Joshua Benitez: Where Music & Ecological Restoration Meet

“Even if I am in a space, I am not necessarily invited or necessarily welcomed. It can also be sticking your foot in an elevator door and refusing to let it close and being like, ‘Actually, actually, I do have something to say.’ I am not here to be validated by problematic people, I am here to say you need Black people on your board of directors.”

In this Episode

Joshua Benitez

He/Latine

Co-Director

Common Ground Relief

Matt Scott

He/Him

Manager, Storytelling & Engagement

Project Drawdown

Joshua Benitez’s Story

Josh Benitez is proud to be born and raised in New Orleans, which he exemplifies in his work as co-director of Common Ground Relief, where he is helping to reach drawdown through habitat restoration, ecological education, and community aid in the place he loves. Josh describes himself as “a person who is really in love with the community, and any chance I can have to be a part of it, is what I am leaning into.” Josh cultivates this spirit through his work as a professional musician, making the essential link between ecology and art while he connects with others. Josh’s work at Common Ground Relief focuses on environmental and community stewardship in Southeast Louisiana—namely sequestering carbon through planting thousands of trees, marsh grass plugs, and Louisiana irises every year. Revitalizing native habitats and protecting coastline communities is part of a larger effort to decolonize land so that people and wildlife can thrive amid the climate crisis.

Discussion Questions

One of the most important things you can do regarding climate change is talk about it.

Josh says music was instrumental in finding his voice as a teenager, playing guitar and singing about his experiences being harassed by police and living through Hurricane Katrina. Music continues to play a powerful role in Josh's life, helping him understand the local ecological systems and his place in the world, and bolstering his work to engage others in equity and climate solutions. Music is a part of Josh's identity and a superpower that facilitates learning and repair in the climate crisis. What skill or talent is important to your identity, and how might you use that as a tool to enable action on climate change?
Being from New Orleans is a huge source of pride for Josh, who loves local sayings like "I'm so New Orleans, I come from…" [insert significant sites, places of importance, etc.]. In the long aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Josh notes that places of significance and aspects of cultural identity are forever changed. This sense of loss motivates him to preserve his city’s special legacy. One of Josh’s inspirations is the Black Masking Mardi Gras Indians and a protest song called “Hell Out The Way,” which speaks to New Orleans’ knack for celebration and preservation of people and place, saying: “We are continuing forward.” What is a local place of significance in your community that you want to see preserved? Why is it important to you? Is there a song or piece of art that speaks of its importance or advocates for its protection?
Josh references New Orleans educator Angela Kinlaw, who said: “Decolonize your mind, decolonize your imagination. Decolonizing the mind is when we can name all these systems of harm [brought on and perpetuated by colonialism ideologies and practices], that"s nice, and that is powerful, but when we decolonize our imagination, we take naming those systems of harm to then envision[ing] a world where they don't exist.” Think about Common Ground Relief’s work to reestablish native Louisiana species as a way of decolonizing natural spaces and imagining a better world. When you think about your local habitats, how do you imagine a vibrant, bright future in these spaces?
“So many New Orleans songs are tied to the land. This is a part of our identity; it is who we are…In preserving the habitats, I...also preserve the music. I don't want to sing about the bayous if they are polluted, inaccessible, or eroding away into the Gulf of Mexico. I don't just want it to be a song from the past; I want it to be [something] I can experience now.” Josh shares the importance of planting bulrush—a grass native to Louisiana—as a climate solution and restoration effort, as it has deep root systems which drawdown carbon from our atmosphere, restore the land, and provide a refuge for wildlife. What are plants, trees, flowers, and grasses that are native to the land you inhabit? How might you help cultivate those plant species as part of the greater effort to decolonize and restore natural habitats?

Learn More

Learn about the solutions in this story.

Solution Sector: Land Sinks
Solution: Coastal Wetland Restoration
For more on all of Project Drawdown’s climate solutions, visit drawdown.org/solutions
Learn more about Josh’s work at Common Ground Relief

Explore Climate Solutions 101, the world's first major educational effort focused solely on climate solutions. This video series combines Project Drawdown’s trusted resources with the expertise of inspiring, scientifically knowledgeable voices from around the world: drawdown.org/climate-solutions-101.

Visit the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, a resource that shares research, communications strategy and opinion polling on climate communications.

Take Action

Drawdown Ecochallenge, presented by Ecochallenge.org, is a fun and social way to take measurable action on the top climate solutions. Take the challenge, and see how a few weeks of action add up to a lifetime of change for you and the planet. If you want to take action on climate solutions like Tinice, start a challenge today.
The Drawdown Labs Job Function Action Guides are practical resources that highlight specific, high-impact climate actions employees in common corporate professions can take at work.
ChangeX connects people with proven ideas for strengthening communities with the resources needed to implement those changes. Explore countless ways to improve your community and help the world reach drawdown.
Climate Generation's Green Careers for a Changing Climate Instructional Supplement (for Grades 6-8) contains resources to help young people learn about Green STEM Careers—paths that use STEM skills to help reduce the impacts of climate change. Throughout this instructional supplement, students use Project Drawdown resources to make important connections between climate solutions and different careers.
Solutions Journalism Network highlights the importance of reporting stories of climate solutions in the media to create a more equitable and sustainable world. Visit their Teaching Climate Solutions resource to find curated collections and the latest examples of climate solutions journalism.
SubjectToClimate (StC) is a nonprofit online connector for K-12 leaders of all subjects to find materials on climate change at no cost. Explore StC’s educator-generated database to connect to Project Drawdown-based climate education resources.