Earth Day Changemakers Poster

Earth Day Changemakers

Earth Day Changemakers brought together 125 climate and democracy champions for an inspiring afternoon of action and connection. Our networking event took place on Wednesday, April 23 at the Mill Valley Community Center, hosting local advocates from across Marin and the Bay Area.
It was a great way to connect, learn, and act together. Dozens of local organizations tabled or hosted workshops. Inspiring speakers like Congressman Jared Huffman, Bill McKibben, Carleen Cullen, Fabrice Florin and Tania Abdul reminded us of the power we have when we come together for our planet and our democracy.
Throughout the event, participants shared ideas, tips, and collective actions we can take to make a real difference. The creative energy in the room was irresistible — a reminder that our local climate and democracy movements are alive and well.
Earth Day Changemakers was organized by Green Change, with generous support from the County of Marin, Marin Community Foundation, MCE, and Mill Valley Arts & Recreation. Let’s keep building this momentum all year long!
To learn more, read on.

Table of Contents

Photos & Videos
Speakers
Celebration
Tables
Workshops
Youth
Partners
Sponsors
Team
Impact
Click on any link above to jump to its section.
🎥 Watch this video of Congressman Huffman’s inspiring remarks at Earth Day Changemakers. He reminded us that “right now, the most important climate action is to save democracy.”

Photos and Videos

Enjoy our photos and videos of Earth Day Changemakers:
If you missed any of the talks, watch these full video recordings:
View our favorite event photos on our Event Photo Album. You can find more photos in our iCloud archive. See our photo and video credits at the end of this page.

Speakers

Meet our featured speakers, who gave short inspirational talks throughout the event.
Hearing their good insights gave us hope for the future of our movement, despite the challenging times we live in.
Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben

Environmentalist Bill McKibben, co-founder of Third Act and 350.org, is one of the leading voices in our climate movement. He spoke about the urgent need to cut emissions in half by 2030 to stay on track with the Paris climate goals. 
🎥 Though he couldn’t be there in person, Bill kindly prepared this short video introduction to our event (4 mins.).
Tania Abdul

Tania Abdul

Tania Abdul, executive director and co-founder of Breathe, is leading a network for racial and environmental justice that is designed to empower people to take action. 
In her talk, she spoke about the need for bold, widespread action—uniting grassroots organizers with policy experts to open doors to power and drive real change. She emphasized the importance of leveraging our networks to build momentum together, while staying rooted in the lived experiences of local communities. 
🎥 Watch the video of Tania’s speech, which starts right after Fabrice Florin’s welcome remarks,  6 mins. into the video (12 mins. total).
Carleen Cullen

Carleen Cullen

Carleen Cullen is the founder and executive director of Cool the Earth, a nonprofit she started 18 years ago to inspire personal action on climate change—reaching more than 500,000 people worldwide. 
One of their most successful programs, Ride and Drive Clean, brings together organizations, agencies, cities, and businesses to cut carbon emissions by accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and ebikes. 
🎥 Watch the video of Carleen’s conversation with Green Change director Fabrice Florin. (13:07)
Jared Huffman

Jared Huffman

Congressman Jared Huffman represents California’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a strong advocate for bold climate action. 
In his keynote speech, he told us that “right now, the most important climate action is to save democracy.” He spoke about the urgent need to fight back against Trump’s abuses of power, which are dismantling our democratic institutions, rolling back environmental protections and putting all our lives at risk. He applauded our community’s dedication to climate action and encouraged us to keep working with state and local governments, nonprofits, the private sector, and concerned citizens to help save democracy and the planet. 
🎥 Watch the video of Congressman Huffman’s inspiring remarks. His talk is followed by a community sing-along – and a tribute by Fabrice Florin to all the climate and democracy champions who make our community thrive (16 mins. total).
We’re grateful to our speakers for inspiring us with their thoughtful insights at this event!
Earth Day Changemakers Speakers

Celebration

We closed Earth Day Changemakers with a joyful community celebration. 
After Congressman Huffman’s talk, Green Change director Fabrice Florin invited everyone to gather by the stage for a sing-along and community toast.
The Freedom Singers lifted our spirits with Sing for Climate, an anthem of hope and resilience, which we sang along with them, as we have at our previous Earth Day events.
Fabrice then gave a toast to all our amazing changemakers! We raised our cups of apple juice, to honor Mother Earth and the power of community. 
Fabrice reminded us that “we all need to unite, to help save democracy and the planet.” He thanked everyone for coming together to protect our future and help build a better world. 
🎥 Watch the sing-along and toast »

Tables
 
Action tables were hosted by local groups, and provided information about campaigns and collective actions on these topics:
Earth Day Changemakers Speakers

Action Workshops

At Earth Day Changemakers, participants were invited to join seven action workshops, each led by local climate leaders. These small-group discussions gave everyone a chance to share ideas, ask questions, and sign up for collective action campaigns that need support.

