Jacob Lebel
Umpqua Community College
Contributor
I want young people to step up and realize their potential as leaders, as creative innovators, and as a positive transformative force for our planet and society.
When I was four years old, my family moved from Quebec to southern Oregon to found a sustainable farm where I grew up milking cows and gardening. At 16, I ran a small-scale Community Supported Agriculture business providing customers in the nearby town of Roseburg with fresh organic produce, fruit, and meat. As a student at Umpqua Community College, I reported for the student newspaper on campus issues ranging from solar installations to stories from the Oct. 1 mass campus shooting.
I am one of the 21 youth plaintiffs currently suing the U.S. Federal Government for their climate negligence and violation of youth's constitutional rights in the groundbreaking climate case Julianna et. al. vs Obama et. al. I have spoken about youth's political involvement for climate and the environment at Western Washington University, the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, the Provender Conference, and in interviews with CNN, the Weather Channel, KGW News, and local newspapers.
My passions include creating stories that connect with and inspire people on a deeper level than conventional media, and working to create self-sustainable living ecosystems for human communities worldwide. I also enjoy martial arts, writing, and singing in an Irish band.