“Oberlin is a unique place, so everything we do as activists and community members has to take the community into account”

“I love it when the leaves are off the trees in the winter and you can see how many trees there are”

“Build relationships with people, look for where the community is asking for help and then go there”

“I shop secondhand for clothes — it’s cheaper and saves them from going into landfills”

“A good coffee shop creates a sense of warmth, inclusiveness, patience, understanding and humanity”

“Oberlin’s history includes abolitionists and the underground railroad and the Wellington Slave Rescue. I think that spirit is still here”

“Oberlin has an intense desire to be in the forefront in being ecologically responsible”

“I removed the trash can next to my desk – I wanted to make sure I was programming myself to recycle”

“I really do believe that one person can make a difference, particularly in a small community like this”

“You can’t just give people negative facts about climate change. You need to provide a way to take positive action”

“I think I live in one of the most hopeful places in the country”

“In Oberlin we believe, rightly or wrongly, not only that we can change our community, but that we can change the world”

“After years of effort and sweat, I’m proud to have graduated from an institution that achieved Carbon neutrality in 2025”

“I participated in the climate strike because I believe in youth activism in the environmental movement”

“Giving tours of the house is such a wonderful way of engaging with the local community as well as visitors from outside Oberlin”

“There is no reason to be bored in Oberlin, there are so many things to be involved in!”

“Communities are only sustained when people care about each other and have a sense of interconnectedness”

“Everything has life. That means that we should be concerned for the whole environment”

“Climate justice is a vehicle to save the planet that people are on”

“The sooner we act on climate change, the better off we’ll be”