The Redford Center invites you to tell your story, to raise your voice, to help change the conversation about what environmentalism and environmental justice looks like so we can move more people into action. Join Redford Center Stories and enter the RC Stories Challenge now (see prompts, prizes, judges, and more below!). Redford Center Stories also has a curriculum that’s free and flexible, with media, stories, resources to support students/teachers in many different ways.
* Note: If you are registered for RC Stories, you can access the RC Challenge (no other registration needed).
With particular equity of access to the outdoors, redefining what it is to be an “environmentalist,” and health and healing for communities and the planet, we invite students to respond to one of the following prompts (click HERE for downloadable prompts sheet, English/Spanish) in a 90-second video:
Dylan Redford
Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, Redford Center
Dylan Redford is a filmmaker working at the intersection of documentary arts and narrative film. Previously, Dylan worked as a researcher and producer at the Walker Art Center's Moving Image Department.
Robert Redford
Co-Founder, Redford Center
Robert Redford is the cofounder of the Redford Center. He is an ardent conservationist and environmentalist, a man who stands for social responsibility and political involvement, and an artist and businessman who is a staunch supporter of uncompromised creative expression. He is recognized the world over for the roles he has played and the projects he has directed or produced throughout his distinguished stage and film career. Redford has nurtured more than a generation of innovative voices in independent film and documentaries through his nonprofit Sundance Institute and Film Festival.
"After years of working to advocate for sustainability and protect wild places, my son Jamie and I recognized the power of storytelling to bring light and advance these issues. We started the Redford Center to merge storytelling with action and, under Jamie’s leadership, the organization is effecting truly meaningful change."
Sibylle Szaggars Redford
Multi-Media Artist
Sibylle Szaggars Redford is a German born multimedia environmental artist whose artwork has been exhibited throughout Europe, Monaco, Peru, Singapore, Japan, Suriname and the United States. Szaggars Redford is the 2016 recipient of the US State Department’s Art in Embassies Program for the US Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname where after visiting the countries Rain Forests and Indigenous Peoples, 10 of her site specific Pieces were placed on permanent display in the US Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname. Her artistry spans across mediums and decades, from painted oil sketches and photographs of her Moroccan travels, expressions on canvas from her American Indian Pueblo visits, large Oil paintings where she explores “The Shape of Color“ and her recent works of watercolor abstracts shaped by the monsoon rains of Santa Fe, New Mexico, California and abroad.
Having worked as an environmental artist for almost 4 decades, her desire is to create art that transcends words, languages, cultures and politics. Szaggars Redford creates art in order to speak to a deeper universal consciousness that’s connected to and dependent on the earth and its environments. In order to find a stronger voice through art for the Earth, Szaggars Redford entered the world of performance art as an homage to the universal elements and an artistic medium for environmentalism in action.
In 2013 Szaggars Redford in collaboration with Icelandic Composer and Musician David Thor Jonsson, designed a concept for a staged art performance piece “The Way of the Rain” which would incorporate different art forms; music, dance, film, light, spoken word and her first designed stage backdrop of multiple large “Rain Painting Silks” that would symbolize falling water from the heavens. Since then Szaggars Redford has collaborated with various world renowned composers, choreographers and performers with presentations nationwide, The United Emirates of Abu Dhabi, the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall and the Opening Night of the 68th United Nations – NGO – International Conference.
In 2015 Szaggars Redford founded The Way of the Rain, Inc. a Non for Profit Organization with the specific purpose of developing, producing and performing educational and artistic performances – themed and designed to promote public awareness to support the protection of our Earth. In addition to presenting “The Way of the Rain” performances and developing new staged versions of “The Way of the Rain” Szaggars Redford continues to create and exhibit new art. Beginning of March 2020 during the time of the Covid – 19 lockdown and isolation, Szaggars Redford in collaboration with Composer Tim Janis and environmental activist Robert Redford began creating “The Way of the Rain – Reflections on Earth” video series shorts – a Gift of Hope to the World and an invitation to reflect on the beauty and wonders of our Planet Earth. “The Way of the Rain – Reflections on Earth” Ocean video series shorts have been screened around the world at the “Virtual“ Earth X Conference – April 22-27, 2020, the United Nations Oceans Day “Virtual” Earth X Oceans and National Geographic Conference – June 9-10, 2020, Earth X Australia / Oceana Conference – June 11, 2020 and the United Nations “Peace Boat” Conference on June 12, 2020.
