 |
| Image courtesy of TDSB |
Moderator’s Note: I am posting a series of student blogs prepared for
my University of Washington advanced seminar on “The Cultures and Politics of
Environmental Justice”, which is still meeting for the Winter 2013 quarter. The
current seminar is focused on the history, theory, and practice of
environmental justice. The class read about environmental impact studies,
President Clinton’s historic Executive Order 12898, and the science of risk
assessment. In the process, we also examined indigenous perspectives and
studies on structural violence and intergenerational historical trauma and how
these can be integrated into the emerging more holistic models of cumulative
risk.
We
have explored the various roots and branches of the environmental justice
movement including legendary precursors such as the farm worker, land grant,
working-class, and civil rights movements. The seminar focused on the Chicana/o
critique of mainstream and radical environmentalism by exploring such topics as
the limits and contradictions of the natural resource conservation and
wilderness preservation movements and the rise of ecofeminism, social ecology,
eco-socialism, bioregionalism, anti-toxics and other radical and alternative
schools of environmental action and organization. Finally, we focused on
contemporary debates surrounding the conceptualization of “sustainability” and
have been especially keen to explore the assemblages of race, class, gender,
sexuality, and colonial forms of domination.
This
is, admittedly, a very wide range of topics and readings, but the unifying
themes of the seminar can be summarized in three basic principles: (1) The idea
that biological and cultural diversity are inextricably interwoven; (2) The
existence of indigenous social movements that express an alterNative
epistemology rejecting culture/nature dualism in all its forms; and (3) The
principle that not all human cultures are destructive in the relationships with
the environment and that numerous indigenous and other local place-based
communities can actually serve as inspirational models for human inhabitation
of the earth in a manner that supports and increases biodiversity, ecosystem
integrity, political autonomy, and cultural resilience.
It
is therefore with a great sense of admiration and joy that I present these
student-authored blogs on environmental justice. The second in the series is by
another one of my white male students, Sean Anderson, who focuses on the topic
of environmental education. Sean looks at several examples of innovative
environmental education from the primary and secondary educational level
through institutions of higher education and volunteer service organizations.
On especially inspired example is St. Philip’s Academy in Newark, New Jersey,
which promotes environmental education by “teaching young people about culture,
diversity, and sustainability.”
 |
| Image Credit: Soil Carbon Coalition |
Environmental
Justice Education: The Next Generation
LINKING CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH
EDUCATION
Sean Anderson | Seattle, WA | March 6, 2013
In
Ecological Literacy, David Orr argues
that: “sustainability, citizenship, and real democracy are linked.” Orr pushes
for the idea that the “modern psyche” in relation to citizenship – which is characterized
by “Technological optimism, economic growth, and national power” – is responsible
for the direction and momentum of the move towards a way of life that is not
sustainable (Orr 4). This belief
leads to the question of how we may begin to change the way things are
going. David Orr outlines four
strategies that may be used to initiate processes of change. The first three are “(1) those
strategies that regard change as inevitable and strategy as a kind of
midwifery; (2) those that rely on markets and economic self-interest; (3) [and]
those that rely on public policy, government power, and regulation” (62). The inherent problem with each of these
three sets of strategies is that they rely on change occurring out of
repetition of what we have been doing – gently orienting the direction that
society takes within the political and economic systems that are in place. There is no reason to believe that
continuing these practices will result in any improvement of our
situation. Finally, Orr gives a
fourth, more ‘start at the beginning’, approach: Education.
Orr
claims that: “we still educate at all levels as if no [environmental] crisis
existed.” (83); there is clear evidence that there has been a push for
environmental justice education in and out of schools. The factors that contribute to the
various institutions for environmental justice education are critically
intricate. In order to understand
the different ways in which the institutions operate; they must be analyzed at
the local, national, and international levels. This includes not only formal educational institutions such
as universities and elementary schools but also environmental justice
organizations, which have in their mission statements elements of
education. There are a large
number of such organizations. The
purpose of these institutions, the outcomes of these institutions, and the
changes through which these institutions have gone are essential considerations
in the analysis of how well they perform the task of educating people in
environmental justice. In considering
the outcomes, it is important to emphasize for whom the outcomes are accessible
and useful.
