Climate Social Club creates inclusive, joyful spaces for climate education and community-building in Salzburg – empowering BIPoC and international communities to reconnect with nature, take action, and make sustainability accessible to all.
1. What do you offer?
Through Climate Social Club, I offer inclusive climate education and community-building experiences in Salzburg. Our programs Sustainability 101 workshops, Climate Trivia Nights, and nature conservation volunteering Trips combine learning with connection and joy. We create accessible entry points for people who want to understand sustainability and get involved, especially those who often feel excluded from traditional environmental spaces like BIPOC communities.
2. Why did you start your organization or initiative?
I started Climate Social Club to make climate action social, inclusive, and local. As a Black woman working in sustainability, I often noticed that environmental spaces lacked diversity and felt intimidating to newcomers or migrants. I wanted to build a platform where people could learn about sustainability, meet others, and take meaningful action together without judgment or elitism.
3. What do you want to achieve with your organization or idea?
Our goal is to make climate education a shared cultural experience. We want to empower individuals especially marginalized and international communities to see themselves as part of the climate movement. Ultimately, I want Climate Social Club to contribute to a city culture where sustainability is normal, decolonized inclusive, and collaborative.
4. What does a more equitable outdoor scene mean to you?
A more equitable outdoor scene means that everyone feels safe, welcome, and represented in nature regardless of their race, language, or background. It means creating spaces where people can reconnect with nature without fear of discrimination, and where access to green spaces and outdoor activities is not a privilege but a right.
5. Why do we need to make nature more accessible to BIPoC?
Because connection to nature is essential for healing, belonging, and empowerment. Too often, BIPoC communities are excluded from outdoor culture due to racism, lack of representation, language, or economic barriers. Making nature more accessible helps dismantle those barriers and reclaims a relationship with the environment that has always existed but was historically denied.
6. What specifically do you want from the outdoor community and society to enable genuine participation and safe spaces for BIPoC?
I want commitment, not tokenism. This means equitable leadership opportunities, anti-racism training for outdoor organizations, multilingual communication, and active outreach to BIPoC communities. I want People of Color in the forefront of decision-making . Safe spaces are built when inclusion is intentional and continuous, not performative.
7. Which (outdoor) role models or movements have inspired you?
I'm inspired by movements like Outdoor Afro and Black Women Hike, which have redefined what outdoor participation looks like. I also draw inspiration from grassroots climate educators who blend environmental justice with joy and creativity people proving that climate work can be community-centered and empowering.
8. What are your hopes for the OUTO Changemaker Program?
I hope to connect with like-minded changemakers who are also building inclusive environmental spaces. I want to exchange tools, learn from others' experiences, and find partners to expand our impact across Austria and beyond. Collaboration is the key to transformation.
9. What motivates you most about participating in the OUTO Changemaker Program?
The chance to grow as a leader while learning from others who share the same vision of inclusion and climate justice. I'm excited to refine my organization's approach and gain visibility for the message that climate action belongs to everyone.
10. What advice would you give to others who want to promote a more inclusive outdoor scene?
Start by listening. Representation begins with understanding what people need to feel safe and welcome. Build relationships, not just projects, and remember that joy and community are powerful tools for inclusion.
11. Complete the sentence: Nature means to me...
Peace and clarity. I want nature to be a place that everyone can find happiness and refuge from life's challenges. Everyone deserves a spot on a beautiful grass laden mountain.
Links
Social media: https://www.instagram.com/_climate_social_club/
Website: shorturl.at/Num70
