Building Climate Action from the Ground Up

Hillsborough Climate Challenge is a month-long, community-based initiative held throughout April in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Planned over roughly six months, it brings together local residents, organizations, and businesses to make climate action a shared community effort. Led by Cathy Vinski and a committee made up largely of retired adult volunteers, the project shows how environmental work can grow through care, trust, and long-term local commitment.

I am deeply grateful to the committee for allowing me to photograph both their preparation process and public events. Through this project, I was inspired by how climate action can be bottom-up, rooted in the specific culture, landscape, and relationships of a small town. I hope these images help more people see their work and encourage other communities to imagine what climate action can look like in their own places. We should all remember that there is no Planet B.