There
are innumerable institutions of formal education in which students may be
expected to or can choose to learn about environmental justice; the access to
and outcomes of these institutions differ from one case to another especially
when contrasting elementary education with higher education. There are, however, few academic
institutions, which specifically foster the development of a higher
understanding of environmental injustices and what is being done or can be done
to combat them side by side with other class work. Still, these institutions exist and vary from elementary
schools with programs such as the EcoSPACES program at St. Philip’s Academy to higher
education institutions such as the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy.
 |
| 'Edgeless School' Garden at St. Philip's Academy, Newark, NJ. Photo Courtesy of Taubman College, Univ. of Michigan |
St.
Philip’s Academy in Newark, New Jersey is a great example of programs that are
being implemented to teach young people about culture, diversity, and
sustainability among many other important critical thinking concepts. Using a “family-style lunch program,
rooftop garden, teaching kitchen and science lab...” students learn about the
food they eat, leading to “an understanding of sustainability from seed to
table.” (St. Philip’s Academy) From the description of the school’s academic
programs, it appears to be following ideas similar to those outlined by David
Orr. In the introduction to the
first chapter Orr states that: “Until we see the crisis of sustainability as
one with roots that extend from public policies and technology down into our
assumptions about science, nature, culture, and human nature, we are not likely
to extend our prospects much.” (1) The sentiment being expressed by both is
that, in order for there to be change, those who seek change must alter the way
that they socialize young people into their relationship with others and with
the world around them.
St.
Philip’s Academy not only teaches children concepts that can lead to
sustainable and just lifestyles; it is located in an area where many children
are not usually getting these kinds of opportunities. Newark, New Jersey has a significantly larger African
American population than the state as a whole – 52.4% compared to 13.7%
respectively in 2010 (US Census Bureau).
Moreover, Newark’s percent of peoples below the poverty line is nearly
three times that of the state as a whole, at 26.1% (US Census Bureau). This academy, therefore, is a perfect
example of what needs to happen for low-income communities of color to learn
about the issues, which are disproportionately effecting their own communities.
The
University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy is a very interesting creation of
the move towards looking at food in a different way that has an obvious
emphasis on education. The
University has an undergraduate program and multiple graduate programs dealing
with this food education. The
three year undergraduate program emphasizes the merging of “both science and
humanities” to create a multidisciplinary study of “food production,
processing, distribution and promotion”. (Universita degli Studi di Scienze
Gastronomiche) There are currently
four masters degree programs being offered in ‘Food Culture and Communications’,
which emphasize the same mix of science and humanities. These programs welcome international
students and are taught in English.
Although this requires that the students be able to speak English; it is
a huge step in the right direction to have an international institution with
the aim of educating people about their food.
The
founder of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, Carlo Petrini, is also the
founder of the Slow Food Movement.
The Slow Food Movement has grown out of an opposition to fast food –
specifically a McDonald’s that opened in Italy – and, according to TIME
Magazine, “dedicated itself to the protection of traditional foods and
agricultural biodiversity.”
Through this dedication, it has “changed the way we think about eating.”
(Ducasse)
These
formal institutions, however, are not the only institutions working towards an
educated community in relation to food; moreover, they are not the most
important. The Food Sovereignty
Movement is another movement that is gaining ground for good reason in the
minds of the masses. This
movement, being carried by multiple groups around the world, is concentrated on
giving back the right of the people to be sovereign; that is to make their own
decisions, when it comes to their food.
Importantly, this movement is also using education as a crucial tool in
getting people organized and getting people to understand their part in the
movement.
On
the website for Grassroots International: Funding Global Movements for Social
Change, there is a description of the book put out for the Food Sovereignty
Movement Food for Thought and Action: A Food Sovereignty Curriculum. As the name suggests, this book’s
purpose is to educate the public “to strengthen a growing food sovereignty
movement that includes consumers, farmers, environmentalists and faith
communities.” (Food For Thought and Action) This is idea is paramount. Not only must we educate people; we must all be educated in
the ideas and beliefs of other groups.
