Youth for Nature 🌲 Recent Environmentalists Mini Series #2
An apology before we begin:
In identifying Eleanor Rae as a thealogian in my last post, I neglected to define the concept “thealogy”.
No, it is not a typo.
Thealogy/thealogian: The study of, or reflection upon, Thea, the feminine divine, for example, from a feminist viewpoint.
Now, to our youth!
Young people of the world are very concerned about the status of our Earth—actually of all Nature.
I am pleased to welcome back two young environmentalists whose work you have previously seen.
Rachel Chang and Natalie Forlenza, gave us permission to use their insightful information on Media Literacy, which I included in my post “GIRL POWER,” on May 21, 2025.
That post is accessible directly on the C:WED website at www.cwed.org and then by clicking on the “blog” button and scrolling down to the post.
The girls have returned to share with us their informative PowerPoint and videos on environmental awareness—and they have a feature film suggestion.
Natalie Forlenza
Natalie has enjoyed cheer for all four years of high school. She loves volunteering at the Central Park Zoo, rollerskating, and playing drums.
Rachel Chang
Rachel enjoys writing, reading, piano, and baking—and she likes mock trial.
Natalie and Rachel have been friends since they were three years old when they attended a Montessori School together. After their Montessori years, they entered the same high school and enjoyed four more student years together.
They just graduated last month (June, 2025) and are set to begin new lifetime journeys, this time, each going to a different university. Theirs surely is a friendship for a lifetime.
For the last two years “Chang and Forlenza” were the leaders of their high school club, which is part of the World Youth Alliance in New York City.
I was fortunate to have been co-moderator of the school’s World Youth Alliance Club, so it gave me a front-row opportunity to witness the topics they chose and, at times, to join in on the fun and educational activities they designed for their club mates.
I admire their competency and I learned quite a bit from their topics and presentations. Also, it was a joy to watch them work together as a team.
Rachel and Natalie are now offering us the environmental PowerPoint they presented to the club members.
I have chosen eight of their slides that are most pertinent for our mini-series on the environment.
Active links for the videos and information data follow after these slides.
Pinch the screen to enlarge slides, if necessary.
HERE ARE THE ACTIVE LINKS:
Videos 1 and 2 are informative and thought provacative!
—Video 1: AMAZON RAINFOREST
—Video 2: CURB CLIMATE CHANGE—PLANT TREES?
Data Information:
The Guardian:
California Wildfires by Dani Anguiabno
January 31, 2025
(https://sdgs.un.org/goals)
UNITED NATIONS:
These goals guide UN policies and member countries' actions toward protecting the planet.
(https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal11)
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Now, as to the film the girls showed their club mates—it’s an eye opener that I highly recommend:
They presented, over the course of several meetings, the feature film Blackfish.
Blackfish (click title for trailer) is a documentary about orcas (a.k.a. “killer whales”) in captivity. It focuses on Tilikum, an orca held by SeaWorld, and the controversy surrounding orcas in captivity.
Orcas are actually dolphins. They share more anatomical and behavioral characteristics with dolphins than with other whale species.
They are the largest member of the dolphin family and are found in all oceans.
This powerful film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
In an earlier post, I identified ecofeminism as a concept that points out the connection to and effect that patriarchy and the patriarchal paradigm have on the oppression of both Women and Nature—where both are seen as commodities, that is, as instruments of use for the benefit of the “owner” or patriarchal manager.
In the patriarchal view, the intrinsic value of Women and Nature—or concern for their dignity—is easily ignored.
The film Blackfish offers an excellent example of the exploitation of creatures—for profit.
The full-length film is one hour and 24 minutes long. It streams on:
There are heartbreaking scenes in the Blackfish film, especially the one with the mother orca when her baby was taken away from her.
I have not been able to unsee—nor unhear—her anguish and her wail, a sound the trainers said they had never heard from her before.
Have tissues nearby!
THANK YOU, NATALIE AND RACHEL! ❤️
Team “Chang and Forlenza” is terrific!
as are Forlenza and Chang. 😊
In whatever way we might say it, we at C:WED wish you the very best in your future!
…to be continued
as we continue to look for inspiration in the next few posts to specific efforts by some relatively recent individual environmental activists.
IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
Previous Post: “Bloom Where You Are Planted,” by Anne Andersson July 18, 2025
—Lots of interesting history especially about Eleanor! 😊 —M.A.
—Got the email! It’s terrific! One thing of note: It’s striking that Anne’s original surname of Marbury is lost to history because of the patriarchal practice of erasing the wife’s family name, thereby stripping her of the ability to leave a true individual legacy behind. We could have been driving on the Marbury Parkway today. —C.A.
—Yes, indeed. Thank you, C.A. —E.
—Thank you. As usual, you have provided much to ponder. —R.E.
Previous Post: “Caution for the Earth: An Epic Journey Through the Ages,” by Anne Andersson July 10, 2025
—Thank you. This is for all academia. —R.E.
C:WED Wish List:
—If you have any environmentalists whom you would like to highlight, please send their stories to us (with their permission, of course) at:
info@cwed.org
