On April 28, the MultiCultural Center and UC Santa Barbara’s Environmental Justice Alliance hosted Environmental Justice Around the World. This event featured a panel of student activists who discussed how movements for ecological justice interact with social justice.
Caroline He / Daily Nexus
The panelists included members from the Office of the External Vice President for Statewide Affairs, the Black Women’s Health Collaborative (BWHC), the United Students Labor Action Committee, the Mauna Kea Protectors and Making Adventures Possible for All Students (MAPAS). Jwan Haddad, a second-year sociology major, and Visala Tallavarjula, a third-year environmental science major, served as moderators.
Carly Lam, a fourth year environmental studies major, spoke on behalf of MAPAS about the importance and connection between individuals and their environment.
[Environmentalism]It is more than protecting the earth. It’s about acknowledging that people are part of the earth, and that we need to protect ourselves and the people that are being most harmed by these really damaging practices, Lam said. It’s about equity. It’s more than just protecting the environment, It’s about making sure that people have everything they need to live a better life.
Honu Nichols is a fourth-year political science major who represents the Mauna Kea Protectors. Honu said that her native identity connects her with the land and that true environmental justice cannot happen without the inclusion and participation of communities of color and indigenous communities.
Nichols stated that environmental justice is about talking to indigenous communities. It is returning to traditional values, understanding, and practices that we already know. Traditional knowledge and practices that indigenous people have about how to preserve the land are already part of their ancestral heritage. The Indigenous perspective is about the future, not how to maximize our utilities or our land and resources now.
She continued, “I think that environmental justice is for me as an Indigenous person protecting my family, land, and earth,” she said.
The moderators asked panelists how desertification, which is the process of fertile soil becoming desert due to poor drought management, relates to environmental justice.
Fourth-year history major Jarod Ramirez, a member of the United Students Labor Action Committee, noted that desert ecosystems are often ignored in traditional environmental protection discourse. Ramirez is a student from the Inland Empire, a region that revolves around San Bernardino & Riverside Ramirez stated that the neglect of desert ecosystems made his community more vulnerable to exploitative mining practices. Disruptive large-scale development.
Ramirez stated, “A lot of people think of environmental justice as grasslands, forests, or oceans. But deserts are an environment that I believe gets underrepresented when it involves environmental justice.”
But they do have a lot of unique and also rare species that don’t exist anywhere else and they also have a lot of cultures and people that live there, he continued. Oftentimes, people think of the desert as this empty, barren place, which means that it’s also perfect for development, which denies the fact that a lot of people do already live there.
Ramirez drew a parallel between the Pushfor the Inland Empire’s growth in the 1980s, and the current efforts of Israel to AlterThe desert ecosystem of Palestine
I had a lot of resonance with how Palestine is viewed as like this desert that needs to be settled or made green, which often denies the fact that it’s already a place with a lot of life. And also the fact that even if it doesn’t have a lot of life, a desert should sometimes just be a desert, Ramirez said
He continued, saying that he was interested in trying to make the desert more green or to make it bloom. It can lead to a lot harmful practices, where non-indigenous species start to appear in deserts. This just causes more instability and destruction of the environment.
The panelists then discussed how important it is to provide resources for students of colour that make them feel comfortable and connected to their environment. Lam explained that MAPAS aims create spaces for students of colour to enjoy the outdoors, including camping trips and hikes specifically designed for historically underrepresented communities.
It’s scary to be outside sometimes as a minority or just feeling like you’re not equipped and you don’t have the skills to be outside, Lam said. Hopefully, MAPAS helps them feel more at ease being outdoors and less distant. We are nature, and we should feel connected to it.
Teannae Owens (BWHC Sex Positive Heat Director), is a fourth-year double major in environmental science and political science. Owens stated that BWHC has recently been involved in sexual health. launchedA community garden only for Black students
It’s just so crucial for a community that has had the means of their production taken, especially in regards to food, to create a physical presence that will continue to be passed down, Owens said. [It is important]This university has this space for Black students to have fresh fruits and veggies.
The panelists also discussed what the difference is between true activism or performative activism in the context of the discussion about environmental justice.
Allinta Tadesse (a third-year environmental sciences major and BWHC liaison for the East African Student Association) reflected on her experiences as a female of color studying environmental sciences and how she felt often marginalized in such spaces.
Everybody is looking to you to answer all questions when it comes down to environmental justice or environmental issues. It’s a pet peeve of mine when people ask me questions about racism, or what they should do, because Im not a Google search engine, Tadesse said. If you’re really passionate about these issues, you should be doing the research on your own and be able to contribute with your own information that you’ve provided.
Panelists also spoke out about the impact of UC on environmental justice issues.
Fifth-year sociology major Esmeralda Quintero Cubillan, UCSBs External vice president of Statewide Affairs, stated that the UC system often congratulates its efforts towards environmental sustainability such as its recent initiatives. EngagementTo become carbon neutral by the year 2025, but neglecting to consider its impact on the community.
Quintero Cubillan cited UCSBs higher student enrollment than the enrollment numbers in its institution. Long-Term Development PlanAs a form of environmental injustice.
Local I.V. rights are an important part of environmental justice. Families to not be priced out in their communities, and to be able live here without fear of being gentrified by students. They stated that the UC is actively promoting this.
Quintero Cubillan stated that part the environmental justice movement includes UCSB students questioning the impact of university actions on the local environment as well as holding university accountable.
When the UC announces that it has admitted the largest class ever of freshmen, it is worth asking the question, “Where are these freshmen going?” Where are they being housed? What are the conditions we’re going to be living in? Quintero-Cubillan said.
What does it actually entail when the UC announces a new partnership with Santa Barbara and Goleta? They continued. Because I promise you it’s going to entail gentrification, it’s going to entail economic violence, and it’s probably going to entail strong-arming the local population to continue working into shitty conditions, like the way that our campus actively treats our staff.
