Maria Zaharatos

Feb 15, 2023 | planetforward.org | Maria Zaharatos |Alyssa Landolfi |Carter Weinhofer |Katie Perkins

My parents grew up in a place that didn’t want them or anyone that looked like them. They were raised by parents who contended with that hypervisibility daily. Everyone looked for opportunity, finding some while also finding lots of hurt. My grandparents grew up with little money – farming, fleeing from political conflict, crossing oceans, hoping for safety.

Feb 15, 2023 | planetforward.org | Kristen Caldwell |Maria Zaharatos |Victoria Smith

“Race you to the top!” my sister yells at me as we run up the Bubble Rock trail in Maine’s Acadia National Park. This trail leads us to an iconic summit featuring a gravity-defying boulder positioned on the side of a mountain, looking like it could fall at any moment. At age 5, I would throw all of my body weight onto the boulder in an attempt to push it off the mountain.

Feb 15, 2023 | planetforward.org | Maria Zaharatos |Kristen Caldwell |Victoria Smith |Shondiin Mayo

Hearing about climate change and the polluted state of the environment used to make me discouraged. I knew that, if we ever wanted to make progress on these issues, systemic change had to happen, and that my actions alone (switching to reusable cutlery, grocery bags etc.) would not stop the massive scales of plastic pollution and global warming. And while I couldn’t change this reality as one individual, I found hope in community.

Feb 10, 2023 | planetforward.org | Maria Zaharatos |Sachi Kitajima Mulkey |Dana Fries |Alyssa Landolfi

Meet Ángela, a shy but curious girl from Quito, Ecuador. In Ángela and the Plastic Problem, she embarks on a journey to discover what her local community and communities across her country are doing to increase sustainability by combating plastic waste. Learning about intiatives in other cities and even going on a trip to the marvelous Galápagos Islands, she is helped and inspired along the way by her best friend, Julia, and her Mamá.