Zines,' which are self-published, do-it-yourself (DIY) booklets, have long been used as a tool to disseminate anti-racist information and material to the masses. With their roots in abolitionism, anti-capitalist thinking, and underground cultures, they allow for the authentic, creative expression of ideas often considered ‘fringe.’ Tapping into the transformative, subversive yet playful potential zines can have in spaces of higher education, educators have begun to employ zine-making techniques in the classroom, seeing them as non-traditional ways to generate inclusive approaches for engaged learning and science communication. This article builds off arguments which state there is an urgent need for geographers, and particularly political ecologists, to develop more effective ways to engage in public debates. So far, much attention has been placed on how established scholars can ‘get their work out there’ and make public interventions with positive socio-ecological outcomes. While important, this emphasis reinscribes hierarchical knowledge forms of ‘the expert’ and misses the potential impacts that younger scholars, particularly those starting out in higher education, can have in the realms of environmental change communication and climate action. This article argues that 1) more emphasis must be placed on the shaping of ‘public geographers’ at various career stages and specially those at the undergrad level, and 2) zines, along with other participatory literacy methods, are an effective tool in the teaching and development of public-facing skills for students relating to science communication and environmental public engagement. At a time when geographers and political ecologists are experiencing major challenges in terms of research dissemination and impact, uneven public engagement, and lack of political action, zines may hold a pathway forward.