more inclusive world and make systemic change that is needed.
Activism as a tool of change
TGJ: We’re interested in climate solutions; what is the role that activism plays in solution finding?
Lucie: Activists are sometimes looked upon poorly for criticizing society without doing anything to change it. I think this in part comes from the fact that we have visible moments and movements like marches, but 90% of the work that goes on behind the scenes isn’t shown by those big actions. In reality, activists are doing lots of work, especially on educating others, volunteering their time, sometimes their money, and putting themselves at the forefront, sometimes of danger.
But the biggest role that activism plays in solution finding is pushing the lines of the system towards a more ecologically and socially just future. Within a system, change must come from different directions so the status quo can collapse. If we have activist pressure from the outside, with people confronting, denouncing, and showing the questionable actions that big enterprises and government are taking — the people will eventually realize that what the leadership is working for is not legitimate, and join in the demand for change.
That’s how activists work towards solutions: we move the lines, even just by a bit, and what was once radical becomes expected.
A vision of the world that has to be put up front. The methods can be very different, but you need activists putting their voices up and putting more radical things to pursue and pushing the line of political courage.
It just Makes Sense!
TGJ: What are you currently focusing on in the climate and social justice movement?
Lucie: Well, I’m doing a few different things right now, but one of my most recent positions is as an Apprentice at MakeSense.
TGJ: What does MakeSense do?
Lucie: MakeSense is a not-for-profit organization built to inspire and give power to help citizens take action. For ten years, makesense has been creating tools and programs for collective mobilization to enable everyone to take action and build an inclusive and sustainable society.
TGJ: Can you tell us more about these programs?
One of the best-known programs at makesense is called the re_action program, which was launched during the height of COVID-19 in 2020. In some ways, this program is actually a direct response to the idea that climate and social justice activists criticize rather than act, because the program is founded on guiding people to take concrete impact.
When you sign up for the re_action program, you’re immediately grouped with 10-15 people near you who are equally interested in taking concrete action; you then receive regular content and challenges to take action near you. The topics can be diverse, to meet interests, ranging from helping the homeless to participating in local sustainability initiatives.
Creating a climate community
TGJ: You have talked a lot about building a sense of community and making connections with the work you do. How does it play a role in benefiting climate activism?
Lucie: As an extrovert, I guess I recharge my batteries with people. This idea of community, when it is particularly well worked on, brings the art of welcoming people on board and making them feel welcome. Community makes people feel they have a place in the movement, that they belong, and that their lived experience is important.
Feedback from citizens and collective intelligence work on the idea that individually we have intelligence, but together we add value to this intelligence and these ideas. When you feel like you belong in the community you just feel and are able to express yourself and add value.
When emotions start to take place, when you realize time is running out, it is necessary to have these communities because you can take action together and you can do these things together. You feel like you’re doing something and working together is how a revolution starts!
What gives you hope
TGJ: At the end of our interviews, we always ask: when you look at the climate situation right now, what gives you hope?
Lucie: Definitely people and community. I’m so inspired by so many projects and people who are in touch with their emotions. I feel inspired at great events. Getting beers with mates at Academie du Climat and talking about the stuff that happens and knowing we have a space to change it together.
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