How do you use your platform as an artist to inform your style of advocacy ?
My work focuses on human rights and within human rights , focus on the marginalised communities and peoples such as women , children and BIPOC . Art is indeed a powerful tool that I utilise to inform and spread awareness . One of the things I strategically rely on is vibrant colors and stories of people , combine that with social media and we have a real change-making tool . Somebody may find one of my illustrations about any of the issues our society faces , and they may feel attracted to the colors . They may come to my platform for the colors , but they will stay for the stories being told . This is one of the ways I welcome people into conversations they otherwise wouldn ’ t be interested in . Because the reality is , though it sounds like a cliché , that until and unless we all stand together , we cannot make a significant difference . One person is enough to inspire millions , so I use stories of those people that have the potential to inspire many . Their story is shown on my platform through my art and writing .
When did you first realize that the ocean ’ s health was at risk ?
I had seen photos of ocean animals trapped in plastic and had been in conversations about recycling , but it wasn ’ t until my father stopped me from visiting Pakistan one summer because of the extreme heat that killed 1500 + people . My father was in Pakistan and he was worried for me visiting . This way , he had saved me from the heat wave , but I remained worried for all the friends and family back home . Climate change impacts everyone , no matter where you are , and rising temperatures are just one of the signs / impacts of it . We need to believe the research , listen to the experts and change our ways . This is not an issue for just community or one country . It ’ s an issue for all living things on the planet .
Why do the stories behind people matter in the movement to beat plastic pollution ?
Every story is different and has the potential to inspire someone . Through stories of people , we can build connection with them and that can motivate us to listen to their message . Plastic pollution is something we firstly need to understand in order to properly tackle it and build a safer society where we all are thoughtfully contributing to the environment . Stories also show us that climate change is impacting everyone from around the world . So through stories of people , we can see diversity .
Sharon Lavigne Ridhima Pandey
Sharon Lavigne is seeking environmental justice both for herself and her community of St . James , Louisiana . Sharon runs a faithbased organization , RISE St . James , that is advocating to stop Formosa Plastics from building a $ 9.4 billion plastic manufacturing complex about a mile and a half from her front door .
Ridhima experienced the effect of climate change in the form of the Kedarnath flood of 2013 . Since then , Ridhima has accompanied Greta Thunberg in protesting the negligence of governments at the UN Climate Action Summit , calling on global leaders to take action on the climate crisis .