After frustration with political inaction sparked the creation of Artists for Real Climate Action, Liisa Repo-Martell and the 20 other artists who are part of ARCA have spent the last 6 years using creativity, storytelling and community organizing to inspire change. Through the Earth Day Globe Walk, ARCA along with 14 other grassroots climate organizations, have brought people back into the streets to remind them that climate action is still possible and that none of us have to do it alone.
From Frustration to Action
Talking to Liisa Repo-Martell, one of the founders of Artists for Real Climate Action and the Earth Day Globe Walk, reminded me that something personal doesn’t always have to be on the line for someone to get involved in activism. Sometimes all it takes is fury at inaction towards a given cause to launch someone into action. It was after reading a UN report on climate change and being shocked by the absence of climate action on the 2019 Canadian election agenda that Liisa decided to take matters into her own hands. She reached out to her group of friends on Facebook—actors, artists, and creatives—and assembled them in her living room. The result was 35 people working tirelessly to create climate change propaganda, giving birth to Artists for Real Climate Action. And the art they created was colourful! From a 30-video election campaign featuring celebrity appearances to a conference called Climate in the Arts to a satirical web series called The Big Oil Alliance, there was no stone that the team left unturned.
Finding Hope in Difficult Times
She shifted from emotion to emotion as we touched on various contemporary political issues. Stating the obvious, she breathed deeply and looked concerned as she talked about the blows climate policy had taken and the rolling back of environmental initiatives globally. I saw shock in her eyes when she mentioned how hopeful she felt about federal climate change action, only to see things then go in the opposite direction. I could tell she felt betrayed, but it didn’t dim the light in her. She quickly bounced back, emphasizing the importance of street activism and video content in pushing back and maintaining optimism. It was this belief in the power of in-person organizing and protesting, combined with a desire to “touch grass,” that culminated in the Globe Walk.
The Best and Worst Time for Climate Action
Her optimism shined again when she explained that climate solutions are multipurpose and could address several crises at once. She argued that renewables have a ripple effect: they tackle affordability by lowering energy costs, strengthen sovereignty by reducing reliance on foreign energy sources and support reconciliation, noting that nearly 20% of renewable energy projects in Canada have some form of Indigenous involvement.
Why the Globe Walk Matters
The Globe Walk is perhaps the perfect reflection of that way of thinking. Rather than treating climate action as a single-issue movement, it brought together a wide coalition of groups, communities, educators, artists, advocates and everyday residents under one banner. What struck me while speaking with Liisa was how naturally these partnerships seemed to form. There was no lengthy battle over priorities or endless negotiations over messaging. People simply recognized the urgency of the moment and wanted to contribute.
Among those organizations was the Green Neighbours Network, which helped plan the event and participated in the walk alongside many of its member groups. Seeing organizations collaborate rather than compete felt like a reminder that community action is rarely about who gets the credit. It’s about showing up and doing the work.
Action as the Antidote to Despair
When I asked Liisa what art could accomplish that policy papers and scientific reports often cannot, her answer surprised me. She wasn’t talking about information. She was talking about feeling. For her, art created celebration. It created joy. It created visibility. It allowed people to physically witness the fact that others cared. In a city not exactly famous for spontaneous street culture, there is something powerful about seeing hundreds of people occupying public space in defence of a common cause. Art gives climate action a pulse. It transforms a spreadsheet into a story; a statistic into a shared experience.
And that seems especially important now.
The Solutions are Always Near
Throughout our conversation, Liisa repeatedly returned to a central frustration: despite climate action facing political setbacks, the solutions themselves have never looked more promising. Renewable technologies continue to get cheaper. Battery storage continues to improve. New innovations emerge almost monthly. Yet public discourse often feels trapped in old assumptions and fossil fuel talking points. Liisa attributed much of this disconnect to misinformation.
North Americans, she argued, are constantly bombarded with narratives that frame fossil fuels as indispensable to prosperity while downplaying the economic potential of renewables. The result is a public conversation that often feels disconnected from reality. While renewable energy prices continue to fall and adoption increases around the world, many people remain convinced that the transition is either impossible or unaffordable.
The Globe Walk aimed to challenge that narrative.
The Walk of Change
Participants weren’t simply walking for the sake of walking. They were helping launch a petition calling for a tripling of renewable energy investments in Ontario, increased battery storage, an end to the Great Lakes offshore wind moratorium, and a commitment to Indigenous land rights. The signatures collected would later be presented to the provincial government as part of a broader advocacy effort.
The walk itself stretched across Toronto, beginning with an Indigenous-led sunrise ceremony at Scarborough Bluffs before making its way westward through neighbourhoods, parks, and public gathering spaces. Along the route, participants encountered music, performances, art installations, speakers, and opportunities to connect with environmental organizations working across the city. It was part protest, part celebration, and part community gathering.
It’s Much More About the Process
Yet what fascinated me most was that Liisa never oversold the event.
There were no grand promises that one march would transform provincial policy overnight. No claims that a single petition would suddenly reverse years of political resistance.
In fact, she was refreshingly honest. Again and again, she returned to the same idea: people need to be around other people.
There are no guarantees.
A walk might not change everything. A petition might not immediately sway decision-makers. But doing nothing guaranteed failure.
The Need for Optimism
That honesty made her optimism feel more credible. It wasn’t blind optimism. It wasn’t the naïve belief that everything will somehow work itself out. It was optimism rooted in action. The belief that people working together can create outcomes that no individual could predict in advance. That movements grow one conversation at a time. One neighbour at a time. One new volunteer at a time.
By the end of our conversation, I found myself thinking less about climate policy and more about people.
The volunteers coordinating logistics.
The artists creating performances.
The teachers spreading awareness.
The community groups lending their support.
The Indigenous leaders guiding ceremonies.
The countless individuals giving up evenings and weekends because they believe a better future is still possible.
The Globe Walk may have been organized around Earth Day, but at its heart it felt like something much larger. It was a celebration of collective action in an era increasingly defined by isolation. A reminder that hope isn’t something you find. It’s something you build.
And judging by the energy Liisa brings into every room she enters, there are still plenty of people willing to help build it.
But if there’s one thing I believe in above all, it’s this: No one achieves greatness alone. Trust and collaboration are the foundation of true progress. “History is not made by individuals, but by individuals connected into groups” - Will Storr.
I love immersing myself in the histories of countries, discoveries, and theories. I find everlasting joy in getting to the root of things and understanding them deeply. A great book, meal, dessert, conversation, and company go a long way with me.
- The Walk Towards Hope: Liisa Repo-Martell, Art, and the Globe Walk - June 8, 2026
- Laughing Toward a Greener Future: Inside Toronto Climate Comedy with Gaurav Dhama - January 13, 2026
- GNN’s Eco Online Silent Auction returns on February 7! - December 12, 2025
