By Ella Gebers
Storytelling for Social Change Intern, Summer 2025
Growing up in Wenatchee meant growing up hiking in the foothills, swimming in the Columbia River, and skiing in the mountains. My love for the outdoors blossomed into a love for the environment and a deep appreciation for the childhood it gave me.
During my first year at the University of Washington, I discovered I could use my creativity to design for people with inclusivity in mind through the Human Centered Design and Engineering major. At the same time, I began taking Environmental Studies classes where I delved into climate change and the people who are disproportionately impacted by it.
It was through these classes that the concept of environmental justice was first introduced to me. The more I learned, the more the way I viewed my childhood in Eastern Washington shifted.
I began to notice how environmental challenges in the eastern part of the state create disproportionate barriers to accessing healthy environments where people can live and thrive. Reflecting on the community I grew up in, the lack of equitable access to resources became glaringly clear.
Living on both sides of the Cascades has shown me different worldviews, exposing me to a variety of perspectives on how to live and think. I decided to attend the University of Washington because I wanted to see what it was like to be in a place that felt different from the one I grew up in. You wouldn’t think it would be so different — I am from Washington after all. However, there are huge cultural and environmental differences between Central and Western Washington.
Growing East, Going West
I am grateful for growing up in a rural area that showed me a slower pace of living with an emphasis on community. However, during my time at UW, I’ve noticed there is a limited access to resources and opportunities in Eastern Washington compared to those offered to people living in the greater Seattle area.
Environmentally, the eastern part of the state is very different from the west. For example, the shrub-steppe environment is much dryer than the lush evergreen forests found surrounding Seattle. With a dryer climate comes increased wildfire exposure. In Wenatchee, wildfires are a natural companion to warm, dry weather, causing smoke to settle in the valley every year.
Growing up, my classmates and I often wouldn’t be able to play outside for recess and would instead run around our school gym. Sometimes, friends with asthma would have to go to the hospital due to the poor air quality. This summer is the first I’ve spent living in the western part of the state. I’ve noticed that I never checked the air quality index, when it was part of my daily routine during wildfire season in Wenatchee. This isn’t just anecdotal: the Washington Department of Natural Resources fights roughly 900 wildfires in a given year, with 70% of those fires occurring in Eastern Washington. My knowledge of environmental justice has given me a needed perspective in understanding the way people are disproportionately affected by the wildfires in the area. Wildfires are not just an environmental challenge, but also a social issue.
For example, agriculture is everywhere in Eastern Washington. I grew up eating fresh apples and cherries straight from the orchards. I know the people who grow and pick our food. So much of our community and economy revolves around agriculture and the people who work in the industry.
In Chelan County, Agriculture is the top sector of employment. The summer and fall harvest seasons see the largest amounts of farm labor employment, which also aligns with the wildfire season in Washington State. This puts outdoor workers at a greater risk of negative health effects from smoke and heat. In addition, resources about the health impacts due to smoke exposure are not easily accessible to the population as a whole. Nationwide, the National Agricultural Workers Survey shows that 77% of farmworkers are most comfortable speaking Spanish.
In Washington, I’ve noticed that rural communities’ voices can be lost, and the narrative is often shifted towards those living in the western part of the state. In conversation with other UW students from Central/Eastern Washington, one student stated, “Sometimes I feel like people think Washington is Seattle.”
Central and Eastern Washington face some of the most extreme climate impacts in the state, yet effective science communication is not centered around the communities that need it most.
An EarthLab Innovation Grant awarded project worked to change this. The project established the Community and Climate Impact Hub alongside Wenatchee CAFE. They created a Hootboard that shares vital climate education resources in an accessible and culturally responsive manner. Articles and infographics are provided in both English and Spanish, and effective climate impact messaging is used to strengthen community engagement and access to information.
My Summer in Seattle
Currently, I am the Storytelling for Social Change summer intern at EarthLab. I came into the experience with the hope that I could combine my love for the environment with my skills in design and communication.
Early in my college career, I explored the possibility of studying Environmental Studies alongside my major of Human Centered Design and Engineering. I was advised against doing a double major due to how different the subjects were. I was still passionate about studying the environment, so I settled on incorporating an Environmental Studies minor into my education. Earthlab was the perfect opportunity to merge my interests, create connections, and tell stories that inspire a larger community.
The reality of what the EarthLab internship program has to offer has far surpassed my expectations.
During my time at EarthLab, I’ve learned how important ethical storytelling and accessible science communication is. Telling stories from a community centered perspective and ensuring voices are heard is crucial to telling powerful climate impact stories. As I have learned more about climate and environmental justice during the EarthLab cohort meetings, I have developed a greater understanding of how to design for a diverse range of people and demographics.
My experiences in Central and Western Washington have shown me diverse landscapes and communities. The perspectives I’ve gained and the environments I’ve lived in are influencing who I am now and who I want to be in the future.
There is no singular pathway to engage in environmental work. Environmental work is deeply connected and intertwined with fields of study outside of traditional science pathways. Thinking about how to design sustainably and inclusively with a mission in mind are key factors I think about in every design project.
My future career aspirations are to design solutions to climate impact issues with a focus on environmental and climate justice. I want a career that creates a positive environmental and societal impact, and the EarthLab Summer Internship program has been the perfect stepping stone to reach my goals.