Stop Fracking Waste, Back Student Leaders, & Tune Into YUCCA's Podcast: Join the Fight for Real Climate Justice!
- zoeyyucraft
- May 2
- 5 min read
At YUCCA, we're fighting back against the forces fueling the climate crisis – from the corporations poisoning our lands and waters to the institutions that enable and excuse the harm they've caused. And we're doing it by organizing our communities from the ground up, bringing light to hard truths, and uplifting the voices that are too often left out of the conversation and excluded from the decision-making table.
From a brand-new episode of our Yapping with YUCCA podcast, to our continued fight against the use of toxic fracking waste off the oilfield, to our work to help support the first-ever New Mexico Youth Climate Summit this summer, our updates this week are a snapshot of our values in action.
Whether we're behind the mic, testifying in a hearing, bringing other young organizers into the movement, or taking to the streets, one thing is clear: the young people and community members closest to the crisis are the ones who continue to lead the way forward – and we know that it's going to take us all to create real change.
Keep reading to learn more about what we're building together and how you can be a part of it.
YAPPING WITH YUCCA: NEW PODCAST EPISODE AVAILABLE NOW! 🎧
Have you heard about our podcast, Yapping with YUCCA?
Over the past few months, we've sat down with community leaders, advocates, and special guests for unfiltered conversations to dive into the issues that are impacting communities and young people across New Mexico. From sharing their experiences growing up in the Permian Basin, to revealing the havoc that Chevron is wreaking on New Mexico and their role in international conflicts, YUCCA leaders and our guests are pulling back the curtain on corporate greed, the real forces driving injustice, and what it really means to organize for the future we deserve.
In our latest episode, Acequias: Lifelines of the Land, our guests Patrick Jaramillo (AFSC), Jorge Garcia (CESOSS), and community member Xazziel Martinez join us for a powerful conversation on acequias–the communal irrigation systems that have sustained New Mexico's land and people for generations. Together, we break down what acequias are, share the cultural and historical significance of these systems, and get real about what it means to defend ancestral knowledge in the face of systemic injustice.
Tune into our latest episode below, and be sure to subscribe to stay in the know about future Yapping with YUCCA episodes on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts!
APPLY NOW: THE FIRST-EVER NEW MEXICO YOUTH CLIMATE SUMMIT!
The first-ever New Mexico Youth Climate Summit is happening on June 7th, 2025 at ¡Explora! in Albuquerque – and YUCCA will be helping to lead and facilitate some of the summit's youth-led programming!
Open to high school students (grades 9-12) from across the state, this free youth-led event offers workshops, speakers, a sustainability networking fair, and creative opportunities with a $500 scholarship for the best submission! This is a space for learning, creativity, and action – where young people can come together to build climate solutions for our communities.
If you or a student you know is interested in this opportunity, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible before the May 15th application deadline – only 50 spots are available for this incredible opportunity to collaborate, organize, and build power with young people from across the state!
At the climate summit, youth can expect:
Keynote speakers and panels led by youth and frontline community leaders
Creative expression opportunities (zines, poetry, video, art) with 5 x $500
scholarships for the best creative submission
A sustainability networking fair with local organizations and groups
Interactive workshops on organizing, environmental justice, and climate solutions
Free food, meaningful connections, and lots of inspiration!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR MAY 13TH: CRITICAL PRODUCED WATER REUSE HEARING
A few weeks ago, we wrote to you with an update about the Water Quality Control Commission's debate of a proposed rule that would allow for the use of toxic fracking waste (also known as "produced water") off the oil field – putting the health and lives of communities across our state at risk.
While we achieved a major victory last month when the Commission prohibited the use of produced water for industrial and demonstration purposes, the fight still isn't over. Right now, the proposed rule still allows for "pilot projects" that could move forward with just a Notice of Intent – without real safeguards, public input, or community consent – and the Commission's final decision on the rule is coming up in less than two weeks.
Mark your calendars and join us at the Commission's hearing on May 13th in State Capitol Room 322 – we can't allow the oil and gas industry to dump their toxic waste problem onto our communities and call it a "solution".
SIGN THE PETITION: UNM, ACKNOWLEDGE THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY!
We're joining our friends at UNM LEAF who are calling for UNM to acknowledge the climate emergency and take bold, just, and immediate action for our future. UNM LEAF writes,
"The climate crisis is not a distant threat—it’s already reshaping our lives here in New Mexico. Our rivers are drying, our skies are thick with wildfire smoke, and our communities—especially rural, Indigenous, and low-income communities—are paying the highest price. As students at the University of New Mexico, we are not immune to these impacts. We breathe the same air, drink the same water, and live in the same heat.
UNM is supposed to be a place of learning, leadership, and vision. But how can our university prepare students for the future while ignoring the single greatest threat to our generation?
Acknowledging the climate emergency is more than symbolic—it’s a necessary first step toward meaningful change. It means treating the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves, holding our institution accountable to its commitments, and ensuring that students have a real voice in shaping a just and sustainable future.
This campaign is about integrity. It’s about justice. And it’s about survival.
When students, faculty, alumni, and community members come together, we can push institutions to change. We’ve seen it happen before, and we can do it again. Your voice, your name, your presence in this movement sends a powerful message: that UNM cannot sit on the sidelines any longer.
Whether you're a student living through the heat, a faculty member concerned about the future of education, or a community member fighting for clean air and water—this is your fight too.
By joining this campaign, you’re standing up for climate justice, for youth leadership, and for a university that aligns its actions with its values. You’re helping build a campus that invests in life, not fossil fuels. A campus that centers sustainability, equity, and community—not corporate interests and empty promises.
This is our campus. This is our climate. This is our moment. Join us—and help make history at UNM."
Join us in signing on to the petition today and spreading the word to your friends, family, and networks – together, we can turn up the pressure and demand that UNM meets this moment with the courage and urgency it requires.
REGISTER TO JOIN US FOR UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND TRAININGS!
Tomorrow at 11:00 am, we're gathering virtually for a powerful conversation on nuclear colonialism in New Mexico – and you don't want to miss it.
During the training tomorrow (May 3rd), Diné Anti-Nuclear Activist and Community Organizer Leona Morgan will break down how our lands and communities have been treated as national sacrifice zones – and what it will take to organize, resist, and protect our future.
Register today to join us on Zoom to get grounded in the history, connect with others in the fight, and continue building collective power to stop radioactive waste from poisoning our lands and our futures.
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