Meet Nichole Ruiz | Student and Climate Activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nichole Ruiz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nichole, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started my climate nonprofit The Five Dollar Project because I was scared. I had grown up learning about how climate change would impact my future and was frustrated that our public officials weren’t taking the crisis serious. Growing up in Miami, it has been obvious to see the way climate change and human activity is killing our ecosystems, even within the last ten years. Hurricanes and heat waves are getting stronger every year, disproportionately impacting marginalized Miami communities. The Biscayne Bay dead zone has grown and is killing endangered species that are key to a balanced ecosystem. Our pollution, overconsumption, and emotional dissociation from environmental issues is harming any chances of overcoming the climate crisis. After conducting an independent research project on teenager’s climate anxiety, I realized that I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. I wanted to create a space where people who wanted to act on climate change could use community resources to make their sustainability projects a reality. People really start to act on environmental issues when they are surrounded by an empowering community that shares their mentality– fighting for our planet.

I started The Five Dollar Project with the goal of intellectually and emotionally empowering people to create environmental projects. I used our team meetings to talk about systemic climate injustice, debate about current “climate solutions”, and more. As we started growing in numbers, we created initiatives that tackled specific environmental issues in our areas.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a student and am beginning my professional journey– I’m excited about challenging current approaches to environmental issues, and creating science-based solutions that are more ambitious, accessible, and impactful on the climate crisis. I have wanted to major in biological engineering since i was eight, and have structured my education to reflect this passion. My experiences in science, math, and literature classes have helped me write research papers and project proposals on environmental issues I have wanted to tackle. I also used these experiences, combined with engagement from my network, to create The Five Dollar Project and amplify our impact to engage people in 46 countries.

I definitely had to overcome a few obstacles to create my initiatives and grow as an activist. I had to learn how to engage people in my community in a topic that typically scares many into a term called “environmental apathy”. I also had to learn how to become a leader that could motivate a group of people to overcome their own challenges in projects. As a woman in STEM, there were several times where I experienced imposter syndrome and doubted my own abilities. Leading The Five Dollar Project connected me with other woman engineers, grow my confidence, and pursue more challenging subjects.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I think the best thing to do in Miami is to experience areas that are often overlooked/taken for granted because we are used to them–especially places like natural parks. I would take my friend to a small forest behind my local dog park, where you can see rabbits running through the trees. Everything in the field is so calm, which is ironic considering the busy city streets that surround it. For lunch, I would also take them to Macondo Coffee Roasters, because every time I do homework there I end up buying too many chai’s. They are so good. We would also swim in the ocean and kayak through the mangroves in Oleta River State Park.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My team at The Five Dollar Project has been such an incredible group to work with and deserves so much recognition and credit! Their perspectives and creative project approaches motivate me and inspire me to be more inquisitive. Also, my friends and family have been an incredible support system that has mentored me, given me feedback, and helped my organization rally change in communities around the world.

Website: https://www.thefivedollarproject.org/

Instagram: @nicholeeruiz

Image Credits
Angela Salmon, Tukuykunapak Organization