The Environmental Justice Lab: Recent Episodes
Dr. Lesley Joseph
Welcome to the Environmental Justice Lab. I'm your host, Dr. Lesley Joseph. Here, we explore issues related to environmental racism and the ways in which communities of color are impacted. Each episode tackles a serious environmental justice issue and calls for action to address them. Thanks for listening!
In this episode, I get to talk with Kibri Everett - environmental scientist, GIS specialist, PhD candidate at UNC-Charlotte, and founder of Key Environmental Consulting - to pull back the curtain on the data center boom sweeping the nation.
Kibri has been on the front lines of this issue long before it hit the headlines. She recently testified before the Charlotte City Council, helping to secure a unanimous vote for a 150-day moratorium on new data centers - a major grassroots win. In this conversation, she breaks down what that fight looked like and why it matters far beyond Charlotte:
- How data centers consume staggering amounts of water and energy while gobbling up land in majority-minority communities
- The xAI/Memphis nightmare, where hundreds of diesel generators are spewing air pollution in a historically Black neighborhood
- Why the AI revolution is an environmental justice crisis, with hyperscale facilities are targeting the same communities that have always been sacrificed for industrial development
- What the Charlotte moratorium actually accomplished, and why 150 days is just a start
- Practical strategy for communities facing a data center proposal: where to organize, who to call, and how to bring data-driven expertise to your fight
Kibri also shares how her company helps community groups arm themselves with the technical knowledge they need to stand up to billion-dollar tech companies, and why strength in numbers is the most powerful tool we’ve got.
If you’ve ever wondered what’s really powering the AI boom, and whether your community could be next on the list, this episode is essential listening.
Follow Kibri Everett:
Key Environmental Consulting
LinkedIn
HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative
Resources:
Charlotte, NC approves data center moratorium - The Charlotte Observer
"Stop Dirty Data Centers" Campaign - NAACP
$64 billion of data center projects have been blocked or delayed amid local opposition - Data Center Watch
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What happens to a place built on punishment when a movement demands it be rebuilt for life?
On this episode, Dr. Lesley Joseph sits down with two frontline fighters in the battle to close Rikers Island and transform it into something radically different: a hub of renewable energy and community sustainability.
Manuel Figueroa — Member of Freedom Agenda, and a justice-impacted individual who lived through the system — brings the raw, on-the-ground truth of what it means to be caught between broken promises and political whiplash. He watched the city’s reentry programs get gutted under Mayor Eric Adams, and he knows what happens when people in power decide the “built-in forgetter” kicks in.
Michael Higgins Jr. — Land use planner at the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and coordinator of the Renewable Rikers Coalition — walks us through the legislative machinery: the Renewable Rikers Act, Intro 881, and the decades-long fight to not just close the jails but to reimagine the island — with wastewater treatment, solar energy, and infrastructure that actually serves the communities that have been choked by pollution and incarceration for generations.
Together, they talk about the real obstacles — the developers circling, the political amnesia, the competing visions that would rather turn Rikers into a profit center than a public good. And they leave us with a challenge: What does justice actually look like when we stop treating it like an abstraction?
This is the fight to turn a site of suffering into a source of renewal. And it’s not just about New York.
Tune in and ask yourself: What’s your community’s Rikers?
Resources:
Campaign to Close Rikers Website
Renewable Rikers: Instagram& Website
Freedom Agenda: Instagram& Website
NYC-EJA: Instagram & Website
Recent Articles:
NYC press release on RIker's Island Closures
Rikers’ closure plan moves a step closer after long-awaited land transfers
Mamdani transfers vacant Rikers Island facilities, restarting dormant piece of jail’s closure plan
Former Rikers Island detainees cautiously optimistic the end of facility is near after jailhouse infirmary closure
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Environmental justice isn’t about making sure pollution is evenly distributed. It’s about making sure there is no pollution to distribute.
In this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab, I break down the 6th principle of Environmental Justice. The principle demands the cessation of the production of all toxins, hazardous waste, and radioactive materials, and holds producers strictly accountable to the people for detoxification and containment at the point of production.
Let's be crystal clear: the burden of pollution doesn’t belong on the backs of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities who are forced to live next to toxic facilities. It belongs on the producers — the corporations and industries who profit from poisoning our air, water, and soil.
Think about it this way: If CEOs had to live next to their own plants, how quickly would they find cleaner ways to operate?
This episode is a call to stop compromising, stop capitulating, and stop letting polluters shift the blame onto the people they’re harming. Environmental justice demands accountability. It demands detoxification. It demands we stop polluting.
Tune in, get educated, and get engaged because we’re not wavering.
