Elenita Sales is a 22-year-old climate activist and environmentalist originally from the small town of Tupã in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Today, she lives in Florianópolis, an island in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. Elenita is a Sanitary and Environmental Engineering student and a volunteer at the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). She writes about social and environmental issues on her blog Preta No Verde. Here Elenita reflects on her path to climate activism, Sail for Climate Action, and what the future holds.
My journey to climate activism
Ever since I was little, I have been taught the importance of a balanced relationship between man and nature. My father is a black man who raised me alone, and he always took the time to share his knowledge about the Earth.
My main goal as a climate activist is to fight social injustice and environmental racism and to push the movement to be more representative and democratic. I do this by volunteering at different organizations and through my blog Preta No Verde (“black woman in green”), where I approach social and environmental issues from an Afrodiasporic perspective, sharing my experiences and knowledge as a black climate activist.
Prior to creating my blog, I couldn’t see myself represented in the movement. I was insecure, even knowing my potential.
Through Preta No Verde, I decided to do something to contribute to this change. My father is a constant guiding force through it all, giving me strength and reminding me how powerful we are—no matter what society says.
Sail for Climate Action
I learned about Sail for Climate Action (S4CA) from one of my fellow university students, Alicia Amancio, who was an organizer of the project. Due to financial reasons and insecurity, I never imagined myself registering for something like this, but I have angels in my life who believe in me. With their support and encouragement, I tried and was successful. Without these angels, I wouldn’t have met my new family.
Our mini society on the sea
Racism and social injustice are sadly still rooted in our society. They are an evil that we need to fight in order for real change to happen. It’s not easy to talk about these topics, especially if you have lived them from the moment you were born, but if people are open to understanding—that really helps the conversation. Our group was so diverse, we were black, Indigenous, LGBT+, white, and from different countries and experiences. Because of this, there was always at least one person who would personally understand what you had been through.
The global pandemic
In order to be able to participate in S4CA, I interrupted my bachelor studies in Sanitary and Environmental Engineering and left the internship I had at the State Secretariat for Sustainable Economic Development in the management of solid waste and sanitation.
Prior to S4CA, I had also been doing volunteer work at the Marine Biological Reserve of Arvoredo of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). While there, we carried out the territorial recovery of one of the islands of the reserve. ICMBio has few employees and relies on volunteers to help in the conservation of our territory, but the safety of the volunteers could not be guaranteed due to the pandemic and we were forced to end our involvement.
Even with all the chaos, I knew that one person urgently needed my attention and love—my father. He is 72 and still lives alone in my hometown of Tupã. His body has been punished by time due to long years of hard work. I was happy to be able to give back a little of the support he has given to me.
What’s next
My biggest challenge at the moment is finding a job. I support myself and it’s hard to stay focused when I also have to worry about rent and food. Currently, there are more people unemployed than employed in my country. We are struggling for basic survival needs. All I wish is that as many people as possible can survive this chaos.
People give me hope, especially those who are part of my life through S4CA. Staying connected with people and to this work has been extremely important for my mental health.
Together, we are stronger and it is our duty to honor those who died too early, whether from the pandemic, natural disasters, or in armed conflict.
In the future, I would like to be employed by a company that is aligned with my purposes. I want to continue resisting and existing in this complex world, defending against racism, LGBT-phobia, machismo, and the effects of climate change.
