In this Tiny Climate Challenge episode, our Guest Challengers Amanda Essoh and Jim Wang discuss how they serendipitously met each other on a plane, spontaneously connected with folks in their local communities and organically created communities of their own to help elevate their voices and make a difference in our world. Guest Expert/Challenger Contact Information LinkedIn: Amanda Essoh LinkedIn: Jim Wang Expert/Guest Challenger Bio Amanda Essoh is a second-year Ph.D. student of Medical Sciences focusing on the intersection of stress and addiction. She joined a career in neuroscience research to contribute to burgeoning knowledge about mental health and illness. Her daily routine consists of conducting experiments to map the path of stress hormones across brain regions to measure their contribution to addictive behaviors. She ultimately plans to apply this foundation to an independent research career studying anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Aside from lab work, she is an enthusiastic participant in education outreach to local schools near her university and actively works to hone her science communication skills. Amanda is eager to complement her passion for unraveling biological mechanisms with improving the accessibility and quality of fundamental science education. She is confident that a strong tie between researchers and the community is vital to finding a unified solution to anthropogenic climate change.  Jim Wang is a California resident who is concerned about our environment, our communities, and our future. Working through the City of Encinitas’ Environmental Commission, his city has acted to reduce plastic waste, adopted a Climate Action Plan committed to 100% clean electricity, created an Environmental Award, and declared a Climate Emergency. His academic background includes degrees in engineering and geoscience from MIT and University of California Berkeley. Links mentioned Eco Sustainability Peeps Texas A&M University Health Sciences Center Ashley Mazanec American Geophysical Union San Diego Community Power Ana and Mama Talk Climate Change The 48 Hour Film Project Climate Action Campaign Sierra Club I Love A Clean San Diego Association of Women in Water, Energy and Environment Women in Science and Engineering Patzcuaro Sustentable Climate Reality Project  Contact Us Mayela Manasjan TinyClimate.com We are grateful for the generosity of Ashley Mazanec and her permission to use "Possible" from her album "Let’s Talk About The Weather" available on iTunes or Bandcamp. Ashley is an Eco Musician, and the co-founder of Let's Talk About The Weather podcast at EcoArts Foundation.