Climate Heroes: Rena Payan
Rena Payan’s love for the outdoors and her passion for equitable outdoor access is an inspiration to our team. That’s why we’re celebrating her leadership as our Climate Heroes series continues this month.
Whether you’ve known Rena for five minutes or five years, there’s a definitive spark that she brings to her advocacy and grantmaking in support of environmental justice and stewardship, and it’s the same spark that is seen and felt as she cares for her relations – friends, family, and her two dogs, too. Throughout her career, she has deepened her approach and values in authentic relationship-building and the importance of honoring our collective communities’ connection to the outdoors. She serves as Chief Program Officer at Justice Outside, where she works to build power with fellow leaders of color to advance racial justice in the outdoors field.
This work is personal to Rena. She truly does her part (and more) to foster belonging in outdoor spaces.
She loves the outdoors and she’s experienced what it feels like to be on the receiving end of communications and poor messaging that told her she didn’t fit into the outdoorsy, white-centered narrative that has historically been pervasive in the environmental movement.
One thing is certain when it comes to experiencing Rena’s energy, tenacity, and leadership – you’ll feel it. We asked Rena four questions to learn from her experience and share some of her perspective with y’all.
What does being an ocean-climate hero mean to you?
Rena: “I firmly believe that conservation work without justice is incomplete. With this in mind, being an ocean-climate hero [means] ensuring that our ocean is cared for by the communities who know, love, and depend on them. It means recognizing that a healthy ocean cannot exist without healthy, empowered communities, and that conservation must be rooted in equity, justice, and shared stewardship. Ocean advocacy is not only about protecting ecosystems. It is about protecting culture, livelihoods, public health, climate resilience, and every person's right to experience and belong in these places.”
What actions do you take to protect our mother earth and communities? What does climate justice mean to you?
Rena: “I protect the planet by investing in the people and organizations working closest to the challenges and the solutions. As a grant-maker, environmental mentor, and climate advocate, I help shift resources, build leadership, strengthen partnerships, and advance policies that enable communities to steward the lands and waters they call home. I believe lasting environmental change happens when those most affected by environmental injustice have the power, resources, and opportunity to lead.”
Is there a word or phrase that keeps you inspired on the hard days?
Rena: “I consistently pull on the words of brilliant women of color, such as Dr. Ruha Benjamin, who invites us to:
'Remember to imagine and craft the worlds you cannot live without, just as you dismantle the ones you cannot live within’.”
About Climate Heroes: This summer, our Equitable Comms team launched a new series called Climate Heroes. Through this series, our goal is to highlight ocean and climate justice leaders and advocates who dedicate their lives to protecting our planet and communities. Whether working locally, nationally, or globally, these individuals are changemakers who challenge the status quo and ask us to imagine and fight for a better world for our communities.
