Young people are motivated, organized, and uniquely skilled; we will not take no for an answer when our very future is at risk.
This Los Angeles Climate Week (LACW), over a dozen organizations came together to center food policy in the fight against climate change. The inaugural LACW Food Day—an all-day conference that welcomed 300 guests, showcased 20+ speakers, and served three plant-based meals—was born from the collaboration between community members and the progressive City of West Hollywood.
Best known for its trail-blazing social policies, West Hollywood also leads in plant-based climate solutions. The city has endorsed the Plant Based Treaty, made all their events plant-based by default, and proclaimed Veganuary in 2025, with the support of New Roots Institute alum, Sarahjeet Dosanjh.
As an organizer with the Los Angeles chapter of Plant Based Treaty and a New Roots alum, I managed the event logistics and produced the first panel of the day spotlighting youth advocacy for sustainable food.
The morning started with a hearty breakfast of plant-based sausage and egg sandwiches, artisan pastries, and fresh fruit, complemented by a coffee cart showcasing the Better Food Foundation’s Oat Milk by Default campaign., Mayor Chelsea Byers opened the event with a motivating welcome address. I was deeply moved hearing an elected official with serious influence not just speak passionately about the issues that matter most to me, but also enthusiastically share tangible steps for other cities to follow West Hollywood’s example.
Next came our youth advocacy panel, followed by a colorful lunch spread with cuisines from around the world. After getting our fill, we heard from nonprofit and government leaders on the food policy panel, and from influencers and Hollywood insiders on the cultural impact panel. We closed out the day with a show-stopping charcuterie spread and one-on-one conversations about climate action through food system transformation.
In addition to a snack-filled swag bag, I took home these lessons:
Cold emailing restaurants and asking for product donations or influential activists asking for their voice was intimidating. What if I came across as annoying, or worse, ignorable?
My worries subsided when I began hearing back faster than expected. I internalized that the individuals and organizations I was reaching out to were not just doing me a favor, but were actually accepting an opportunity to share their work, find new supporters, and advance our shared mission.
For instance, I’ve been admiring the work of Genesis Butler for years and had to cautiously triple-check my invitation for her to speak. It was ironic and fitting that once she was on the panel, her advice to youth activists was: just reach out.
Genesis said, “It can be scary talking to adults…but what if it’s a yes?” All my nervous hovering over the send button was worth it for the incredible yeses we got for Food Day.
To maximize these yeses, I recommend referencing shared contacts and experiences, networking at related in-person events, and customizing the outreach so your target understands how their unique expertise aligns with the aims of your project.
Speaking of the project aim, advocacy-related events must center a clear “call to action.” On the night before the event, our core team of three organizers developed a succinct event thesis: to end climate change, find the decision makers in your community and work together to implement plant-based policies.
While we were excited to convey this unified message, it would’ve been even more helpful if we had shared this statement with our partners, panelists, and volunteers ahead of time so we could have spoken with one voice and offered the audience a clear picture of their next steps. A strong and curated call to action also saves a lot of time when adding a blurb to a thank you email or an Instagram caption about the event.
I felt a little bit silly role-playing a six-person conversation by myself in the days leading up to the event, but this style of preparation paid off during the panel. Practicing your talk is even more essential if you’re also playing the roles of event planner and speaker, as there will be about a million other tasks and requests running through your head as you walk on stage.
A good panel allows the speakers’ different perspectives to play off each other and flow like a discussion. The two aspects of my preparation that facilitated that were: first, researching the work of each panelist and how they overlap with each other, and second, determining what phrases I could use to tie one question’s answer to the next question’s topic.
It also massively helped to have familiar faces like Kate Jarvis, who I worked with on the UCLA dining hall campaign, and Natalie Amezcua, a New Roots lead educator and one of my mentors, on the stage with me. Being comfortable with the other speakers made it feel not only natural, but fun.
This quote from JC Arce, one of the founders of LACW, got to the center of the panels’ purpose:
“I’m often told that my ideas are ‘cool, they’re cute…come back to me when your ideas derisk.’” To which he replies, “I’m excited to show you what a world could be if I got it right, and you can join me.”
Young people are motivated, organized, and uniquely skilled; we will not take no for an answer when our very future is at risk. With the right support—and trust—from the community, youth led initiatives from dining hall transformations to internationally-reaching social media education can, and already is, changing the world.
Organizations looking to build a better world can serve as initiative funders, like JC’s Collidescope Foundation, uplift youth voices by organizing a panel, like Plant Based Treaty, or equip young people with knowledge and training, like New Roots Institute.
I’ll never forget the grin on Commissioner Mito Aviles’ face when he took in the turnout for the event. Hundreds of people had gathered on a Monday to tackle the climate crisis with a just and sustainable food system. This would have been impossible if not for the dozen of organizations reaching out to their network of supporters, and the individuals within these organizations who have true roots connecting each other.
While I was very proud of the conversations I facilitated on stage, some of my favorite talks of the day were catching up with an activist about how her dogs are doing or bonding over the delicious Beyond Meat sliders. It was so refreshing to not only be surrounded by people who care about the environment, but also by people who care about each other.
It was a massive honor to be part of Los Angeles’s first Food Day by Plant Based Treaty, the City of West Hollywood, and the Los Angeles community. I flexed my outreach skills, shouted our call to action, got to know my panelists, platformed serious young changemakers, and further entangled myself in a vibrant network of individuals fighting for a sustainable future.
