“That’s what I hope I can do, even though I’m just an ordinary person. If one day my grandchildren ask me what I did for nature, at least I have an answer: I fought for your future.”

My own family members have diverse relationships with nature. Surprisingly, when I asked them about it, many said they felt no connection to the environment — a response that contrasted with my memories of harvesting fresh coconuts and picking wild blackberries alongside them. Why do generations of Asian Americans struggle to recognize these experiences?