“The Way of the Rain – Reflections on Earth” video series shorts continue to focus on the World’s Natural Environments; their delicate Ecosystems and Biodiversity which are important and necessary to maintain in order to preserve the existence of all life on Earth.
Lisa Jackson
Apple’s VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives
Lisa Jackson is Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, and served as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2009 to 2013. At Apple, Lisa leads the company’s environmental initiatives, global community education programs, product accessibility efforts, corporate giving, and worldwide government affairs.
Since Lisa’s arrival in 2013, Apple has transformed its environmental footprint. Under her leadership, the company reached the goal of powering its operations around the world with 100 percent renewable energy and is now implementing its industry-leading supplier clean energy program — responsible for adding over 5 gigawatts of new clean energy around the world — to drive the transition to renewable energy with Apple’s manufacturing partners.
In addition, Lisa spearheads Apple’s circular economy programs, grounded in the company’s ambition to one day make its products using only recycled or renewable materials. President Barack Obama appointed Lisa as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009 — the first African-American to hold the position. As Administrator, she focused on reducing greenhouse gases, protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination, and achieving environmental justice by expanding environmental outreach to underserved communities and communities of color.
Lisa also served as chief of staff to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and as Commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, following nearly 20 years in the career ranks of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Lisa has been recognized as a leader in business and sustainability in a number of leading publications including Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, Vogue’s Game Changers, InStyle’s Badass Women, Newsweek’s Most Important People, TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World (2010 & 2011) and Ebony’s Power 100 lists. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including Princeton’s James Madison Medal, Tulane University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the Environmental Law Institute’s Environmental Achievement Award, the Corporate EcoForum’s C.K. Prahalad Award for Global Sustainability Business Leadership and The Captain Planet Foundation’s Protector of the Earth Award.
Lisa holds a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University. She holds honorary degrees from Montclair State University, Florida A&M University, Tulane University, Dickinson College, Spelman College and Oberlin College, and an honorary law degree from Pace Law School. She serves on the boards of Tulane University, Emily’s List, Conservation International and the San Francisco Film Society, and is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Coyote Peterson
YouTube Personality, Host of Animal Planet’s “Brave The Wild"
Emmy Award-winning host of YouTube’s “Brave Wilderness” and star of the new Animal Planet Series “Brave the Wild”, Coyote Peterson has spent his life getting up close with animals to uncover the true stories behind some of our planet’s most misunderstood creatures. Driven by a desire to educate the world about animals, Coyote combines his passion for writing and filmmaking to foster a future that conserves environments and their species, while leading audiences of all ages through exciting outdoor adventures!
Katie Eder
Executive Director, Future Coalition
Katie Eder, 21-years-old, is the Executive Director of Future Coalition. Built by youth activists for youth activists, Future Coalition is a network of youth-led organizations and youth organizers across the United States that fosters community and collaboration while providing young people with the tools, resources, and support to power their ideas and amplify their impact. Since launching in fall of 2018, Future Coalition has been organizing young people around a variety of issues including climate change, voting, and gun violence prevention. Under Katie’s leadership, the coalition has grown to include more than 90+ youth-led organizations and thousands of youth leaders and changemakers across the country.
As a major force in the youth climate movement, Future Coalition coordinates the US Youth Climate Strike Coalition, the group that organizes the national campaigns for the climate strikes in the US and led the coordination of the historic September 20, 2019 climate strike with nearly a million participants striking in over 1350 locations around the US. Recently named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Katie just started her freshman year at Stanford after taking two gap years.
Faith E. Briggs
Filmmaker
Faith is a creative producer passionate about sharing contemporary stories from diverse communities. She is a self-described “professional nerd,” a Brooklyn-to Portland transplant, an avid outdoorswoman and a fierce advocate for the importance of a greener tomorrow. Faith completed her undergraduate studies at Yale University where she pursued a double major in Film Studies and African American Studies. She then earned her Masters in Documentary Journalism at the New York University Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. After graduating she worked for acclaimed author James McBride before joining the Discovery Channel and focusing on environmental documentary programming. It was here that her interest in environmental advocacy for the protection of at risk communities was honed.
Moving from a focus on research, development and acquisitions, Faith moved to Portland, Oregon as talent in a Columbia Sportswear series, the
Directors of Toughness. With newfound focus in the environmental and outdoors space, Faith has since produced three short films:
Brotherhood of Skiing,
This Land, and
We Hike to Heal. She is a frequent collaborator of The Wilder Studio, Confluence Collective and Geodesy Aerials. Their films have played at festivals including Banff Mountain, Mountainfilm, EarthxFilm, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital, & AmDocs. She is a William and Flora Hewlett Foundation grantee.
