About Ray Nakano

Ray Nakano is a Toronto-based climate activist, community organizer, and mindfulness meditation facilitator. His work largely intersects the fields of environmental advocacy and spiritual practice. Climate Advocacy and Public Outreach: He is a deeply committed environmental advocate who focuses on climate education, policy awareness, and corporate and municipal accountability. Climate Leadership: He is a trained Climate Reality Project Leader (having completed training with the Climate Reality Project created by Al Gore) and serves as a volunteer leader with ClimateFast, where he engages with municipal ward teams to build grassroots climate awareness. Major Initiatives: He is a key organizer behind the Canadian National Emergency Briefing (CNEB), an initiative currently focused on building widespread coalitions and engaging experts around the polycrisis and energy transition. He also coordinated the Climate Voting Records project, tracking municipal environmental commitments. Communications: He writes frequently on sustainability topics, including contributing to the Nikkei Voice newspaper, writing "Letters to the Editor" (LTEs) to major Canadian outlets, and managing web platforms like "My Climate Change Website" with daily climate article postings and *Mobilize Canada* to focus on actionable paths toward lowering emissions. Mindfulness and Meditation Practice: Parallel to his environmental work, he has a long-standing practice as a spiritual teacher and meditation facilitator in Toronto. Lineage and Ordination: He was ordained by the Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh in 2011 as a member of the Order of Interbeing in the Plum Village tradition. Community Facilitation: For years, he has led regular mindfulness meditation sessions at the Toronto Buddhist Church and worked with the Mindfulness Practice Community of Toronto. His teachings emphasize the cultivation of presence, peace, and stable awareness—frameworks that beautifully complement the resilience needed for active climate work. Interconnection of His Work: His life’s work reflects a modern application of the very philosophy found in the Avatamsaka Sutra—the concept of deep interconnection (interbeing). In his practice, environmental activism is not separate from spiritual groundedness; rather, addressing the climate crisis is a direct, practical extension of practicing compassion and recognizing that all things are fundamentally interdependent.