Taking Action from the Inside
Interview Manuel Salazar
“There needs to be a change of mind or elevation of our consciousness at our companies about how important the environment is. And from there, start talking to our clients that they have to do more about it.”
Manuel Salazar is a technology strategist and a rising climate activist who joined Extinction Rebellion, Sea Shepherd and the Climate Docklands group with the conviction of protecting the environment and marine wildlife.
Raised in Venezuela, an oil state where 95% of GDP comes from the exploitation of natural resources, he has seen very early in the name of “progress”, the Amazon being depleted, indigenous people being displaced and the direct pollution of lakes and rivers caused by the fossil fuel industry.
During his time in India, he has witnessed extreme poverty linked to climate change; In Israel, ethnic and land discrimination; and in Germany and the UK, the proliferation of industries that have contributed to the current climate catastrophe.
Now a proud Irish man living in Dublin, he played a key role as a Climate Action Coordinator of the 2019 Extinction Rebellion Week; a long week of civil disobedience demonstrations and direct actions that brought the message of the climate crisis and the need for urgent action to the Irish government doors.
As part of the Climate Rising Docklands group and with the support of Trinity College, Creative Ireland and Brokentalkers theatre company, he has highlighted the role of corporations in addressing climate change and how employees can take action from the inside.
Most recently, he has formed the Irish Universities Environmental Coalition with the aim to trigger climate action from the inside and he has been invited to the main Irish universities (TUD, UCD, TCD, IADT and DCU) to talk about corporate and climate activism.
Twitter: @sach_eu
Selected links & References from episode
Taking Action from the Inside: Linkedin Article
Taking Action in Six Steps for employees - Youtube video
Transcript