Teryn Yazdani

Teryn Yazdani (she/her) works to protect the Columbia River and work in solidarity with its communities by serving as the Staff Attorney for the Stopping Pollution program. In her role, she advocates for pollution reduction through Clean Water Act enforcement actions and providing legal counsel for related Columbia Riverkeeper campaigns. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Teryn discovered her passion for environmental and climate justice at a young age by seeing the direct impacts that extractive industries had on the region. Teryn was previously a Legal Fellow at Crag Law Center and a Staff Attorney at Beyond Toxics, where she gained expertise in legal and policy issues around climate and environmental justice, air quality, and toxics pollution.

What inspires you to do this work?

I’m inspired by the resilient communities and Tribal Nations that have fought relentlessly to protect clean water, this beautiful region, and its rich history. I am also greatly inspired by leaders in the Environmental Justice movement and their tireless work to highlight the links between systemic injustices, marginalization, toxics pollution, and facility siting.