References:
The Principles of Environmental Justice
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The EPA has been gutted. Scientists are being sent home. NOAA is being dismantled. And in the middle of all this deregulation, our elected officials keep voting against what we actually want. So what do we do about it?
On this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab, I sit down with Sadie Holzmeyer, National Organizing Director of the Digital Democracy Project — a nonpartisan nonprofit building a voter-driven system of government from the ground up.
Sadie tells us how she went from a random Google search to living out of an RV, crisscrossing the country to build a movement that lets you — the registered voter — weigh in directly on the bills that shape your life, your community, and your environment. Using certified mobile voting technology, the Digital Democracy Project puts real legislation in front of real voters, with plain-language summaries, community-sourced pros and cons, organizational stances, and even an AI-powered VoteBot to help you cut through the legal jargon. The results? Public, transparent, and district-level — so your legislator can’t claim they didn’t know what you wanted.
We talk about why this matters for environmental justice, how candidates running for office are vowing to use the platform to dictate their voting patterns, and why any politician who refuses to support this kind of direct voter input might just be telling you they’re anti-democratic.
From federal bills to state legislation, from Florida to all 50 states by 2027 — and maybe even beyond U.S. borders — the Digital Democracy Project is proving that democracy doesn’t have to be a spectator sport.
Finally, the call to action: Download the app, get verified, and start weighing in at digitaldemocracyproject.org. And if you’re in one of the 43 states that doesn’t yet have a state organizing director — maybe that’s you. Think about it.
Resources:
The Digital Democracy Project Website
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What happens to the earth when we wage war? Dr. Lesley Joseph - environmental engineer, scholar of environmental justice, and author of the forthcoming book War Crimes Against the Earth - joins Sabrina Jacobs, host of The Rude Awakening on 94.1 KPFA, to answer that question with chilling clarity.
A Rude Awakening is an award-winning climate crisis and environmental justice radio show based in Berkeley, CA, and on this episode, Dr. Joseph breaks down how modern warfare has become a deliberate assault on the environments people depend on to live. From Iran’s oil infrastructure bombed into acid rain, to Gaza’s destroyed water systems poisoning the Mediterranean, to the forever chemicals leaking from military bases worldwide, he traces the arc of destruction that doesn’t stop at borders. Drawing on his New Lines magazine piece, “The Toxic Blowback of Israel’s Bombs,” he shows how perchlorates, asbestos, untreated sewage, and carbon emissions from war travel far beyond conflict zones, affecting everyone on the planet.
But this isn’t just a scientific accounting. Dr. Joseph centers the communities on the frontlines of this violence - those already vulnerable, already marginalized - and asks a question that cuts through the noise: If we’re serious about climate justice, why aren’t we talking about the military industrial complex?
This is an important conversation for anyone who believes that peace and environmental justice are inseparable.
References:
Listen to A Rude Awakening on 94.1 KPFA
"The Toxic Blowback of Israel's Bombs" - New Lines Magazine
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What happens when a group of high schoolers turns a $5,000 competition win into a global movement?
In this episode, Dr. Joseph sits down with Abhi Tenneti and Ayush Garg — the high school founders of Green Silicon Valley — an organization run entirely by students, for students, bringing free STEM and environmental education to elementary and middle school classrooms around the world.
We talk about how these young leaders scaled from a single middle school in Santa Clara to over 500 volunteers across seven countries — from Tunisia to Pakistan, China to Nigeria. They share the powerful story of their partnership with an organization in Lagos, Nigeria, where environmental education is being woven into a broader fight against poverty and violence — teaching not just STEM, but real skills to help young people build a future outside of military conscription and gang violence.
We get into the nitty-gritty of running a youth-led organization: the fundraising struggles, the cold-emailing strategy that landed them international partnerships, the hands-on kits that turn saltwater into electricity, and their vision for a world where peer-to-peer climate education is embedded in every school system.
This episode is a testament to what happens when we trust young people to lead, teach, and organize. The climate movement needs more than seasoned experts — it needs youth power, and Green Silicon Valley is showing us exactly what that looks like.
What we talk about:
- 🌍 Youth-led climate & STEM education
- 📚 Peer-to-peer teaching models
- 🌱 Building an international organization from scratch
- 🌏 Environmental justice in Nigeria & the Global South
- 🔬 Hands-on STEM kits for environmental learning
- 💪 The power of intergenerational climate action
Visit greensiliconvalley.com or email info@greensiliconvalley.com to volunteer, partner, or bring their programming to your school — anywhere in the world.
