Environmental Justice: What Can I Do?, part 1 of 5

This is an intensive five-day workshop. To register for this intensive workshop, please register on part 1 of 5.

We’ve seen the marches and protests for racial and social justice. We’ve also seen youth climate strikes and campaigns for conservation and environmentalism. But there’s a missing link in these conversations: environmental justice, a diverse international movement centering around the idea that all people deserve the right to clean air, water, and land and to live in a healthy environment. We invite you to join us for an interactive workshop-discussion series on environmental justice, whether or not your current passions or professions relate to sustainability and environmental issues. This session welcomes people of all backgrounds, abilities, and interests, including (aspiring) educators, politicians, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, Facilities workers, lawyers, artists, scientists, and economists. Together, let’s learn how to meaningfully use our unique knowledge and skills “in the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity,” to help move environmental justice into the mainstream conversation.

Our goal is not just to educate and inform, but prepare you with the tools and resources necessary to engage in meaningful environmental justice advocacy. We’ll begin with introductory workshops covering the foundations and history of the environmental justice movement as well as topics like food justice, waste, climate justice, and arts and culture. All workshops will be fully interactive (as hands-on as we can get in our virtual environment!) and led by facilitators from environmental justice communities. Student, staff, and faculty participants will also leave the session with individualized guidance, support, and opportunities for continued service and engagement at Princeton and beyond.

What to expect:
Our facilitator-led session will provide participants with a fully interactive, discussion-based introduction to environmental justice (EJ). There will be educational and service components, with each day’s session consisting of brief presentation segments complemented by workshops and active personal and collaborative reflection. We will begin with introductory workshops covering the foundations and history of the EJ movement. Throughout the week, we may cover topics such as food justice, waste, climate justice, and arts and culture as they relate to EJ. Additional time will be dedicated to discussions and workshops on meaningful service (e.g. how to identify and thoughtfully serve local overburdened “environmental justice” communities, how to distinguish genuine EJ advocates from those who are pro-EJ only on paper, how to avoid burnout and practice self-care as an EJ advocate).

Participants do not already need to be sustainability or environment-focused to attend. Our hope is for each participant to learn how to meaningfully use their unique knowledge and skills “in the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity,” to further environmental justice. To that end, participants will be provided with materials and resources, including a “Where to go from here” package with next steps for students, faculty and staff.

For example, students will be connected with opportunities for continued engagement with long-term environmental justice-related service initiatives through the Princeton Student Climate Initiative (a Pace Center group), and breakout trips (serving as “environmental justice tours”) to local communities that are disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. Students will also receive suggestions and support for how they can continue engaging environmental justice topics through their personal, academic, and independent work, such as taking an interdisciplinary student-initiated seminar on environmental justice currently being planned for Fall 2021 or pursuing a long-term service initiative.

Staff will have the opportunity to continue engagement in environmental justice through a sustainability staff ambassador program with the Office of Sustainability. Additionally, faculty and staff will be introduced to local environmental justice efforts and opportunities for community involvement. They will also receive individualized suggestions, guidance, and support for how they can integrate environmental justice into their own personal and professional work, across all fields and sectors, and continue to educate others.

This intensive workshop will include pre-reading assignments and additional reading assignments will be provided throughout the 5 days. We ask that you register understanding that we will be asking for you to commit to engagement and self-reflection in addition to the 2 hours each day.

Meet the facilitator:
Priscilla Hayes ‘75 grew up in Guam at a time when daily bombing missions to Vietnam were being flown from the island. This experience prepped her for activism at Princeton, from anti-war efforts to helping start Princeton’s Women’s Center. She went on to become a Civil Rights lawyer and then, environmental lawyer. She later became a writer and developed a career of activism in trash and recycling policy and school gardening. She has worked with the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, NJ’s only statewide environmental justice organization, for over 15 years. Priscilla has been honored with the 2009 Environmental Quality Award, Education Category, from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, the Garden State Green Award, and the New Jersey Clean Water Action Environmental Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mayu Takeuchi ‘23 has been working with the NJ Environmental Justice Alliance’s Curriculum Committee on local and state-level environmental justice education initiatives. She is also an organizer with the Princeton Environmental Activism Coalition and the Princeton Student Climate Initiative.

Kim Tran ‘24 has been collaborating with NJ Environmental Justice Alliance members on educational opportunities for students regarding environmental justice communities. She also interns at CivicStory, an NJ-based nonprofit news site focused on pivoting the news media towards sustainability.

The Office of Sustainability (OOS) creates, fosters, and amplifies sustainability efforts across campus to help accelerate action at all scales. OOS works at the intersection of the environment and social justice, advocating for regenerative systems and practices on behalf of the planet and its people.

To request accommodations for this event, please contact the workshop or event facilitator at least 3 working days prior to the event.

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