Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 4/24/2021 – Lindsey Coffey is a model and environmental activist whose talents led her to be crowned the first U.S. representative as Miss Earth in 2020.
With a background in Political Science that focused on government, public policy, and political behavior using humanistic and scientific perspectives, Coffey turned her public platform into a place of environmental awareness and green solutions. While campaigning for the protection of our natural resources and addressing the water crisis, she also advocates for climate justice, focusing on racial inequality and economic disparity, and their impact on sustainability.
You were crowned the first U.S. representative as Miss Earth 2020. Tell us about your background.
I grew up in a small country town where everyone knew one another and my next-door neighbors were cows. I would spend most of my days adventuring outside, participating in extracurriculars at school, and playing sports. I excelled in my studies and athletics which carried me far into my university’s pre-law program while being named 7th in state for high-jump. I went on to graduate with a degree in Political Science having traveled to multiple countries learning of the social and political history. Since then I have traveled the world living on six of our seven continents, hiked some of the world’s most famous trails, and explored different cultures while meeting incredible people.
Photo credit: Aaron King
How did the pandemic change your view?
When it comes to the environment, I was able to see the impact humanity has on the health of our planet. It was worldwide news showcasing the improvement of our air and water quality. People could see clearly outside their windows in what were usually highly polluted cities.
Overall the pandemic has changed my definition of two words: respect and essential. The respect we have towards our planet, our loved ones, frontliners, and even strangers, as well as what is considered essential and not essential when it comes to work, travel, and activity.
Our perceptions have evolved through awareness, compassion and empathy, forever changing how we view the world and ourselves.
What can citizens do better when it comes to sustainability?
There are many ways to live sustainably and lower your carbon footprint. Be mindful, educate yourself, and use your voice to encourage change. Small scale behavior modifications can have a major and long-lasting impact.
Eat plant-based: limiting your amount of seafood and meat consumption.
Buy organic and local: purchase local and organic food, beauty, and cleaning products as well as locally made fashion accessories, and clothing with organic and natural fibers.
Greenify your home: invest in house plants and plant more trees.
Switch to reusables and avoid single-use plastics: reusable water bottles, straws, bags, face masks, and beeswax food wraps.
Utilize public transport and carpooling: walk or ride a bike and take a train or car before flying. If you must fly, fly the shortest route with light luggage in economy.
Upgrade your home with green tech and efficient appliances: LED lights, efficient washer and dryers, solar panels, and electric/hybrid cars.
Lastly, the truest solution to a more sustainable future is through voting. Each year let your voice be heard by voting with the environment in mind.
We are celebrating Earth Month. Tell us about your favorite companies who have the purpose of creating awareness for sustainable living and environmentalism.
Earth Hero is a great e-commerce site where you can purchase everyday sustainable and eco-friendly items. Their goal is to make earth-friendly commerce the new normal.
The Clean Earth Project also offers sustainable items while holding cleanup events to engage and better their community.
We also have Garbo Grabber who knows how unsafe and unsanitary it is on cleanups and offers safe and efficient cleanup tools. Oxygen Seven is an organization that focuses on reforestation and holds missions trips for anyone who is interested and Food for Life Global is the world’s largest vegan food relief program tackling world hunger in a sustainable, efficient, and non-violent way.
Some of my personal well-known favorites are WWF that aims to bring harmony between humanity and wildlife, The Climate Reality Project that highlights the effects of climate change around the world, and Greenpeace which focuses on a greener and peace-filled world while tackling all aspects of the climate crisis from land and water to climate justice.
You work with many organizations including, Climate Reality Leader, WWF Ambassador, and Clean Ways to name a few. What have you learned as a result from being involved in these organizations?
Each organization gave me new perspectives on the climate crisis. The Climate Reality Project has a Leadership Corps which trained me on humanity’s impact and the effects of climate change worldwide. Climate Reality was a main source for factual and updated information regarding climate change and green recovery. Becoming a Climate Reality Leader made me more confident in my presentations, webinars, and panel discussions.
WWF touched my heart in their fight for wildlife conservation and to live harmoniously with nature. As a WWF Ambassador I was blessed to lobby on Capitol Hill for global conservation to protect our wildlife and their habitats.
Lastly, Clean Ways showed me the abundance of litter that ends up in our rivers affecting our aquatic species and how to dispose of harmful waste properly.
Each environmental organization has a main focus and offers a unique learning experience. The more you involve yourself the more you learn.
What do you have to say for young people who want to get involved to help with the environmental issues, but don’t know where to start?
Firstly, you can always start by altering your daily choices as well as within your household through mindful purchases, proper waste disposal, online petition signings, and training with The Climate Reality Leadership Corps.
For a community-based impact, go online and type in “volunteer opportunities near me”, that will introduce you to multiple sites and organizations that are making a difference in your neighborhood. Volunteers are always needed and always welcome.
For a large-scale impact, contact one of your favorite organizations and apply for their ambassadorship program. This is a great way to connect and network with other climate activists who can act as a mentor. The more you involve yourself with active organizations, the more opportunities you create. The simplest way to begin is to be persistent with your passion and to keep asking questions, eventually you will find your answer.
You are a well-known speaker in areas including, Environmental impact, Climate change, Climate justice, Global conservation, Wildlife preservation, and more. Do you have speaking engagements in the upcoming months?
Upcoming, I will be speaking with Yahoo! regarding the steps we need to take in environmental protection as well as engaging with the students at Parson’s School of Design in NYC at the end of the month discussing corporate social responsibility in the fashion industry. I will continue my education circuit in the Fall, bringing the conversation about sustainability to the classroom as our youth are our future.
We also have a global broadcast coming up and I am very excited to announce the details once I am able.
What are your initiatives for 2021?
This year we are forming a Wildlife Integration Camp for our youth connecting our future leaders to nature, launching the Climate Story Campaign engaging the community in finding their own personal climate story, and several mission trips focusing on reforestation, habitat restoration, and marine life rehabilitation.
Ultimately, my goal is to spread awareness of the state of our planet and the urgency for action. We have a lot of work to do, but we have the creativity and capability to create a bright future.
Instagram and Facebook: @lindseymariecoffey
Twitter: @lindseymcoffey
Youtube: @LindseyCoffey
