The Environmentalist is a student-run magazine at UC Berkeley that aims to educate Berkeley students and local residents about the various environmental issues in Berkeley and the greater Bay Area. We feature work from student writers, artists, and photographers, emphasizing multimedia content and interactivity as a means to engage readers. The magazine aspires to cover student and University actions on local environmental issues, amplify voices of marginalized communities impacted by climate change, and keep Berkeley students and the University administration accountable for their ecological footprint and contribution to climate change.
Jeana and Jemma met in their Introduction to Multimedia course during their sophomore year at UC Berkeley. They quickly bonded over their passion for environmental journalism and the outdoors. After coming back from their study abroad adventures in Mo’orea and England, they caught up over coffee and came up with the idea to start a new environmental magazine. With their combined writing and photography skills, their vision was to bring environmental journalism to UC Berkeley. After many meetings at Cafe Strada, The Environmentalist was launched on April 14, 2024.
Zoe is a Conservation & Resource Studies major with a focus on ecosystem ecology, environmental policy, and science communication. Her work explores the intersections of marine conservation, environmental governance, and storytelling, both through academic research and journalism. She conducted independent ecological research at the UC Gump Research Station in Moʻorea, French Polynesia, and is currently completing an honors thesis examining fisheries policy and coral reef protection in the Oculina Deep-Water Reef ecosystem. She is committed to helping people better understand the environmental challenges shaping our world and the collective action needed to address them. In her free time, she enjoys scuba diving, practicing yoga, making pottery, and spending time near the ocean whenever she can.
Anabelle studies Urban Studies and Landscape Architecture. With over six years of experience in graphic design, she is dedicated to highlighting environmental injustices and issues through her artistic expression. She plans to graduate from Berkeley and pursue a career designing environmental infrastructure to enhance environmental resilience in cities and provide equal access to green spaces. Anabelle has served as the magazine's head artist for 3 years, and in 2026, she transitions into a more prominent role as a creative director. Anabelle seeks to broaden the environmental art and photography community at Berkeley. She is enthusiastic about facilitating collaborations between environmentalists and artists on campus to enrich the discourse and impact of environmental sustainability.
Mahika is a junior double majoring in Environmental Engineering and Environmental Economics & Policy. She joined The Environmentalist in Spring 2024 as a reporter. She grew up with a passion and love for the environment and science, as well as for reading and writing. Over time, those passions merged, and she wanted to make science/environmental communication more accessible to the general public, which led her to writing for this magazine! Mahika loves anything to do with the ocean – in her free time you can find her sitting by the beach, scuba diving, or sailing; as well as advocating for women and girls in STEM.
James is studying conservation and pursuing a career as a wildlife photographer and filmmaker. He has been a photographer for The Environmentalist since the fall semester of 2024. He started photography when he was twelve and he especially enjoys nature photography. In addition to leading the magazine's photography team, he also contributes to the Daily Californian. In his free time he loves to hike around the Bay Area, scuba dive, play music with friends, and go on long runs.
Jasmine is a senior studying Conservation and Resource Studies with a minor in Political Economy. She is most interested in the spaces where marine worlds, ecological thought, and political life converge, and in the stories that help those worlds cooperate with one another.She believes storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to make environmental issues feel intimate, interdisciplinary, and engaging, which is what draws her to The Environmentalist. She is also part of the experimental geographic radio collective The Space Station, sharing stories of environmental and community stewards, while writing her senior thesis on nickel mining in Papua, Indonesia as a form of neocolonialism. Outside of school, you can usually find her reading beneath a tree at Willard Park.
