If you’re active in the world of social media environmentalism, chances are you’ve come across Kristy Drutman. She’s a Jewish and Filipina American climate activist, and she runs the popular Instagram account “@browngirl_green,” where she posts about sustainable living and environmental awareness. Over the past three years, she’s amassed over 50,000 followers and has been a powerful voice for environmental justice and activism, speaking at conferences and universities across the country and hosting her own workshops. I spoke with her over the phone about how she got started, the lifestyle changes she’s made, and the power of social media as an educational tool.

This weekend, I finished The Overstory. One character has a worldview that I very much share: humans are destroying this planet, and we won’t turn the ship around unless seemingly-impossible steps are taken. To be frank, I don’t think these steps will be taken, or at least not until indescribable suffering has occurred.

You learn about climate change and how increasing transit ridership will help decrease emissions. But then you start working for an actual transit agency and realize your riders don’t give a shit about climate change and are riding because they have to, and don’t have the time to sit on a smelly train just to be environmental; everyone would rather just drive. Instead of pushing a purely environmental message, how do we make transit safer, nicer, and cheaper for people that depend on it the most?