What this climate t-shirt means to me on my birthday
Savitha Reddy Pathi

This morning, I looked at an old t-shirt of mine that reads “I cared about the climate before it was hot.”

How true that is. My first job after college was as an intern in Washington DC in the US EPA’s Policy office during the Kyoto Protocol negotiations. That was in 1997, twenty one years ago. I then moved to Seattle in 2000.

I turn 43 today, so that's nearly half my life that I've been working on climate change. 

For my birthday this year, I’m asking for a donation to Climate Solutions. Can you give $43?
 
For so many of us in Northwest, this summer was really hard: the forest fires, the dwindling orca whale population, the days with the worst air quality in the world. It led me to question my resolve. After decades of work to stop the climate crisis, is progress really possible against the headwinds of fossil fuel industry influence?  Climate change is the biggest social justice issue of our lifetimes. Can we win?
 
My answer is yes.  Progress on climate change is not just possible, it is happening.
 
Maybe I’m optimistic today because it’s my birthday. But even beyond today, I feel hope about climate action. We are making progress – but we need to move much faster. It really is “the fierce urgency of now.”
 
In honor of my birthday, would you consider making a donation to Climate Solutions of $43?
 

As a thank you for donating, we will send you a “climate voter” sticker. Why a climate voter sticker?  Well, another thing to know about me is that I’m a democracy nerd.  I believe that casting your ballot and participating in democracy is the foundation for making change. With the backsliding of the political will by our elected officials to take action, you are needed more than ever to show that climate voters are everywhere, and we will rise up against the fossil fuel industry and their allies.

Your support can help Climate Solutions fund our work to:

  • Pass the Clean Energy Jobs bill in Oregon, and help Oregon influence other state legislatures to take climate action.
  • Pass 100% clean electricity bills in Washington. Only Hawaii and California have done that so far. Once again, the West Coast can lead the way on national climate action.
  • Do all we can to pass the Yes on 1631 ballot initiative this November 6th. Washington would be the FIRST state in the nation to pass carbon pricing policy by a popular vote of the people. Standing behind this initiative is the largest, most diverse coalition Washington state has ever seen.

Thank you so much for considering a $43 donation in honor of my birthday. 

In honor of my family who live in my birthplace of Hyderabad, India, and my toddler niece who lives in Lynnwood, Washington, I am going to do whatever I can to stop the climate crisis from getting worse.  Thank YOU for being a supporter and a climate voter, this November and beyond.

Author Bio

Savitha Reddy Pathi

Deputy Director, Climate Solutions

Savitha has been Deputy Director of Climate Solutions since June 2019, previously serving as Development Director since January 2010. To her, climate change is the biggest social justice issue of our lifetime and she has been working on the issue since 1997, when she interned at the US EPA's Policy office during the Kyoto Protocol negotiations. 

Savitha is responsible for organizational effectiveness and also oversees the organization's development, cultivation and fundraising efforts, managing the team that raises funds from individuals, foundations and corporate supporters. Savitha helped form Climate Solutions Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Group and is a graduate of the Center for Diversity & the Environment’s Environment 2042 Leadership Program. She continues her activism through her volunteer service on the Board of Trustees for the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, on the inaugural Advisory Council of the University of Washington’s EarthLab and on the Steering Committee for the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict. Her Board service ended in 2017 for Mize Family Foundation, whose grantmaking focuses on climate justice. In 2018 she served on the fundraising team for the Yes on 1631 campaign, helping raise over $15M to take on Big Oil.

Prior to joining Climate Solutions, Savitha worked at Seattle Foundation where she served as philanthropic advisor to over 100 donor advised funds and the Environmental grant making lead; the Collins Group (now Campbell & Company) providing fundraising counsel for feasibility studies and capital campaigns; and at the Women's Funding Alliance in a fundraising and grantmaking role. In Washington DC, Savitha worked for the US EPA and Environmental Media Services (now Resource Media).

Savitha received a BA with Honors in Government and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College. During her tenure at Climate Solutions, Savitha has been recognized with the 40 Under 40 award from the Puget Sound Business Journal and the Eco Women Making a Difference award from Women of Color Empowered & The Northwest Asian Weekly, and was awarded a Brainerd Foundation Fellowship to Social Venture Partners. She has lived in Seattle since 2000, and is a proud auntie. 

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