Leah Thomas

The activist on modern smokeware, intersectional environmentalism, and how driving a Tesla isn't nearly enough.

AS TOLD TO GOSSAMER

Who am I? I feel like I’m still figuring that out. I’m passionate about environmentalism. I’m also a writer, and I love finding ways to communicate complex things to the masses, because I think that everyone should have access to education, regardless whether they have the privilege of being able to afford a higher degree. So, I guess I’m just a girl trying to make the world a little bit nicer, a little bit greener, a little bit better for the planet.

I didn’t really hear the word environmentalism until high school when I took an environmental science class. But I’ve always been really passionate about being outside. I love nature, I love science, I love animals. I thought I was going to be a veterinarian. But I feel like my upbringing is what really made me get involved. My grandma is Buddhist and a pretty big influence on my life. Growing up with her and having the interconnectedness of all beings flowing throughout my childhood is what made me gravitate towards environmentalism. Just understanding the cause and effect of what we put out into this world, and what we get back. Once I had the words—when I started taking environmental science and policy classes—it just clicked. Hey, this is really cool. There is science behind this.