Melody Arcia: Doing Your Part for Solutions, Trees & Beyond

“Climate change is such a huge problem…you don’t have to change the world; you just have to do your very best to change the world around you and the people you interact with. Instead of taking the whole world on your shoulders, really just helping the person right next to you is enough.”

In this Episode

Melody Arcia

She/Her

Communications Coordinator

SOUL

Matt Scott

He/Him

Manager, Storytelling & Engagement

Project Drawdown

Melody Arcia’s Story

Melody Arcia is the communications coordinator at SOUL (Sustaining Our Urban Landscape), a New Orleans nonprofit planting trees in neighborhoods most vulnerable to climate impacts. Trees are a critical solution to climate change. When planted together, they act as “green infrastructure” that draws down carbon from our atmosphere, manages stormwater, reduces street flooding, provides shade and cooling, absorbs pollution, and beautifies our neighborhoods. Inspired by her parents’ humanitarian careers, Melody shares that "helping people is in my blood." Melody says, “When you want people to care about climate change, you can't lose the people and focus on saving the environment. If you lose the ‘people’ piece, you pretty much lose the whole reason why we are trying to do this good work.” This is evident through Melody's work at SOUL, which is helping others by pursuing solutions at the intersection of social justice and climate change, addressing multiple stressors that our under-resourced communities experience.

Discussion Questions

One of the most important things you can do regarding climate change is talk about it.

“Faith and family give me the inner strength to press on.” Music is integral to Melody’s life; she played in orchestra and marching band. “I love being part of a larger sound, you make up this beautiful song, but you are just one instrument.” Listening to gospel music is vital to Melody because it gives her a sense of strength, hope, and peace. It also makes her feel connected to her late dad, a pastor who played piano. How can faith act as a motivator to care about climate change? Do you practice a specific faith or religion? If so, how are your beliefs or faith traditions connected to caring for creation?
A moment that “shook” Melody's worldview occurred in college when she was introduced to “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong” by James W. Loewen. The book highlights the harm in presenting mainly wealthy, white male voices as a singular narrators of truth in our society, silencing the stories of Black and Brown people who have been intentionally excluded. For Melody, this sparked a curiosity that “there is such a wider truth out there to discover.” Relevant to her work today, Melody shares that “neighborhoods that were historically redlined and segregated, those are actually our hottest neighborhoods in the nation today. Heat is the number one weather-related cause of death in the U.S. There is a certain group of people who are more prone to this very big risk. When you line a street with trees and you shade that street, you can actually lower the temperature of that block by an average of 10 degrees. It is a climate solution, but it is also a life-saving component, too.” How is the policy of “redlining” relevant to today’s environmental justice issues? Can you find a map of redlining in your city? How does this influence your thoughts about systemic racism and its links to how climate change disproportionately impacts communities of color?
The bald cypress is Louisiana’s state tree, and when mature, it can drink 880 gallons of water in one day. Melody and others at SOUL are reinforcing New Orleans by planting trees as green infrastructure. “Imagine a street lined with bald cypresses, oaks, and maples. When you have a neighborhood that has a plethora of trees, you start to see it respond differently to storms.” What is your favorite tree? Is it native to your area? Do you know the unique benefits of that specific species to serve as a climate solution?
Melody shares that her father, a positive influence in her life, passed away a few years ago, leaving “a legacy of love and helping people.” Melody explains that her dad found motivation from his own childhood, growing up without a close relationship with his father. “He took it upon himself to change that story for his legacy and his family. He put his all into being a great father.” Who is an influential person in your life? How has that person inspired you? If you have not already, how might you share this with them?

Learn More

Learn about the solutions in this story.

Solution Sector: Land Sinks
Solution: Tree Plantations on Degraded Land
For more on all of Project Drawdown’s climate solutions, visit drawdown.org/solutions
Learn more about Melody’s work at SOUL (Sustaining Our Urban Landscape)

Explore Climate Solutions 101, the world's first major educational effort focused solely on climate solutions. This video series combines Project Drawdown’s trusted resources with the expertise of inspiring, scientifically knowledgeable voices from around the world: drawdown.org/climate-solutions-101.

Visit the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, a resource that shares research, communications strategy and opinion polling on climate communications.

Take Action

Drawdown Ecochallenge, presented by Ecochallenge.org, is a fun and social way to take measurable action on the top climate solutions. Take the challenge, and see how a few weeks of action add up to a lifetime of change for you and the planet. If you want to take action on climate solutions like Tinice, start a challenge today.
The Drawdown Labs Job Function Action Guides are practical resources that highlight specific, high-impact climate actions employees in common corporate professions can take at work.
ChangeX connects people with proven ideas for strengthening communities with the resources needed to implement those changes. Explore countless ways to improve your community and help the world reach drawdown.
Climate Generation’s Green Careers for a Changing Climate Instructional Supplement (for Grades 6–8) contains resources to help young people learn about Green STEM Careers—paths that use STEM skills to help reduce the impacts of climate change. Throughout this instructional supplement, students use Project Drawdown resources to make important connections between climate solutions and different careers.
Solutions Journalism Network highlights the importance of reporting stories of climate solutions in the media to create a more equitable and sustainable world. Visit their Teaching Climate Solutions resource to find curated collections and the latest examples of climate solutions journalism.
SubjectToClimate (StC) is a nonprofit online connector for K–12 leaders of all subjects to find materials on climate change at no cost. Explore StC’s educator-generated database to connect to Project Drawdown–based climate education resources.