350 Colorado is an independent local group in the US, created in 2011. The highly active group has 12 staff members who mobilise a base of 20,000 activists. Giselle Herzfeld is 350 Colorado’s Defund Climate Disaster Campaign Coordinator. Together with Emily Park at 350 Wisconsin and others she brought 100 activists to a campsite in the Grand Tetons National Park, to protest at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, one of the biggest global financial events of the year. 350.org supported the mobilisation and our actions added to sustained public pressure influencing the Federal Reserve to act on climate.
One of the biggest highlights for Giselle was when, the night before the symposium started, together with a small group she asked Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on camera why climate change was not on the agenda.
This action, together with a series of rallies outside the symposium, ensured delegates heard our message loud and clear. With significant media attention, including key wires, we had more than 1,270 media mentions, including in major global outlets, reaching an estimated 440 million people.
“We had such a positive energy at the campsite. And the whole action would not have happened without 350.org, who supplied all the funding to make it possible. 350.org also provided national support, connecting the actions at Jackson Hole to the bigger picture, putting together talking points and outreach to journalists. We got support from 350.org’s global team too – there was a point in which we were joining Zoom calls with people from three or four different countries who were helping us with different things. It was amazing!”
Giselle joined 350 Colorado in 2019 as an intern. She was grappling with climate anxiety and found activism provided her with a channel to transform her worries into power and change. Since 2020, she has worked as a staff member. Giselle has led several divestment campaigns, advocated for the Colorado State Pension Fund to move their investments away from fossil fuels, partnered with municipalities to help them find ways to reinvest in renewable solutions, and supported students with university divestment campaigns.