Volunteer sign-up: https://forms.gle/RuVJVtHcMP6aw2cZ9
Teacher sign-up: https://forms.gle/aB2iHFNVpdK8c8gK9
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In this episode of The Environmental Justice Lab, Dr. Lesley Joseph sits down with journalist and award-winning author, Jaha Avery, creator of the podcast series The Corridor, to dig into the truth about “Cancer Alley” - an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River where more than 150 petrochemical plants operate in the shadow of Black communities .
But this story is about more than pollution. It’s about history. Jaha traces how the region’s past - from slavery and plantation economies to segregation and industrial expansion - laid the foundation for what is now one of the most toxic corridors in the United States. The same land that once extracted labor from enslaved people is now extracting health, safety, and life from their descendants. Together, they unpack the human cost of petrochemical production: elevated cancer risks, environmental neglect, and a regulatory system that too often fails the communities it is meant to protect.
But they also center what mainstream narratives often ignore: resistance. From grassroots organizers to community advocates, residents of Cancer Alley are fighting back against corporate power, demanding accountability, and reclaiming their right to a healthy, thriving future. This episode is a reckoning with the past and a call to action for the present.
Because environmental justice isn’t just about pollution.
It’s about power, history, and the right to live.
Resources:
"The Corridor - Trailer
"We're Dying Here": Report on Cancer Alley - Human Right Watch
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What does it really mean to have power over your own life?
In this episode, Dr. Lesley Joseph unpacks the fifth principle of environmental justice: a bold and uncompromising declaration that all people have the fundamental right to self-determination.
This isn’t just about the environment. This is about power. From who controls political systems to who decides what industries enter a community, this episode exposes a critical truth - Without self-determination, there is no justice.
Dr. Joseph breaks down the four dimensions of self-determination:* Political – the right to choose who governs you * Economic – the right to shape the systems that define your livelihood * Cultural – the right to exist, express, and preserve identity without erasure * Environmental – the right to decide what happens in your own community
From zoning decisions that place polluting industries in marginalized neighborhoods to what Dr. Robert Bullard calls “economic blackmail,” this episode connects the dots between environmental harm and systemic control. And it goes further by challenging colonialism, corporate overreach, and even well-intentioned aid systems that strip communities of their autonomy.
Because environmental justice isn’t just about cleaning up pollution after the fact. It’s about ensuring that communities have the power to say yes - or no - from the very beginning.
This episode is a call to reclaim that power.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph breaks down the fourth principle of environmental justice - a principle rooted in resistance, survival, and the fundamental right to live free from toxic harm. It starts with nuclear testing, but it isn’t just about nuclear testing; it’s about who gets sacrificed in the name of progress.
From the radioactive legacy of U.S. nuclear testing in Indigenous communities to today’s extractive industries, fossil fuel pollution, and the rapid expansion of data centers, this episode exposes a hard truth: environmental harm is not distributed equally. It is targeted. Dr. Joseph traces the historical context behind this principle, showing how marginalized communities were treated as expendable in the development of nuclear weapons, and why activists in 1991 demanded universal protection from these dangers.
But this conversation doesn’t stay in the past. This episode challenges us to apply Principle #4 to everything:
* Energy production
* Mining and extraction
* War and militarization
* Big Tech infrastructure
Because at its core, this principle declares something radical and non-negotiable: Clean air, water, land, and food are not privileges; they are fundamental human rights. If an industry cannot operate without harming people or the planet, then the question isn’t how to regulate it - it’s whether it should exist at all.
This is about accountability.
This is about refusing to accept sacrifice zones anywhere on Earth.
Ask yourself: Who is being protected, and who is being exposed?
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In this episode of The Environmental Justice Lab, Dr. Lesley Joseph breaks down the third principle of Environmental Justice, which demands the ethical, balanced, and responsible use of land and renewable resources in order to sustain life on this planet.
Too often, powerful corporations and political leaders treat land, water, and air as commodities to be exploited. Communities are left out of decisions while industries extract resources, drain groundwater, pollute neighborhoods, and sacrifice ecosystems in the name of economic growth and conquest. And when the damage is done, it’s the most vulnerable communities that are forced to live with the consequences.
This episode challenges that model of development. Dr. Joseph explores why the third principle of environmental justice requires transparency, accountability, and community participation in decisions about land and resources. He also explains why the future must move away from destructive extraction and toward renewable energy, responsible stewardship, and sustainable development that benefits everyone, not just those with power.
Because environmental justice demands more than protecting the environment. It demands a sustainable planet where both people and nature can thrive.
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Environmental justice isn’t just about protecting the planet. It’s also about who gets protected and who gets ignored.
