Gratitude and Introspections with USCAN's Executive Director Dr. Ife Kilimanjaro

As we step into a new year, Dr. Ife Kilimanjaro invites us into a space of deep introspection as she reflects on the challenges and triumphs of the past year. With heartfelt gratitude for the USCAN community, she outlines a vision for the year ahead that is both practical and restorative, reminding us that while the road ahead is steep, the strength of our community lies in our transition from passive optimism to a "disciplined hope" fueled by collective action and the protection of scientific truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBSYHBBnaKE

Don’t have 5 minutes? Here are some of Dr. Kilimanjaro’s’s biggest takeaways:

1. Gratitude for the Support of Collective Climate Action

Dr. Kilimanjaro celebrates those that joined the community and made gifts in support of a resilient and sustainable planet for those that are alive today and those who have yet to come. 

2. Moving Toward "Disciplined Hope"

She challenges the network to move beyond passive optimism and into the "deep and disciplined hope" found in the active, collective work of environmental justice.

3. The Power of "Organized People"

In a direct address to the current political and social climate, Dr. Kilimanjaro notes that while we are witnessing the dismantling of institutions, "organized people are the only answer to organized money."

4. A Community of Care 

She closes with a reminder that within the USCAN network, every advocate is "heard, seen, and held," and encouraged to bring their fullest selves to the fight for the planet.

For the full video transcript, please see below: 

Transcript: 

Dr. Ife Kilimanjaro: 

Hello everyone. 

I'm sending this message today with heartfelt gratitude for all of the support that you all have given to US Climate Action Network in 2025. As the year wrapped up, I've been reflecting on the reality, the understanding that I've come to that collective climate action is not just a strategic necessity. 

It's a spiritual one. It's a material one. It requires that every single one of us do our part to realize a resilient and sustainable planet for those that are alive today and those who have yet to come. 

I want to thank you for doing your part, and my dog Mississippi thanks you too! 

Since November, we've seen something incredibly remarkable. A record number of new faces have joined our community and we're ever so grateful that the donations that have been provided are continuing to support the work that we've been doing and that we are committed to continue carrying out, particularly in the face of this really challenging moment as it regards to climate action and environmental protections. 

With the support that we've been given, we're continuing to expand our support to our grassroots members. We'll be launching again our catalyzing grants program this year and  moving resources out to our members in the form of webinars and trainings, planning for our annual conference in which skills building sessions, information sharing workshops, and other kinds of events and essential activities take place. 

We're continuing to defend the guard rails of society alongside many others who are in the movement doing the same by protecting policies and scientific truths like the endangerment finding that keeps us safe. 

And we are continuing to strengthen our indispensable infrastructure as a network within the broader climate and environmental ecosystem, ensuring that our network of more than 175 member organizations remain as unified as possible and resourced to do this work. 

We know that the road ahead is steep. We're watching the dismantling of institutions before our very eyes. But we also know that organized people are the only answer to organized money. Please stay tuned and more importantly stay engaged with us. We're moving beyond optimism, which is important to have, but we're moving beyond that into the deep and disciplined hope and anticipation and work of collective action.

So, I guess my last words, last thoughts and reflections in this network, you are heard and you are seen in your struggle. You're held in our community, in our hearts, and in our spirits. And you and me, we're challenged to bring our fullest self to this fight of environmental justice, of climate action, of protecting our planet for those of us who live here now and those who are yet to come. 

Have a wonderful and very productive and joyful 2026.