Miranda Magaña and Cody Howen, Environmental Justice Advocates
We're environmental justice advocates and we're CEC Climate Stewards.
Photo by Jhana Studio
The Environmental Justice Through Grassroots Activism Panel featured (from left) MiniNature Reserve Leaders Diego Magaña and Solimar Gutierrez, and organizers Miranda Magaña and Cody Howen.
“We believe we don’t need permission. Nature should thrive where it should be. ”
About Miranda & Cody
CEC Climate Steward alumni Cody Howen and Miranda Magaña are generating momentum for a grassroots movement that’s transforming neglected urban spaces into vibrant native gardens.
Inspired by the urgent need for environmental justice in Oxnard, Miranda teamed up with her brother Diego Magaña and community leader Solimar Gutierrez to co-found the MiniNature Reserve. Together, they’re reclaiming forgotten lots with native plants, creating vital habitats where concrete once ruled, often without permission.
For their capstone project, Cody and Miranda organized a CEC panel where the group shared stories of resilience in the face of gentrification, city pushback, and garden removals. Their work has mobilized hundreds of volunteers, grown thousands of native plants, and restored life in abandoned corners of their city.
Through their Climate Stewards capstone project, Cody and Miranda are amplifying the work of Oxnard’s grassroots activists, challenging environmental injustice, and shedding light on what’s possible when nature is given space to thrive.
Read the full story in the Santa Barbara Independent to learn more about the panel and how these guerrilla gardeners are planting seeds of change.
