Isaias Hernandez

Isaias Hernandez is an environmental educator advocating for social justice and accessibility in the environmental movement.^[1] He is better known by his Instagram moniker and social media platform, Queer Brown Vegan, where he provides information to his over 120,000 followers^[2] about environmental justice, veganism and a zero-waste lifestyle,^[3] as well as the intersectionality of social and ecological issues.^[4]

Hernandez grew up as a first-generation Mexican American^[5] in Sylmar,^[6] a low-income neighborhood in Los Angeles, amid heavy traffic and pollution.^[7] His firsthand experiences with environmental injustice, such as the disparities in access to clean air and green spaces in Los Angeles,^[8] shaped his interest in the environment, social justice, and equity.^[9] He went on to earn his B.S. in Environmental Science at the University of California, Berkeley, where he began working on diversity inclusion in environmental and creative spaces.^[10]

In November 2019,^[11] Hernandez, then 23 years old, created his Instagram account, @queerbrownvegan, as a safe space to make intersectional environmental education more accessible to all, but especially to marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.^[12][13] His focus stems from the observation that climate change and environmental disasters tend to affect low income people of color the most,^[14] but also that the organizations created to help these communities aren't always accepting of LGBTQ+ people.^[15][16][17]

In January 2023, he appeared on the cover of Vogue alongside Billie Eilish and seven other young environmental activists.^[18] Additionally, Hernandez has been featured in numerous publications like The New York Times,^[19] Time Magazine,^[20] The Boston Globe,^[21] The Washington Post,^[22] Rolling Stone^[23] and Teen Vogue.^[24] In 2023, Hernandez received a Trailblazer Award at Verdical Group's annual Net Zero Conference.^[25]

Hernandez is based in Los Angeles as a full-time content creator and public speaker.^[26]