I first became involved with Defend Our Future during the fall of 2017, after approaching the Defend Our Future booth at the involvement fair. I have been enjoying my time interning with the organization ever since. When attending a school as large as The Ohio State University, there are many different opportunities to get involved. Defend Our Future was the organization in which I saw the best opportunity to make an impact in environmental activism, both in the Columbus community and on a national level.

Over the course of my first semester with Defend Our Future, I was able to see the impacts of grassroots organizing. As an intern, I was able to attend two office visits to meet with Congressman Pat Tiberi’s staff, where we explained to his team just how important the Environmental Protection Agency is for the health of Ohioans and how much support there is in his district for the agency. Following those visits, we were able to celebrate as a team when Congressman Tiberi joined the Climate Solutions Caucus, something we encouraged in our meetings as an opportunity to develop bipartisan solutions for climate change.

While interning with Defend Our Future, I have come to realize that I can make a strong impact in the fight against climate change, even as an individual college student. With this organization, the power of bipartisan grassroots organizing is not overlooked. I encourage anyone who is interested in making a difference in environmental policy, at both the local and national level, to consider volunteering or interning with us next semester!

Christianna Dyer is a sophomore at The Ohio State University.