In 2019 I became a Broader Impacts Partner of the National Science Foundation, receiving a grant to develop a creative way to communicate core concepts of ecology and urgent climate science to young people. With the funding I began creating Ecotopia Now! - an entertaining high school assembly featuring immersive, participatory musical theater, nineteen musicians, five dancers, a chest-thudding bicycle-powered sound system (all electricity generated by the students), and a raging rock & roll light show, all purpose-built to initiate students into the fight for social & ecological justice.

The “pep rally for ecotopia'' was set to launch on April 22, 2020 (the 50th anniversary of Earth Day) until we were derailed by the pandemic.

In January 2021, as we awaited the world's official reopening, we were devastated by the sudden loss of Ecotopia Now!'s Music Director and dear friend Courtney Isaiah Smith, to COVID-19. His talent, leadership, and innate sense of harmony - both musical and planetary - continues to be deeply missed. 

During the pandemic, Ecotopia Now! pivoted to working with teens outside of school, particularly with youth climate activists in Fridays For Future Utah. We hosted many meetings with free Indian food, taught peer facilitation (Circle-Ups) to build the movement for intersectional justice, and ultimately collaborated on four different works of participatory public theater:

1) Ritual Dam-Smashing

2) Circle-Ups (which were staged at multiple venues)

3) Dot Vs Dot, Dot, Dot ( . vs … )

4) Ecotopian School Day