Q&A Astrid Peraza

Meet the vibrant and inspiring Costa Rican environmental activist and Future Rising Fellow Astrid Peraza. She’s on a mission to ensure girls have access to climate education and is a true leader in her community. Astrid mentors young girls through the environmental organization, Greentalist, and she is a passionate spokesperson for the Escazu Ahora Costa Rica campaign. This groundbreaking campaign advocates for the first-ever international treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean concerning the environment and protecting the rights of environmental defenders.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Astrid about her journey in climate activism and how she has developed her environmental storytelling skills as a Future Rising Fellow. She hopes to form a supportive collective for girls eager to enter into STEM fields and develop leadership skills.

Below, Astrid in conversation with Lauren Ritchie, Future Rising Senior Fellow.

How did your upbringing in Costa Rica shape your understanding of climate change?

I was born and raised in Pavones, a province on the Pacific coast. I was always very close to the sea and I remember there were mangroves right behind my high school. I’ve always felt very connected to the environment and my community because of this, especially since climate issues are very prevalent in my province. Many live off of fishing in my community but because of climate change in recent years, fishermen now come back empty-handed. Growing up in the coastal provinces also made me think more about development conflicts, especially rural tourism which exploits local people who never reap the benefits. The government tends to abandon the coastal provinces altogether.

What is your most memorable climaterelated experience?

I was ten years old the first time I tried to organize a recycling program at my school. Even at a young age, I always wanted to protect the environment. I had ideas to plant more trees and I was excited about protecting nature, but my teacher immediately refused my ideas and nobody took me seriously.

I really think seeing the lack of priority for climate issues at my school made me focus on climate education. I want everyone to have access to information about climate and there are many moments when I think my community was taken advantage of because we didn’t know how the consequences would impact us in the long term.

You studied Materials Science and Engineering. How do you connect that STEM background with your activism work?

When I started high school, I really liked chemistry. I chose Materials Science to investigate the structures, properties and processing of materials, especially the harm that materials like plastics can cause to the environment and search for better, safer alternatives. I currently work as an engineer and I plan to go for my Master’s Degree in something related specifically to climate change and transforming resources to better protect the environment. You’ve done quite a lot of work advocating for the Escazu Agreement. What is it and what will it do for Latin American countries?

The Escazu Agreement looks at three main things: increasing the accessibility of climate information, increasing participation of environmental defenders in decision-making, and protecting the rights and safety of those risking their lives to protect the environment, especially Indigenous peoples who are killed for their efforts without any justice. Some Latin American countries like Colombia have ratified the agreement, but Costa Rica has signed without ratification, meaning that the contract isn’t yet formally legally binding. We’re still having meetings with the current government to convince them to ratify.

Tell me more about your Future Rising project. Why did you choose to tell this story?

I am creating a short documentary that highlights the mangrove conservation work of a community of women in Manzanillo, a small rural village on the coast. I will explore how they have empowered each other, and the employment opportunities they’ve created within the community. The mangroves are so vital for food and water security and their story resonated with me because I realized that everything they were doing was very conscious, well-informed, and intentional. I admire their goals for the future, especially the older generations who strive to make a better future for their daughters and grandchildren.

What impact do you hope your project will have on your community?

I hope that seeing these empowered women onscreen will inspire more women in communities to come together and protect the ecosystems they live in. I see a great opportunity for other women to replicate these methods across Costa Rica, create employment opportunities, and foster community.

Who is a person from history you’d want to get dinner with?

Julieta Martinez, She’s from Chile and she was a part of the 2021 Future Rising cohort. She recently released a book this past week and I have been very excited to read it. I’d love to ask her so many questions about it.

Where is your happy place?

“Definitely with my best friend. I live with him right now so I guess when we’re at home. He’s the one I tell everything to and he gives great advice. He’s just so honest.”

What are you watching or reading right now?

I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries lately. The best one is called The Sacrifice of a Land. It centers around mangroves in Ecuador and how a community is working to protect the environment from human impacts and also highlights how vital it is to protect them. I like this one because it’s so close to the situation in Costa Rica.