Faith is focused on greater representation. She often explains this as whose stories are being told, why, how and by whom. She believes being involved in the process of sharing stories is the best way to promote needed conversations in fractured times. She is interested in the power of an invitation, whether it be to go on a run, to have a conversation, or to try something new. Faith believes deeply in the need for green spaces for mental health and healthier communities
Elizabeth Lindsey
National Geographic Explorer
Dr. Elizabeth Kapuʻuwailani Lindsey is the first Polynesian Explorer and female Fellow in the history of the National Geographic Society. Her adventurous spirit and her passion for social, environmental and cultural justice, have taken her around the world as a conservationist of indigenous wisdom. Her keen insights and first-hand accounts from the world's most fragile regions are reshaping Western perspectives on global leadership and cultural evolution.
With an unwavering commitment and a unique perspective, the award-winning filmmaker and anthropologist offers her international audiences an intimate glimpse into these unsung societies. Her tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed. Dr. Lindsey has been the recipient of numerous top honors including the prestigious CINE Eagle, for her documentary film "Then There Were None, which she wrote, directed, and produced. Â This remarkable film chronicles the near extinction of native Hawaiians and is considered a Hawaiian history classic.
The former Miss Hawaiʻi has served on international boards, including the Tibet Fund for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama and has worked with the United Nations on behalf of environmental refugees faced with the punishing realities of the climate crisis. Dr. Lindsey has also created scholarships for children in India and the Pacific. When asked about her aspirations for the future, Dr. Lindsey simply says, “Having lived among the most humble and masterful mentors of our time, this I know, the mantle has been passed. WE are now the Navigators.”
Chloe Mei Espinosa & Ella Lin Espinosa
Chloe Mei Espinosa’s passion for scuba diving inspired her work to protect the oceans by reducing plastic-straw pollution. In April 2018 Chloe Mei, now a 14-year old high schooler, researched and created her own campaign, website (skiptheplasticstraw.com), and Instagram (@skiptheplasticstraw) as part of her 6th grade school project to educate people about the harmful effects of single-use plastic straws. To date, Chloe Mei has presented to more than 2,000 youth and adults at schools and youth camps on the harmful effects of single-use plastic straws, and has convinced an outdoor science institute, five school districts (for a total of 245 schools), and two hospitals in Orange County to join her campaign and stop using plastic straws in all of their cafeterias. In recognition of Chloe Mei's achievements, she has been awarded Young Superhero for Earth Award 2018 by Captain Planet Foundation, Junior Philanthropist Award 2019 by Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Ocean Hero Award 2019 by OCEANA and TIME/Nickelodeon Top 20 Finalist Kid of the Year 2020 Award. She was also named one of Orange County’s Top 100 Influencers in 2018 and again in 2020 by The Orange County Register.
Ella Lin Espinosa, her 12-year old sister, works with her on the Skip the Plastic Straw Campaign, presenting to youth groups and helping with the design and artwork for the campaign. Both sisters attended Ocean Heroes Virtual Bootcamp 2020, organized by Lonely Whale and Captain Planet Foundation, which helped them to enhance their knowledge on plastic pollution and equipped them with tools to grow their campaign. During the pandemic, Chloe Mei and Ella Lin created and launched Skip the Plastic Straw YouTube Channel as The Sustainable Sisters. They wanted to create another platform that reaches out to people to share ways they can lead a more sustainable life, as well as to help promote eco-friendly brands. The sisters create, film and edit the videos on their own. They also successfully organized their first-ever Skip the Plastic Straw Global Cleanup Virtual Challenge during Coastal Cleanup Month (September 2020) with the organization Litterati; together, the two sisters along with participants from around the world – including USA, Netherlands, Spain, Qatar, Philippines, Pakistan, Africa, and Singapore – picked up 11,361 pieces of trash in just one month. In recognition of their cleanup efforts, the Sustainable Sisters were featured on ABC News in December 2020 on Giving Tuesday.
The sisters are passionate environmental advocates and hope to continue to do their part to educate people about the harmful effects of single-use plastics through presentations and their videos, and to convince more people and organizations to join them to Skip the Plastic Straw.
Approaches to storytelling that Robert Redford and James Redford employ and that serve as foundational elements for The Redford Center’s original storytelling work, including (also see student checklist):