The Earth is our Family: EMA’s interview with Kalālapa Winter
Please tell us about your experience and share any words of support for other youth taking climate inaction to court.
Being a part of this case was such an adventure. As someone who is Native Hawaiian and loyal to the Hawaiian kingdom, I don't see myself as an American – and never have. However, I strongly believe that sometimes we need to find a way to work within the system - even if we don't trust it, even if it was built against us (us as Hawaiians) - if through it, we can create lasting change for our communities. Over nearly three years, there were many times I genuinely could not believe the actions they took against me and the other plaintiffs. Not just on a governmental level but even from the general public, there was an insane amount of misunderstanding and overall condemnation of us and our case from many more people than we expected. It sheds light on how many people don't fully grasp the severity of the climate crisis. But the experience wasn't all bad; every single plaintiff had such an intense story, and each of them was an inspiring young leader with whom I made life-long friendships. We also had the most extraordinary legal team, and our experts were quite literally the best in the world; no wonder we won.
Our case settlement was historic for so many reasons, but the most important to me, being that our case was full of Native Hawaiian kids, which is not common for our communities because we are taught not to trust the American system because of its history with our people. Yet, we started this case because we have hope. We are living proof that it is possible to work within the system to accomplish change that will positively impact our Native and local communities for generations to come! I advise any youth taking climate action in court to maintain hope. Your story is important. Your voice is important. You deserve to be at the
You joined Mat Dos Santos of Our Children's Trust at our EMA IMPACT Summit in June. Why is it so critical for the entertainment industry to support and amplify the work of climate advocates?
Anyone who's anyone knows just how impactful Hollywood is. The reach of the entertainment industry is quite literally worldwide! One of the hardest parts of being a climate advocate is that an unfortunate majority of the public has a limited understanding of climate issues. The more people understand these issues, the more people will join our movement! People learn so much from movies and celebrities they look up to. The support
and amplification of our message from the entertainment industry will help us tremendously accomplish our goals in this fight towards climate justice.
For those who couldn't attend IMPACT, can you tell us what inspired your activism and love for the natural world?
I'm not a huge fan of the label "activist." It implies that caring for the issues I care for is somehow deviant from the norm. And maybe they can be, but they shouldn't be. It shouldn't be considered "different" or "too much" to care about the Earth. I never had a specific moment where I decided to be an activist. My community taught me that the ʻāina (land) is our family member. When a family member is sick, you take care of them; if they need protection, you protect them. Our Earth provides us with a home and feeds us the same way a family would; in turn, we must care for it. I always believed that if something is wrong, you stand up against it; you fight for what's right, period. My love for the Earth comes from the lessons I learned from spending time in my ʻāina, where I was raised, from my culture, and kūpuna (elders and ancestors).
The Earth is not separate from us humans; to exist here, we must have a reciprocal relationship with it. Rather than saying activist, I say I am a wahine aloha ʻāina (land protector). To be a land protector, one must aloha ʻāina (love the land), kīaʻi ʻāina (fight for the land), AND mālama ʻāina (care for the land). I don't think it's possible to call yourself a land protector or "activist" for the Earth without doing all three things.
Do you have a favorite movie or T.V. show that encouraged you to take environmental action?
I have been doing this for so much of my life that I don't think I have any specific movies that have inspired me. However, I really enjoy how movies like Avatar share the message of how colonialism affects Native people and our land.
Finally, what are you working on these days, and how can our audience connect and provide support?
In my acting life, I am a junior in the Acting for Screen and Stage BFA program at USC, and I am currently working on Polaroid Stories with my cohort, which will be shown in November! I am also working on a short film back in Hawaiʻi about having autism, which I am looking forward to. In my climate advocacy life, even though our case is settled, it's still "living," meaning we will continue working alongside HDOT for the next twenty years to ensure they maintain the agreement. I am also working on supporting other climate cases that are going on both in the U.S. and around the world. Feel free to follow me on Instagram to keep updated on my work! I also highly encourage looking into other cases and youth climate advocates doing this work!
Watch Kalālapa's EMA IMPACT panel, moderated by EMA Board Member Shailene Woodley, here!