In this episode, Dr. Lesley Joseph discusses the 2nd principle of environmental justice, which demands that public policy be built on mutual respect and justice for all people, free from discrimination or bias. That sounds simple, but the reality is far more complicated. Too often, environmental laws are written in ways that leave out the communities that are most affected. Too often, regulations are enforced strictly in wealthy, white neighborhoods, while marginalized, minority communities are left to breathe polluted air and drink contaminated water. And even when good laws exist, they can be quietly undermined when enforcement agencies are defunded or dismantled.
This episode talks about how environmental policy works, and how it sometimes fails the very people it’s supposed to protect. Dr. Joseph explains why true environmental justice requires more than good intentions. It requires equitable policymaking, meaningful community participation, and the political will to enforce the laws that protect people and the planet.
Because environmental justice demands more than promises. It demands fair laws, fair enforcement, and a seat at the table for everyone.
Resources:
The Principles of Environmental Justice
Barriers and opportunities to incorporating environmental justice in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph unpacks the first principle of environmental justice, which affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, the ecological unity of all life, and the right of humans and non-humans alike to be free from ecological destruction. This episode challenges the dominant idea that the environment exists solely for extraction and profit. Instead, Dr. Joseph reframes environmental justice as a moral obligation—one rooted in interdependence, stewardship, and responsibility.
Drawing on his Christian faith tradition, his lived experience, and environmental justice movement principles, he confronts the dangerous belief that progress must come at the cost of pollution, extinction, and sacrifice zones. Listeners are invited to rethink what development, innovation, and prosperity should look like in a world where we know better and therefore must do better.
This episode calls out wasteful, destructive systems and insists that protecting the Earth is not optional, symbolic, or secondary. It is foundational. This is where environmental justice starts: with the recognition that the planet has value beyond profit, that destruction is not inevitable, and that a livable future depends on how fiercely we choose to protect what sustains us all.
Resources:
Principles of Environmental Justice
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Environmental justice is not just about pollution. It's about freedom.
In this episode, Dr. Joseph takes listeners deep into the Preamble to the Principles of Environmental Justice, first articulated at the 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit. But this is not just a technical introduction. Dr. Joseph describes how the preamble is a bold declaration of resistance, connection, and liberation. This episode unpacks how environmental justice emerged as a global movement rooted in the lived experiences of peoples of color facing centuries of colonization, oppression, land theft, and environmental destruction. Dr. Joseph explores the preamble’s insistence on spiritual interdependence with the Earth, the protection of culture and community, and the demand for political, economic, and cultural liberation as essential to survival, not just for the people but for the planet. Dr. Joseph discusses how environmental harm is not accidental, but the direct outcome of systems built on exploitation and extraction, and why environmental justice has always been inseparable from civil rights, self-determination, and global solidarity.
This episode sets the table for everything that follows. The principles begin here - with clarity, urgency, and a refusal to separate environmental protection from human dignity.
Let's get to it!
Resources:
Principles of Environmental Justice
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Environmental justice didn’t begin as a theory - it began as a movement.
In this episode of The Environmental Justice Lab, Dr. Lesley Joseph traces the roots of environmental justice, unpacking how race, class, power, and policy collide to determine who gets clean air, safe water, and healthy communities - and who is forced to bear the burden of pollution and neglect.
From the lived experiences of frontline communities to the emergence of environmental justice as a civil rights struggle, this episode explores how systemic inequality became embedded in land use, infrastructure, and environmental decision-making. You’ll learn why environmental justice goes far beyond “the environment,” how grassroots organizing reshaped national conversations, and why the fight for a truly level playing field is still unfinished.
Whether you’re new to environmental justice or deeply involved in the work, this episode will challenge listeners to see environmental harm not as accidental, but as political, and to recognize that justice is something communities have always had to demand.
This is where the work begins.
Resources:
The Principles of Environmental Justice
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What does it take to confront generations of environmental racism and win?
In this episode, Senior Attorney Chandra Taylor-Sawyer of the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) pulls back the curtain on what it really means to fight for environmental justice in the U.S. South. From zoning decisions that quietly turn Black neighborhoods into dumping grounds, to federal rollbacks that threaten the very civil rights tools that communities rely on, Chandra explains how injustice is built and how organized communities can dismantle it. She shares her journey from North Carolina to national leadership, the creation of SELC’s Environmental Justice Initiative, and the urgent battles unfolding right now to protect civil rights regulations, defend bedrock environmental laws, and challenge discriminatory permitting practices. Chandra also highlights SELC’s groundbreaking storytelling project, “Plantations to Pollution,” which traces how historic disinvestment shapes present-day environmental harms and how communities are rising to demand a different future.
This episode is both a warning and a rallying cry. Even as federal protections are dismantled and civil rights enforcement is weakened, communities still have powerful tools - public comments, citizen lawsuits, organizing, data collection, and collective pressure - to fight for the healthy, thriving environments that they deserve.