The
experiences of volunteers who have participated in organizations such as WWOOF
and Peace Corps also show clearly that the people of the host farms or
countries, respectively, are not the only people who are receiving help. These organizations along with many
others like them have the wonderful byproduct, whether it is an explicit goal
or not, of creating or nourishing a strong relationship between the volunteers
and the people that they help.
Meanwhile, these volunteers gain skills that can be useful when they
return home or go on to a new project.
Although
WWOOF is an international organization operating in countries all over the
world, it is a much better resource for staying closer to home and learn about
sustainable lifestyles locally.
This is due to the policy on membership, which requires volunteers to
pay a small fee for each national organization that they choose to join. This is not to prevent volunteers from
traveling, however. Anyone who is
able to spare the membership fee, 30 – 40 dollars for WWOOF USA, is welcome to
join. By dedicating themselves to
their mission “to link visitors with organic farmers, promote an educational
exchange, and build a global community conscious of ecological farming
practices” (WWOOF around the world) the organization shows an understanding
that education is the key to successful social change.
WWOOF,
in addition to connecting volunteers to farms where they can learn about
farming, organic growing, and sustainability among many other things, also
provides resources to any interested individual through their website so that
people have the opportunity to self educate to a degree using the knowledge of
people who are actually practicing the lifestyles. This includes resources such as that featured on the
homepage of their website, a forum called Permies.com. This forum allows visitors to ask any
question pertaining to, or not, permaculture.
Permaculture
is an example of one way that people are making an attempt at actually living
sustainably. According to
permaculture.org, “Permaculture is an ecological design system for
sustainability in all aspects of human endeavor. It teaches us how build
natural homes, grow our own food, restore diminished landscapes and ecosystems,
catch rainwater, build communities and much more.” (Permaculture
Institute) It is important to note
the use of the verb ‘teaches’.
This group, in addition to the others I have mentioned, is pushing for
an educational program as the answer to our need for change. This is not only my interpretation; the
website goes on to explain that “The Permaculture Institute is an educational
non-profit”. (Permaculture Institute)
This permaculture education occupies a large portion of the
website. Although participants are
expected to pay for transportation and tuition, it would be an excellent choice
for someone who wants to be educated about sustainable living but cannot go to
a university for one of a variety of reasons.
Peace
Corps is a well known resource for volunteers to find purpose in helping those
in other countries who wish to be helped; however, the individuals who do the
volunteering also receive an education from the experience. In fact, coupled with classes from a
participating university, Peace Corps is a way for students to get hands on
work to complete a master’s degree.
According to the Peace Corps website as well as literature received from
the Peace Corps representative at the University of Washington, the last of the
three goals in the Peace Corps mission is to “[help] promote a better
understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.” (Peace Corps) Although it is not the only thing that
volunteers do, agriculture is one of the six areas in which volunteers can be
trained to work. The training
occurs both inside of a classroom for the first three months and outside of the
classroom doing hands on work and talking with local peoples throughout the
experience. During this time,
volunteers helping in agricultural areas “work with small farmers to increase
food production while promoting environmental conservation practices.” (Peace
Corps) These volunteers would
likely learn about many of the same practices emphasized in WWOOF
volunteering. According to the
website, “40 percent of Volunteers are involved in some capacity to support
food security through projects in health and nutrition, agriculture, and the
environment.” (Peace Corps) This
shows a strong dedication to environmental justice by the organization as well
as a willingness to learn about these issues by the hosts. As a whole, I see it as an educational
experience for everyone involved.
Given
the financial compensation for volunteering with Peace Corps – they give an
allowance for food and housing based on location and pay a lump sum at the end
of the service – it may seem to be a very accessible source of education. However, it is only a reasonable choice
for those who are able to leave their home for over two years: excluding
parents and other caregivers or anyone who is depended on by others. Moreover, even if the Peace Corps is a
good fit for volunteers; the individuals are not always a good fit for Peace
Corps. Anyone wishing to apply
must fill out an extensive application online and go through the process; but
only a small percent are accepted.