Here were our featured workshops (click to learn more):
Advocating for Climate Leadership in Local Elections
Exploring ways to elect local leaders committed to bold climate action.
Hosted by Jody Timms at 350 Marin
BYO, the Antidote to Plastic Pollution
Learn how to bring your own plastic-free, re-usable containers wherever you go.
Hosted by Susan Hopp at Plastic Free Marin
Leveraging Networks to Build Momentum and Impact
How grassroots communities can mobilize through collaboration.
Hosted by Tania Abdul at Breathe for Justice
Make Electrification Affordable: How California Can Reduce its Electric Rates
Policy solutions to lower energy costs and speed electrification.
Hosted by Al Grumet with Marin Citizens’ Climate Lobby
Let’s Put a Marin Climate Mobilization Initiative on the Ballot
Discuss a Citizen Initiative to prepare Marin for climate impact.
Hosted by Bill Carney and Bill Keene at MarinCAN
How to Drive Building Electrification
Practical strategies to scale up clean energy in homes and buildings.
Hosted by David Moller at Marin Electrification Squad
Leave the Car at Home
Expanding safe, sustainable alternatives to driving.
Hosted by Wendi Kallins at Sustainable Marin, and Warren Wells at MCBC
Each workshop included a short presentation, Q&A and an invitation to sign up to support campaigns related to that topic.
Earth Day Changemakers Speakers

Youth Workshop

After his keynote talk, Congressman Jared Huffman met with a local group of young activists for a private youth workshop, where they discussed their views about climate action. This workshop was hosted by Al Grumet in a separate room, across the hall from the main event. 
Earth Day Changemakers Speakers

Sponsors

Many thanks to our sponsors for this event:
We’re grateful for their support of Green Change’s community engagement work this year!
Earth Day Changemakers Speakers

Team

This event was presented by Green Change, our nonprofit climate action network. Many thanks to Green Change team leads Fabrice Florin, Tom Flynn, Al Grumet, Bridget Mazzini and Kevin Morrison and Marilyn Price for organizing this inspiring event!
We’re also grateful to our gracious event planner AJ Pell of Peridot Events and her associates for providing logistical support, in collaboration with our partners Molly Given, Ashley Howe, Kristie Hubacker and Mario Montenero at Mill Valley Recreation.
And special thanks to all our photographers and videographers who took the wonderful photos and videos of our event! They include: Dana Dworin, Fabrice Florin, Bing Gu, Kevin Morrison, Kathren Murrell Stevenson, George Osner, Martha Ture and Michael Wanger. 
Our photos and videos were edited by Green Change director Fabrice Florin, Devin Ruy and Michael Wanger. All our photos and videos are freely licensed with attribution, under Creative Commons (CC-BY-4.0), in return for a credit to GreenChange.net and our photographers.
If you have any questions or comments for our team, please email us.
Earth Day Changemakers Speakers

Impact

At Earth Day Changemakers, 125 climate and democracy champions came together for an afternoon of inspiration, action, and connection. 
The event created space for people to learn from each other, share ideas, and strengthen the networks driving change in our community.
Here are the event highlights:
  • 🎤 6 inspiring talks, including remarks from Rep. Jared Huffman
  • 🌱 20 partners tabling for their projects and initiatives
  • 🛠️ 8 workshops on key campaigns and coalitions
  • 🤝 5–10 new contacts per person and 10–20 meaningful conversations
  • 🎶 Joyful moments of community, including a sing-along and youth-led workshop
Survey results speak for themselves:
  • ⭐ 85% of survey respondents rated the event “very good” or “excellent”
  • 🔄 83% plan to join us again next year
  • 🙌 Many asked that future events include more youth, and more newcomers to our climate movement
What made the day unique was the mix of strategy and community spirit. Attendees not only gained practical tools for collective action but also experienced the joy of connecting with others, working toward a shared purpose. 
That balance of inspiration, organizing, and celebration made the event both productive and memorable.
Why it matters: Earth Day Changemakers showed that when communities come together, we can build trust, spark more collaborations, and grow the grassroots energy needed to protect our planet and our democracy.
For more details, read our event report. And view our photo album, to get a sense of what the event was like.
Poster art by Fabrice Florin.