If you care about justice anywhere, but particulatly in the South, this conversation will inspire you, ground you in the realities of the struggle, and remind you that change happens when communities refuse to be silent.
Resources:
Southern Environmental Law Center Website: https://www.selc.org/
Plantations to Pollution Project: https://plantationstopollution.selc.org/
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Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
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Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
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You probably do not know this, but your morning cup of coffee carries a dark story. It's a story riddled with deforestation, child labor, slavery, corporate denial, and environmental injustice.
This week, Etelle Higonnet, founder of Coffee Watch, joins the Environmental Justice Lab to expose how the global coffee industry profits from environmental destruction and human suffering, and what must change. Etelle pulls back the curtain on the hidden costs of coffee production: forests cleared for plantations, farmers trapped in poverty, children and women enslaved, and powerful corporations dodging responsibility. But this isn’t just a story of despair. It’s a call to action. She lays out a vision for reform, from traceable supply chains to living wages and consumer activism that forces accountability.
If you drink coffee, you’re part of this system. But, according to Etelle, you can be part of the solution. Let's go!
Resources:
Wake up and Smell the Deforestation - Coffee Watch Report
Morally repugnant’: Brazilian workers sue coffee supplier to Starbucks over ‘slavery-like conditions - The Guardian
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Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
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What happens when the leaders in your hometown turn a Black neighborhood into a dumping ground?
In part 2 of our conversation, environmental scientist and advocate Kibri Hutchison Everett takes us back to my hometown of Rock Hill, South Carolina, to confront the legacy of the so-called “Trash Pile.” What began with the placement of unlined landfill in the heart of a Black neighborhood, the Trash Pile stands as a stark example of how racist policy choices create sacrifice zones in the United States. It is now a neighborhood with no water, sanitation, or city services, despite being within city limits.
Kibri shares how this desolate community still bears the scars of contamination, land loss, and disinvestment, and why she purchased a parcel of land there to transform it into a test site for community science and grassroots advocacy. Together, we explore how pollution, policy, and poverty intersect, and how data, organizing, and courage can shift the fight from environmental injustice to environmental and economic liberation.
This is not just a story about Rock Hill, South Carolina or even the plight of Black communities in the South. It’s about the structures that allow entire communities to be written off, and the movements rising to reclaim land, dignity, and a livable future.
Connect with Kibri Everett
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kibri-hutchison-everett-646b051b3/
Instagram: @the.enviro.vegan and @key.environmental.consulting
Websites: www.keyenvi.com & www.palmettofutures.org
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Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
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What does it mean to fight for environmental justice when the very language of justice is under attack?
In this first episode (of a 2-part series), I talk with environmental scientist, small business owner, and consultant Kibri Hutchison Everett about the fight for environmental justice. We trace her journey from growing up in Rock Hill, South Carolina (my hometown), to working in federal environmental data analysis, and ultimately to founding her own company to support communities on the frontlines of pollution and disinvestment.
We talk about her work with the HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative, and Kibri speaks candidly about the realities of working with marginalized communities, and calling environmental racism what it is, even when federal agencies and political leaders try to erase the term. Together, we unpack how industries target poor Black, Brown, and rural communities, how changes in White House can roll back decades of progress overnight, and why grassroots organizing and data sovereignty remain critical tools for resistance.
This is not just a policy discussion; it’s a call to action. Tune in to learn how environmental justice plays out on the ground and why vulnerable communities are still forced to fight for clean air, clean water, and basic dignity.
Resources:
HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative
Article: Environmental Justice in an Era of Federal Rollbacks
HBCU EJ Screening Tool
Justice40 Awards Tracker
Connect with Kibri Everett
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kibri-hutchison-everett-646b051b3/
Instagram: @the.enviro.vegan
@key.environmental.consulting
Websites:
www.keyenvi.com
www.palmettofutures.org
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In this episode of The Environmental Justice Lab, Dr. Joseph is joined by scholar, strategist, and activist Dr. Bruce Strouble, the founder of Citizens for a Sustainable Future and author of By Any Dreams Necessary - Anti-Racist Strategies for Sustainability, Resilience, and Environmental Justice in African-American Communities.
Dr. Strouble's expertise made for a dynamic conversation about what it really takes to build grassroots environmental power in Black communities. Dr. Strouble brings deep insight into how environmental injustice intersects with political disempowerment, economic inequality, and systemic neglect, particularly in the South. From democracy to youth organizing, he shares stories from the field and hard-earned lessons about community-driven change.
