Austin has a new sustainability champion in Shelby Orme, who was recently named the city's latest Net-Zero Hero for her work as an environmental advocate and entrepreneur. With a background that includes serving on various local boards and committees, Shelby's commitment to a greener community is grounded in her own experiences and driven by her identity as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly as Pride Month approaches. Her multifaceted approach highlights that climate solutions are not a one-size-fits-all endeavor but rather a collective action born of presence and persistence.
In a statement released by the City of Austin's official blog, Orme traces her environmental awakening back to a 2009 summer camp that spurred her initial activism efforts and subsequent recognition that significant changes in environmental policies required a bottom-up approach particularly after events like the 2016 and 2020 elections and the Texas freeze in 2021, when community resilience was highlighted in a time of state-wide power outages, Shelby's journey has been a continuous one, with various approaches to sustainability through the years she has made mistakes, shifted focus and continually evolved her strategies to encompass not just individual actions but broader systemic change which involves equity, access, and the importance of community.
Orme's entrepreneurial efforts support her core values and convey her commitment to creating a business that serves both people and the planet, as evidenced by her involvement in Kayaness, a sustainable wellness brand, and in producing YouTube content aimed at educating individuals on sustainable practices. Her dual roles capture her philosophy of embedding her business acumen within her community activism, and she manages the balance by keeping her real-world experiences at the forefront of her decision-making, as Shelby Orme told the City of Austin's official blog.
Despite challenges posed by the slow pace of change in community work and systemic reform, and the at times seeming insignificance of efforts in the face of a society that craves rapid results, Shelby persists with the understanding that "momentum isn’t always visible" and "consistency is its own form of power" affirming the value of steadfastness and presence over sporadic bursts of activism, the most rewarding effects of her engagement are not quantifiable through likes or metrics but reside instead in the personal feedback from those whom she has inspired to take their own steps towards environmental advocacy. The intersection of Orme's advocacy and her LGBTQIA+ identity is most evident during Pride Month, where she sees an opportunity to celebrate in ways that strengthen communal bonds and embody an ethos of inclusivity and care.
Encouraging others to explore the possibilities that environmentalism and community work have to offer, Orme advises trying a variety of paths to find where one's passions align with one's ability to affect change, an approach she exemplifies through her own activism and advocacy. Shelby Orme provided a few resources for those seeking more information, including her own YouTube channel, @Shelbizleee, and other impactful media like "Reclaiming Your Community" by Majora Carter, and the "The Story of Stuff" documentary, as mentioned on the City of Austin's official blog. Together, Shelby proves through her actions that progress requires showing up authentically and continuously, whether it’s in digital spaces or on the ground within the Austin community.
