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In Pennsylvania,����fearing the gas and hydrofracking wells just beyond their fence lines.

Reggero’s love for the environment goes back as far as she can remember. She was a vegetarian at age 12. By 19, she was appearing as a spokesperson on TV with local and endangered animals. But years after attending the University of West Florida and focusing on communications, she felt unfulfilled.

Initially drawn to DU’s environmental law program, Reggero opted instead for the����master’s program in applied science,��

“It really gave me the expertise or the drive to listen more to really try to understand the science behind everything,” she says. “To understand what policies are in place and how policy works.”

Instead of a room of environmentalists, she was surprised to find students from diverse fields who were impacted by the same issues she cared about. The interdisciplinary perspectives she encountered tied everything together and showed her ways entire communities can get involved.

Rather than stay on campus, Reggero finished her degree online, traveling with a camera to document the personal stories of climate change.

“There’s this sort of idea that it’s not as bad as it seems out there, that the climate change impacts are coming in the future, that what we’re doing is not hurting our communities,” she said. “Unfortunately, that’s not true.”

Reggero spreads the word through her work, which she provides and distributes for free online. Partnerships with other environmental organizations, freelance work and speaking engagements have helped pay the bills.

The work has paid off. But though her work has����from international film festivals, Reggero shies away from the spotlight. She is still reluctant to do interviews. She’d rather give the attention to her subjects and their challenges.

“These stories are just a few that maybe can show people that they’re not alone,” she says. “This is happening, but there is hope. And [I hope to] inspire others to share their stories as well and take action in some way.”

And if Reggero has learned anything through her lifetime of environmental service, it’s that actions and images often speak louder than words.