Nico Valencia works for Intuit, leading innovation and programming for its corporate responsibility team. As part of Intuit’s commitment to leveling the playing field for those historically with limited access to educational programs and job opportunities, Nico’s core work focuses on opening doors for low-income and underserved students of color by providing enhanced access to educational tools and workforce training. Nico specifically facilitates entrepreneurship education through project-based learning, getting students to build their own businesses to grow real-world skills.

Paisley Smith advances climate action through the Unity for Humanity program at Unity, fostering a community of social impact creators who are using real-time 3D technology to drive innovative storytelling. She’s quick to note that her job "is not as directly engaged with climate and sustainability as the sustainability team." In fact, Smith's work is very much tied to climate, encouraging people to get involved with sustainability by identifying social impact creators and supporting them through grants. This year, her company’s grant program specifically identified creators taking action on climate and environment.

Smith sees "a lot of projects that deal with climate change impacting community and culture" — projects that tackle the heartbreaking reality that the climate crisis is impacting ways of life, today.

There are projects from all over the world, all using immersive technology and powerful narrative to share how climate change is disturbing their corners of the globe. One notable project "explores the impacts of urban oil drilling on community health and how systemic racism and environmental injustices intersect," while another follows Indigenous peoples of the Amazon to show how climate change is hurting both their cultural and ecological communities.

Not only do community-focused stories stand out to Smith, but she also specifically looks for projects that are embedded in and will serve a specific community. When a proposed project has a strong community connection, Smith notes "it will have a lifespan, and it might inspire other folks in the community and beyond to get involved."

When climate solutions — and their stories — come from and are ingrained in a community, they can ripple out to have a larger, longer-lasting impact, across people and generations.

Read the full article about community solutions for climate change by Aiyana Bodi at GreenBiz.