Oregon PSR (Physicians for Social Responsibility) is thrilled to welcome Lluvia Merello to our staff! Lluvia brings extensive experience organizing for environmental and social justice including work as an early organizer with the Portland Clean Energy Fund coalition. She joins our Healthy Climate Program as our Energy Justice Organizer, working to expand our capacity to build a just transition off of fossil fuels and nuclear power and a healthy climate future for all. Read on to hear from Lluvia in her own words about this position:
My name is Lluvia Magali Merello, the new Energy Justice Organizer with Oregon PSR (Physicians for Social Responsibility). I have an extensive history in organizing work here in Oregon and I also lived and organized in New Orleans and Texas. My passions for organizing include social justice/social change, energy justice, prison reform and prisoners rights, foster care reform, public education and the school-to-prison pipeline, and culturally-specific services and opportunities. This opportunity to work on Energy Justice and surrounding issues is both an excitement and a great responsibility for me.
For me Energy Justice has so many meanings. I am Indigenous to Peru and in my culture we give thanks to PachaMama (mother earth) for everything. In my culture we are all children of the sun and our collective goal is to live in harmony with the earth. For me Energy Justice involves treating PachaMama (mother earth) with respect as many Indigenous cultures have always done. Energy Justice to me includes responsible energy use and distribution. As stewards of this earth, we have failed in recent times as a whole. The Earth provides us with adequate and natural resources but if we do not make preserving the earth and her resources a priority, we will continue to fail as a community and our future generations will suffer from our shortcomings.
Thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to meeting and getting to know the entire Oregon PSR Team.
Llluvia Merello, Oregon PSR Energy Justice Organizer