Environmentalist-drag-queen Pattie Gonia is taking the world by storm (no pun intended), shedding necessary light on the environmental crisis. Pattie (she/her), the fabulous alter ego of Wyn Wiley (he/him), uses visual imagery, poetry and songwriting, and community involvement to generate action to save the planet. What began as an instagram account for fun has now evolved into hundreds of thousands of followers and short films produced by REI.

Wiley states “Pattie is synonymous in my life with learning and unlearning...I have so much left to learn.” This sentiment rings so true. As a society, we are ingrained in our habits. We all have lessons to learn and unlearn. Wyn hopes that the messages he puts out through film and photograph “can open people’s minds.”

Most notably, Pattie’s powerful youtube videos use her voice not just for “allyship for mother nature” but also as a tool for social justice. These videos are about speaking in truth, appreciating our collective impact, and embracing what makes us all different. Through these sentiments, they inspire us to act for the earth.

We at Native Sustainability fully believe that we are in a climate crisis. We love seeing any and all efforts to highlight environmental issues and develop solutions. We must act on this crisis!

“Everything To Lose” by Pattie Gonia

"Everything to Lose"

by Pattie Gonia

Welcome to the planet, my dears

Wipe your feet, come on in
No more need for coats in your mother’s den
Take a look around
Take a taste of the waste we’ve found

This … is plastic
And this ... is tragic
And it’s not going away

So let us sit
At the dinner table in the home we call nature
Come, let’s chat, I have an ice breaker

Are we still lighting candles while the house is burning?

While we throw flame and fight over who is right
our Mother does not bite her tongue or sit in silence

Oh no, Mother Natch is pissed

You see, a woman knows when she’s been told
When the men in the boardroom think she’s being too bold
Too proud, too outspoken, too much to handle
When she’s been made the doormat instead of the mantle

Is this our message in a plastic bottle?
XO hugs kisses
I’ll try better tomorrow
Day after day we send our regards
Millions and millions of plastic discards

P.S. We don’t give a damn.
But we should really give a damn.

Now I know what you’re saying, “It’s just a drop in the bucket”
“It’s just one plastic bag, one straw, so suck it”
Well suck. On. This.
Right now, there are more plastic pieces in the ocean
Than stars in the Milky Way
A billion plastic bags being used every single day

While we dress this mess in political gains and power change and profits made
Our mother says to go upstairs and put on something new
So come out of the closet and put on your boots
We’ve got a s**t ton of work to do.

So queens, let me be straight
Father Time is ticking on
And what will be left is what we have done

Our mother is dying while we are out living
We must turn the tide from taking to giving
We will make a difference if we dare choose
It’s time that we act …
We’ve got everything to lose.

(TICKING OF CLOCK)

Credits:

Starring/Directing - Pattie Gonia, Wyn Wiley
Production Company - Wondercamp
Director/Editor - Tim Kressin
Producer - Davis Goslin
Assistant Producer - Jenny Dugan
Manager - Dayna Turnblom
Sustainable Designer - Angela Luna, ADIFF
Hair & Makeup - Katie Nash

Find Wyn/Pattie on REI’s Youtube channel and on Instagram: @pattiegonia

“Dear Mother Nature” by Pattie Gonia