Environmental Justice Pressbook
The year of 2020 has been a year that has uprooted injustices ingrained within our society and its institutions. First, the COVID-19 pandemic brought forth our reliance on capitalist structures and the control that private, big businesses have over rules and government mandates. Giant corporations have been allowed to remain open while local, smaller businesses were forced to close. These giant corporations are known to wreak havoc on the environment, commodifying it and its workers in order to make a profit. Furthermore, the pandemic shows the communities and individuals that are frequently forced to deal with hazards that these corporations create. From inadequate access to health care to hazardous environmental conditions that make some communities more vulnerable to the virus than others, we are collectively only beginning to recognize these economic and racial disparities that are built into the way our society is run and managed.
Then, the Black Lives Matter movement took a foothold globally after the killing of George Floyd in the hands of a police officer. This movement has accentuated the need for radical changes to the structures and institutions, especially the police, that regulate and control our livelihoods. Black and brown communities have historically been under privileged and unaccounted for: our current society is not built to accommodate their needs and are often left out of the conversation.
It is clear now more than ever that an Environmental Justice framework needs to be applied to our society and the changes that are ultimately made. Environmental Justice, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, is “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, culture, education, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies”. At its most basic, Environmental Justice calls for social justice, equal access to a clean and healthy environment, and demands an end to institutional discrimination. By incorporating an EJ framework, I believe that we can address and fight against many of the social, economic and environmental injustices that are currently built into our societies.
This summer, I have been working with Professor Christina Manning and the Macalester librarians to put together a Pressbook of all the interviews conducted by Christie's students in her Environmental Justice Class from 2018 and 2019. This Pressbook will be a digital or electronically accessible book made available to the public through the Macalester and University of Minnesota libraries. The working title of the book is, "Profiles of Environmental Justice Champions in Minnesota". The purpose of this book is to highlight individuals and their work around the Twin Cities in relation to Environmental Justice. The scope of Environmental Justice is large and there are many different projects being conducted. From urban farms and gardens to address food insecurities, to pipeline resistance projects, to addressing the development of a historically marginalized and Black community into an amphitheatre, this book will showcase different projects and the individuals behind them. It is a book of champions: a book of people just like you and me who no longer can idle by when there are clear injustices that need to be addressed.
Though this book is still a work in progress (and is projected to be completed before the end of this year), I hope it acts as a resource for someone who is looking for a way to become more involved. I hope it acts as a means of inspiration; really a starting point for someone who wants to do something but is not sure yet of what or where their place is. This book is by no means complete as there are so many different projects and individuals that are doing great work that will not be included in this text. I will be sure to keep this post updated with when the book is published, and when new interviewees are added to the work :).
Then, the Black Lives Matter movement took a foothold globally after the killing of George Floyd in the hands of a police officer. This movement has accentuated the need for radical changes to the structures and institutions, especially the police, that regulate and control our livelihoods. Black and brown communities have historically been under privileged and unaccounted for: our current society is not built to accommodate their needs and are often left out of the conversation.
It is clear now more than ever that an Environmental Justice framework needs to be applied to our society and the changes that are ultimately made. Environmental Justice, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, is “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, culture, education, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies”. At its most basic, Environmental Justice calls for social justice, equal access to a clean and healthy environment, and demands an end to institutional discrimination. By incorporating an EJ framework, I believe that we can address and fight against many of the social, economic and environmental injustices that are currently built into our societies.
This summer, I have been working with Professor Christina Manning and the Macalester librarians to put together a Pressbook of all the interviews conducted by Christie's students in her Environmental Justice Class from 2018 and 2019. This Pressbook will be a digital or electronically accessible book made available to the public through the Macalester and University of Minnesota libraries. The working title of the book is, "Profiles of Environmental Justice Champions in Minnesota". The purpose of this book is to highlight individuals and their work around the Twin Cities in relation to Environmental Justice. The scope of Environmental Justice is large and there are many different projects being conducted. From urban farms and gardens to address food insecurities, to pipeline resistance projects, to addressing the development of a historically marginalized and Black community into an amphitheatre, this book will showcase different projects and the individuals behind them. It is a book of champions: a book of people just like you and me who no longer can idle by when there are clear injustices that need to be addressed.
Though this book is still a work in progress (and is projected to be completed before the end of this year), I hope it acts as a resource for someone who is looking for a way to become more involved. I hope it acts as a means of inspiration; really a starting point for someone who wants to do something but is not sure yet of what or where their place is. This book is by no means complete as there are so many different projects and individuals that are doing great work that will not be included in this text. I will be sure to keep this post updated with when the book is published, and when new interviewees are added to the work :).
Written by Sustainability Office student worker Alison Lange
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