They dive into:
⚡ Why climate solutions often leave Black communities behind
🗳️ How local organizing and political literacy can shift power
🌱 What true sustainability means in communities that have been chronically under-resourced
💡 And why it’s time for the environmental movement to center justice
This episode calls us to rethink how we talk about “green” policy and who’s shaping the conversation. If you care about equity, grassroots organizing, and real solutions that empower the most affected, this is an episode you can’t miss.
🎧 Tune in to hear how Dr. Strouble is flipping the script and building a future rooted in justice, power, and people.
Connect with Dr. Bruce Strouble
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucestroublephd/
https://www.facebook.com/ProfessaStrouble/
https://www.instagram.com/dr_strouble/
https://twitter.com/ProfesaStrouble
Info@brucestroublejr.com
https://www.brucestroublejr.com
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In this episode of The Environmental Justice Lab, Dr. Lesley Joseph sits down with public health expert Dr. Diana Hernández of Columbia University and sociologist Dr. Jennifer Laird of Lehman College to talk about their new book, Powerless: The People's Struggle for Energy.
More than 1 in 4 U.S. households struggle to afford their utility bills, with many facing shutoffs, debt, and the constant stress of choosing between heating and food, or cooling and rent. Powerless brings this hidden crisis into the light, exposing how energy insecurity is not just a personal hardship but a systemic failure rooted in race, class, housing, and policy.
In this episode, Drs. Hernández and Laird reveal:
⚡ Why low-income and marginalized communities are disproportionately energy insecure
🏠 How housing conditions, debt, and disconnection policies deepen inequality
💡 And how we can rethink policy and infrastructure to create a more just energy future
🎧 Tune in now to learn how these two brilliant minds are helping rewire how we think about energy, poverty, and power in America.
Resources:
Powerless - The People's Struggle for Energy
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In this episode, Dr. Lesley Joseph sits down with author, conflict practitioner, and activist Somia Sadiq to discuss her new novel, Gajarah, a story that challenges how we understand land, justice, grief, and the tangled threads of human resilience. Born in Pakistan, raised in Canada, and shaped by a life between cultures and continents, Somia brings her lived experience, and her deep work in justice and peacebuilding, to the page. Through her unforgettable protagonist, Emahn, she explores trauma, displacement, and the often-unspoken truth that healing isn’t linear, and justice doesn’t always come with closure.
Dr. Joseph and Somia explore questions like:
🌿 What if land was a character in your story?
💔 Why do some conflicts never really end, even when we say they’re resolved?
🔥 What does environmental justice look like when we move beyond human-centered narratives?
If you’ve ever felt stuck between cultures, longed for a language to express the “in-between,” or wondered how storytelling can bring us closer to justice—this episode will speak to you.
🎧 Tune in now to hear how Somia's new book, Gajarah, invites us to feel more deeply, think more critically, and honor the land and people that shape our stories.
Buy the book and follow Somia Sadiq on Social Media:
https://www.somiasadiq.com/
https://www.somiasadiq.com/gajarah
https://www.instagram.com/somiasadiq/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/somiasadiq/
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In this episode of The Environmental Justice Lab, our host, Dr. Lesley Joseph, responds to a deeply troubling development: the resignation of Dr. Kimberly Terrell from the Environmental Law Clinic at Tulane University. A respected environmental scientist, researcher, and advocate, Dr. Terrell left her position as the Director for Community Engagement, citing political and donor-driven censorship, after years of research exposing the disproportionate health dangers experienced by the residents of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley.
Dr. Joseph unpacks what this moment means for academic freedom, community-centered research, and the future of environmental justice in the U.S. He draws a clear line between truth-telling and power, asking hard questions about whether universities are still safe havens for critical inquiry, or simply extensions of corporate and political interests. Why are researchers being silenced for revealing the truth about pollution, cancer, and environmental injustice? What happens when scientific evidence threatens the bottom line? And how should the environmental justice research community respond?
This episode is both a tribute to Dr. Terrell’s courage and a rallying cry for researchers, activists, and citizens alike to keep fighting. Because justice demands it.
Resources:
Tulane scientist resigns citing university censorship of pollution and racial disparity research - AP News
Research from Dr. Terrell and the Environmental Law Clinic:
Air pollution is linked to higher cancer rates among black or impoverished communities in Louisiana - Environmental Research Journal
Toxic air pollution and concentrated social deprivation are associated with low birthweight and preterm Birth in Louisiana - Environmental Research Journal
Pervasive racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. petrochemical workforce
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In this episode of The Environmental Justice Lab, I break down the findings from my latest research publication, entitied “Race, Class, Gender, and Waste: A Spatial Analysis of Landfill Siting and Intersectional Inequities in South Carolina.” This article is not simply a data-driven study; it is an investigation into how race, gender, income, and geography intersect to determine who ends up living next to the landfills in South Carolina… and who doesn’t. I explain why landfills are still important in today’s environmental justice movement. I talk about the history of waste-related activism, and discuss how communities, particularly Black women, Hispanic women, and female-led households in poverty, are disproportionately burdened by the health, environmental, and social harms of landfill placement.
