The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies” 1. The environmental justice conflict is not just centered in the United States. Other countries around the world are also facing issues similar to those in this country. While this is a large-scale issue with large-scale solutions, people can individually and collectively work together to solve the problem of environmental justice.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies”1. The environmental justice conflict is not just centered in the United States. Other countries around the world are also facing issues similar to those in this country. While this is a large-scale issue with large-scale solutions, people can individually and collectively work together to solve the problem of environmental justice.
One of the most well-known (and historically acclaimed) environmental justice activists was Cesar Chavez. According to the National Resources Defense Council website, “Latino farmworkers organized by Cesar Chavez fought for workplace rights, including protection from harmful pesticides in the farm fields of California’s San Joaquin Valley”3. Cesar Chavez was the founder of the National Farm Workers Association, where he and other farmworkers fought for fair treatment and proper working conditions4. Shown below is a picture of Cesar Chavez talking to rallying Salinas Valley workers in 1979.
He was committed to acts of non-violence (similar to Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.). It can be assumed that non-violent protests can attract more attention, especially because there were no riots or other forms of violence. Over time, Cesar Chavez recruited union workers to support his cause, which proves how one person can start a productive movement and advocate for change4.
To assist with the mitigation of the environmental racism conflict, an individual’s effort can go a long way. Environmental racism started a long time ago, so education can be a possible mitigation strategy. Early education could be a mitigation strategy, especially with children in elementary school. Teachers who support the environmental justice movement are a perfect source of information for their students.
If they start teaching about environmental justice in a history class (or any other class that ties into this issue), their students can become ‘creative thinkers’ and more aware of issues like this (Niesenbaum, 2020). Adding some type of racism education plan could be beneficial when raising awareness of the problem.
Joining an organization is another way to play a role in this issue as an individual. According to Sustainable Solutions, the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (CHEJ) “strives to build healthy communities nationwide, promotes social justice, economic well-being, and democratic governance by providing essential resources, strategic partnerships, and training to local leaders to achieve this mission” (Niesenbaum, 2020). Similar to CHEJ, “Green Corps” was founded by a social entrepreneur named Van Jones. He founded Green Corps to create programs for inner-city residents who want to be trained for eco-friendly jobs (Niesenbaum, 2020). Public spending programs like the Green Corps can go a long way when it comes to supporting a movement and an entire community.
Chapter 20 of Saving Us by Katherine Hayhoe starts with a quote from Cass Sunstein stating “if norms lead people to silence themselves, status quo can persist. But one day, someone challenges the norm. After that small challenge, others may begin to see what they think. Once that happens, a drip becomes a flood” (Hayhoe, 2021). This entire chapter talks about how ‘talking matters’ and why we talk about topics we care about and want to share our views with others. But how do these views convince others? When we share our views with others, it allows them to consider what we care about and connects us to their thoughts and their own mindset. When we don’t talk about our views with others, then we don’t have a chance to advocate for change (Hayhoe, 2021).
After reading the quote at the beginning of chapter 20 in Saving Us, the idea of how talking is important is a perfect example of how we can convince others that environmental justice is a serious issue (Hayhoe, 2021). If we start to share our thoughts with the community, then there can be protests, movements, or anything that attracts attention to the problem.
We define sustainability as “A practice, process, or entity is sustainable if its initiatives, actions or impacts work to meet the social, environmental, and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Environmental justice and racism do not meet the social, environmental, and economic needs of people of color who are treated harshly while white individuals don’t. As a whole, individual action truly depends on the passions of the individual and whether they want to make a difference or not. Early education and joining an organization are two of the most important ways to make a change. Early education and joining an organization can have some pros and cons. When it comes to early education, there are different age groups and teaching styles involved (depending on the teacher and their opinions). It would be useful to start environmental racism education in older grades; like middle school and up. Aside from education, starting or joining an organization can have some struggles. Organizations start from one person to hundreds of thousands. It can take time for things to change. But, an upside to that is how fast an organization can grow if a lot of people want to make a change and stand up for those affected by environmental racism. If more people become aware of this issue, then more will want to be involved and take a stand by fighting against environmental racism and joining the environmental justice movement.
