As someone who grew up in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles to immigrant Mexican parents, Isaias Hernandez was no stranger to environmental injustices. After completing a degree in Environmental Science at the University of California, Berkeley, Isaias co-created Alluvia Magazine - an environmental magazine that highlights BIPOC environmentalists. Queer Brown Vegan is his brainchild - an educational outlet and safe space for other likeminded individuals to discuss issues surrounding environmentalism, veganism, intersectionality, zero-waste, and everything in between. We spoke with Isaias to learn about his platform and about how he practices environmentalism in his daily life.
Follow Isaias at @queerbrownvegan
How did Queer Brown Vegan as a platform come about?
QueerBrownVegan came about back in 2019 when I was in University and I wanted to share all the information I learned about environmentalism into social media infographics. My main mission is to empower environmentalists to learn the importance of environmental injustices and to critically stay curious and recognize the root causes of the ecological crisis. I believe that environmental education is a human right. You shouldn’t have to attend higher education to be an environmentalist, but rather empower yourself to be more eco-friendly in your daily life.
How do you see your role within your platform and community? What is your intention for your platform?
I see my community as a circular system where we take the time to hear each other's thoughts and challenge ourselves in a thoughtful way. The intention of my platform is to cultivate growth, resiliency, and empowerment for people to feel like they can confidently engage about environmental issues.
What are some practices that you're exploring in your own personal life as a climate activist?
One of the practices that I have been doing is reducing my plastic-waste. As someone who has generated a lot of plastic waste, I realized that reducing my bathroom and living room plastic waste was one of the easiests things I could do.
What are three books, articles or podcasts that you'd recommend for people to learn more about climate change?
Three podcasts to check out are Eco Chic, Brown Girl Green, and GreenDreamer.
Who are your favorite people to follow who share about climate or sustainability?
Some of my favorite people are @browngirl_green, @gogreensavegreen and @iyeloveslife.