About the Climate Justice Hive

OUR VISION:

A well-coordinated and collaborative ecosystem for organizers working in solidarity with frontline community leaders in a world centered in climate justice. 

OUR MISSION:

Connect, support, and uplift the various climate justice efforts, inspiring systems change in a metropolitan area. 

A Quick History

The Hive has evolved from a volunteer based team in 2017 that built Boulder.Earth in response to the needs of the many climate and social justice organizations operating in Boulder County without something linking them all together. With support from the Impact Hub and the City of Boulder, the project was able to grow slowly and organically over the next couple of years. With the era of Covid, many programs the team was excited about were tabled. But the need to take the static web portal with a directory, calendar, and overview of issues to the next level was apparent. In 2020 and 2021, a group of alumnx, faculty, staff and students at Naropa University hosted a series of Community Resilience Conversations with people from over 40 community organizations working with issues ranging from homelessness, housing, and mutual aid to Indigenous rights, racial justice, climate change and regenerative agriculture. Results showed that the community wanted to center equity and wanted more collaboration. When this Naropa-based group met Boulder.Earth, the ground was fertile for collaboration and the result was the birth of the Hive. Our core team came together surrounded by a passionate group of “pollinators,” who began mapping the Boulder County climate justice landscape building connections with frontline organizers, non-profits, government agencies, and public institutional programs. In 2024, in mutual response to our own and community need, the Climate Justice Hive became a 501(c)(3) organization in order to provide fiscal hosting for grassroots  groups in further service of coordinating efforts for climate justice.

The Hive Team

Micha Kurz

Micha Kurz

Hive Co-Director
Alysia Sanchez

Alysia Sanchez

Bee’s Nest Fiscal Hosting Program Manager
Myrna Morales

Myrna Morales

Data Steward / Frontline Resource Librarian
Maddie DuBoyce

Maddie DuBoyce

Communications & Community Calendar Coordinator

Board of Advisors

Our board helps steward the Hive’s mission, accountability, and long-term direction. We plan to grow the board thoughtfully, strengthening the experience, relationships, and perspectives that support the work.

Lisa Donahue

Seann Goodman

Gaia Mika

Honoring Our Founders

Lodi Siefer is one of the Climate Justice Hive’s fearless founders. We honor her part in bringing the Hive into being and the relationships, care, and conviction she has contributed to its story. We celebrate Lodi’s contribution and the work that continues to grow from it.

Mark Steele is another of the Climate Justice Hive’s founders. We honor his part in creating the Boulder.Earth portal and bringing the Hive into being. His creative and technical contributions as well as strategic advice continue to help guide the Hive through its evolution.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

We agree to do our work together in the following ways:

(1) Show up fully

Being clear and direct is helpful (avoid being passive-aggressive). Share what we think, feel, want, and need. Meet each other in what is shared.

(2) Tend to relationships & repair conflict

Nurture relations by bringing intention, care, and skill. When conflict or rupture occurs, seek clarity and strive for repair. Invest time and energy to clarify root causes.

(3) Honor strengths and build capacity

Provide space for colleagues to bring their strengths and take risks to build their skills and empathy regarding each others’ work. Discern when to focus on colleagues’ growth  and when to focus on organizational results.

(4) Cultivate a culture where people can show up authentically

Incorporate time and space for contemplative practices, embodiment, listening to the natural world, magic, ritual, food, and for people to share their feelings.

(5) Act in service of justice

Honor indigeneity by embracing values and practices in a “life made in common.”   Stand in solidarity with frontline leaders. Seek and honor diverse perspectives and center the voices of those impacted most directly. Embrace a collective “all boats rise” stance that fosters belonging.

(6) Prioritize practice over theory

Orient to organizing. Focus on action in order to drive systems change. Honor principles and frameworks, but stay grounded in the actual work. Don’t waste people’s time.

(7) Remember that we all have a part to play

Honor that each of us is holding up a piece of the sky and we are all needed. No one is underqualified to contribute to the collective movement; everyone can grow leadership skills. Support; don’t compete.

(8) Stay in it for the long haul

Focus on long-term strategy. Keep showing up. Stay the course while remaining flexible. Try not to fumble and get stuck over the small things. Do not let people burn out.

(9) Continue to learn & iterate

Learn from others; don’t recreate the wheel. Bring new learning into our practice… Principles are organic and evolving.