The episode goes beyond statistics. It’s a reflection on the academic resistance to justice-focused research in engineering, an ode to cross-institutional collaboration, and a rallying cry for policy change, intersectional thinking, and true community engagement.
🎧 Tune in now to hear why it’s time we rethink how we manage our waste, and who bears the cost.
Resources:
Race, Class, Gender, and Waste: A Spatial Analysis of Landfill Siting and Intersectional Inequities in South Carolina - Environmental Sociology
Toxic Waste and Race in the United States - Full Report
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In this episode, we confront a powerful but often overlooked reality: environmental injustice doesn’t just harm our bodies - it harms our minds and breaks our spirits.
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, this episode sheds light on the hidden emotional toll of living in neglected, polluted, and disaster-prone communities. From climate anxiety to post-traumatic stress, Dr. Joseph explains how the fear, powerlessness, and injustice faced by frontline communities leads to real, lasting psychological harm. Drawing from research and real-world examples, including Flint, Michigan and global conflict zones, Dr. Joseph explores how trauma, uncertainty, and systemic neglect affect mental wellness just as much as contaminated water or polluted air. And the message is clear: these impacts are not random. They are patterned. They are unjust. And they must be addressed.
This episode is both a call for recognition and a call to action. If we truly care about justice, we must care for the mental health of those most affected. Whether you’re an advocate, policymaker, healthcare provider, or someone seeking to understand more, this episode will expand your perspective and your compassion.
🎧 Tune in now to discover why mental health must be part of every environmental justice conversation.
Resources:
The Mental Distress of Environmental Injustice - Urban Health Council
The Emotional Distress of Living in an Environmental Justice Community - International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
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In the conclusion to this series, our special guest Savannah Domenech and I take a reflective look back at their deep dive into Rochester’s legacy of environmental injustice. Throughout this series, we explored how Kodak’s rise and fall left deep economic, environmental, and public health scars on the Rochester community. In this episode, Savannah shares personal stories, research insights, and the powerful realization that even lifelong residents often don't know the full extent of the damage. We discuss why legacy environmental injustice doesn't end when a company closes its doors - and why community awareness, activism, and healing must continue. From environmental pollution to gentrification, the conversation reminds us that true justice requires confronting the past and committing to building a better future. We urge all of you listening to dig into your own local histories, connect with your neighbors, and advocate for change - because the fight for clean, safe, and equitable communities impacts everyone.
🎧 Tune in for a conversation that will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to act. The journey doesn’t end here - it’s just the beginning.
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In this personal episode, we recognize Black Maternal Health Week with a reflection on the systemic failures that Black women face during pregnancy and childbirth. Together, we explore the heartbreaking reality that Black women - regardless of income or education - consistently experience the worst maternal health outcomes in the U.S. Why are they not being heard? Why are their concerns dismissed, even by healthcare professionals? And what does it say about the society we live in?
As we draw connections between environmental racism, healthcare inequities, and the lived experiences of Black mothers, we go beyond the statistics, and get personal about our family experiences, toxic beauty standards, and the critical importance of clean, safe environments and culturally competent medical care. As you listen, we hope that you will walk away not only informed, but inspired to act. Whether it’s advocating for Black physicians, confronting harmful stereotypes, or demanding safer neighborhoods, this is both a call to consciousness and a call to action.
🎧 Tune in for an urgent conversation and learn how you can stand in solidarity with Black mothers, this week and every week.
Resources:
Black Women Maternal Health - Fact Sheet
"With Black doctors, Black people live longer" - STAT News
How Serena Williams saved her own life - ELLE Magazine
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In this episode, Savannah Domenech is back to dive into the economic effects of Kodak’s rise and fall in Rochester, New York. For decades, Kodak wasn’t just a company - it was the economic backbone of the city, providing tens of thousands of jobs and shaping the entire community. But when the company went bankrupt, so did the financial security of many Rochester residents.
What happens when an industry that once promised prosperity vanishes? Savannah unpacks the stark realities of Kodak’s economic collapse, from lost pensions and skyrocketing unemployment to the struggles of former workers forced back into the job market. They explore the racial and gender disparities in Kodak’s hiring and wage practices, the class-action lawsuits that followed, and the devastating impact of the company’s bankruptcy on retirees who were left with nothing.
