How a new advocacy group hopes to educate Wichita about climate change
The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate change activist group perhaps most famous for its backing of progressive politicians and legislation like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and The Green New Deal, has made its way to Wichita.
Started by a local group of college students and young people late last year, the Wichita hub of the Sunrise Movement has big plans to educate people about the risks of climate change, hold advocacy events and spread information about green initiatives in the city through their new website - sunrisewichita.com.
“We want to make a community where environmentalism and sustainability meet our Kansas values,” said Victoria George, political coordinator for the Wichita hub. “We’re trying to create an area where people can be both of those things and show that it’s not an either/or situation, it’s a both situation.”
The website will include local blog articles, including anything that’s going on and green or climate change related, product recommendations, how-tos and reviews of potential legislation as it’s debated at the statehouse.
With a few articles already under their belt, the website has reviewed two local businesses, Grate Fill and Beautiful Day Cafe, and a Kansas senate bill concerning voting.
“We’re trying to be as unbiased as possible while pushing people to understand the green and environmental side of things,” said Dolly Farha, founder and Wichita hub lead. “We’re trying to spread the message of looking forward to a better future, taking care of our environment, our planet, and our community.”
The website is a unique effort of the Wichita hub and not one that other Sunrise Movement hubs have taken on.
“One of the best things about the Sunrise Movement is that it’s a decentralized movement, meaning we don’t need permission to do certain things,” Farha said. “We lead ourselves…and I think it’s for the best because we know what is best for the Midwest and Kansas area, and we don’t have to wait for people in D.C. or Massachusetts to approve or reject our ideas.”
With more than 400 hubs in the U.S., most Sunrise Movement hubs are on the coasts and throughout the eastern half of the country. In Kansas, there are only four hubs, with Wichita and Manhattan newly joining the ranks.
The goal of the website is to post an article each week and to help people get their information about environmental activism and action in the state in a centralized location.
“We are going to focus less on promoting politicians until we get closer to elections,” George said. “Right now, the focus is writing about bills and articles. Our goal is to uplift these politicians, businesses, and initiatives to move to a more green and sustainable future.
They will also have a calendar to list activist events and workshop information that they or other local businesses and groups will put on.
This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 4:13 AM.