Luckily,
there is also a plethora of alternatives to serving in Peace Corps that have
opportunities for those who may not be able to go into Peace Corps due to time
constraints, not getting accepted, or any other reason they may have. The book Alternatives to the Peace Corps: A Guide to Global Volunteer Opportunities, published by Food First, catalogs many of these
opportunities nationally and internationally. Many of these opportunities provide financial assistance in
a variety of forms – making financial status less of a hindrance to being able
to learn about environmental justice, food sovereignty, and many other
movements.
Although
this book includes organizations that allow volunteers to participate in a
variety of national and global justice movements, education in environmental
justice is still one of the prominent features. One that stands out is The Food Project whose mission, according
to their entry in Alternatives to the
Peace Corps, “is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth
and adults from diverse backgrounds working together to build a sustainable
food system.” (Hachmyer 95)
Volunteers simultaneously help out on farms for residents and “learn
about sustainable agricultural practices and food-systems, as well as
food-security issues.” (Hachmyer 95)
Although this is not one of the many opportunities with financial
assistance available; it is a minimal time commitment; the age limitations are
not inhibiting; and it is within the United States. This is one of many widely varying opportunities available
in the book that can be found online for an extremely low price – especially if
you do not mind an older edition of the book.
Each
of these examples reveal how there is a very popular and growing movement
toward education as the primary mode of social change for environmental
justice. Each of the major
movements discussed, along with many others that I have not discussed, value
education as a particularly important aspect of their mission. Every formal as well as informal
institution that I have looked into with an emphasis on environmental justice,
including plenty that are not included here, have emphasized education in their
missions or programs. This is a
sign of a new view towards how we socialize our youth as well as how we allow
ourselves to be socialized, having opportunities from early schooling to
post-graduation for people to learn about how their food is grown, how it can
be done sustainably, what will happen if it is not done in that way, and how
they can do it themselves from a rural farm to an urban environment.
Of
course not everyone has the opportunity to choose to go to an elementary school
where these programs are offered or take time out of their week, month, or year
to go volunteer with one of the organizations discussed; and this is a problem
that must be addressed if the movements are to reach everyone. However, knowing that these options are
available to many of us, it is the responsibility of the individuals and the
parents to place themselves and the next generation in a situation in which
they are able to gain this knowledge.
Citations
Ducasse, Alain. “The Slow Revolutionary.” TIME. 03
Oct 2004: n. page. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,708942,00.html>.
“Food For Thought and Action: A Food Sovereignty
Curriculum.” Grassroots International. N.p., 04 Mar 2013. Web. 4 Mar 2013. <http://www.grassrootsonline.org/publications/educational-resources/food-thought-action-a-food-sovereignty-curriculum>.
Hachmyer, Caitlin. Alternatives to the Peace Corps.
12th ed. Oakland: Food First Books, 2008. 1-130. Print.
Orr, David. Ecological Literacy. New York: State
University of New York Press, Albany, 1992. 1-179. Print.
Peace Corps. N.p., 04 Mar 2013. Web. 4 Mar 2013. <http://www.peacecorps.gov/>.
“Permaculture Forums at Permies.” Permies: a big
crowd of permaculture goofballs. N.p., 04 Mar 2013. Web. 4 Mar 2013. <http://www.permies.com/forums>.
Permaculture Institute. N.p., 04 Mar 2013. Web. 4 Mar
2013. <http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/index/>.
St. Philip’s Academy: an independent, coeducational
K-8 school located in Newark, New Jersey. N.p., 04 Mar 2013. Web. 4 Mar 2013.
<http://www.stphilipsacademy.org/>.
Universita degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche.
N.p., 04 Mar 2013. Web. 4 Mar 2013. <http://www.unisg.it/en/>.
United States of America. US Census Bureau. Newark
(city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. 2013. Web.
<http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3451000.html>.
WWOOF around the world. N.p., 31 Aug 2012. Web. 4 Mar
2013. <http://www.wwoof.org/>.