But this isn’t just a story of loss - it’s also one of resilience. How did the community rebuild after the downfall of its largest employer? And what lessons can we learn about relying too heavily on a single industry? Let's explore this and so much more on this episode of The Environmental Justice Lab.
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In this episode, we dive deep into the urgent water crises affecting communities worldwide. Although the United Nations’ theme for World Water Day 2025 highlights glacier preservation, we are shifting the conversation to the pressing issue of water access in war zones, underprivileged communities, and regions suffering from environmental neglect.
From Gaza to Flint, Sudan to Ukraine, billions are struggling to secure clean, safe water. We discuss how water scarcity is not just a resource issue but a matter of human rights and environmental justice. We also explore the devastating impact of climate change, conflict, and inequality on global water supplies, emphasizing how access to water determines survival, health, and social equity.
Why are some communities forced to buy bottled water while others enjoy clean tap water? How has water become a weapon in modern conflicts? And could future wars be fought over this essential resource? Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the politics of water, the disparities in global access, and what we can do to push for change.
Because water isn’t a privilege. It’s a right.
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In this episode, we confront one of the most devastating consequences of Kodak’s industrial legacy: its impact on public health. For decades, the communities surrounding Kodak’s operations in Rochester have faced alarming health disparities—rising cancer rates, respiratory illnesses, and other chronic conditions linked to toxic pollution. Savannah unpacks the harsh reality of how environmental contamination has disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, especially children and low-income families.
But this episode is not just about the problem—it’s about the fight for solutions. How do you heal a community that has been exposed to industrial pollution for generations? What policies or healthcare interventions are needed to address these long-standing health disparities? And most importantly—how can we prevent this from happening again in other communities? If you are concerned about the intersection of health, equity, and environmental justice, this episode is essential listening.
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In this continuation of our series on Legacy Environmental Justice, we shift our focus from Kodak to the people of Rochester - the communities that lived in the shadow of the factory, bore the brunt of its pollution, and are still dealing with its lasting effects today. Savannah unpacks eye-opening statistics from the latest census, revealing how economic hardship, failing school systems, and environmental degradation have shaped the city over time.
At the heart of this episode lies in the deeply human impact of Kodak’s environmental footprint. From toxic spills near elementary schools to alarmingly high cancer rates in women and children, we discuss how systemic neglect and corporate irresponsibility continue to haunt Rochester long after Kodak's decline.
How does a community recover from a century of environmental injustice? What can be done to protect future generations? And is anyone still being held accountable? This is a conversation about resilience, accountability, and the fight for justice. If you want to learn more about environmental equity and the real-life consequences of corporate pollution, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
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In this episode, we welcome back Savannah Domenech for a deep dive into the rise and fall of Kodak— and the lasting environmental and social impacts on Rochester, New York. Once a corporate giant that defined photography for generations, Kodak was more than just a company — it was the backbone of an entire community. Savannah unpacks Kodak’s golden era, its contributions to Rochester, and how it became synonymous with job security and innovation. But, as the company declined, so did its reputation, with environmental disasters, mass layoffs, and lingering pollution leaving a lasting mark on the city and its people.
Was Kodak a benevolent giant, or just another corporation prioritizing profits over people? How did the Rochester community respond when faced with toxic spills and economic downturns? And what lessons can we learn from Kodak’s environmental justice legacy?
Join us for an eye-opening conversation that connects history, business, and environmental responsibility. If you’re interested in corporate accountability, community resilience, and the real-world impacts of industrial decline, this episode is a must-listen.
Resources:
Pollution By Kodak Brings Sense Of Betrayal - NY Times
The Environmental Ruin of Kodak - Psychology Today
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For many, fighting for environmental justice means pushing polluters to stop poisoning our air and water. It means shutting down non-compliant factories and industrial facilities that refuse to follow the law. However, environmental justice issues can persist long after these facilities shut down or stop polluting. It's called "legacy environmental (in)justice", where the pollution of the past continues to impact our present. Not much has been said on this, but it's something that we need to discuss and confront wherever we see it.
On this episode, we begin our discussion about legacy environmental justice with Savannah Domenech, a Senior majoring in Environmental Management at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. (And she promised to stay with us for several episodes on this topic.)
So let's get into it!
Resources:
A Primer on Legacy Pollution - PBS
Legacy Pollution and Health - University of Wisconsin
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Happy New Year and welcome to Season 4 of the Environmental Justice Lab. We have a lot of amazing stories and analysis planned for this season. From thinking through the implications of a new president in the United States for EJ work to examining topics like legacy environmental justice to lifting up marginalized voices around the world, we are going to be getting deep this year. Stay with us! Connect with us! And support us!
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It's the holiday season, and we are coming to the end of another amazing season of the Environmental Justice Lab Podcast. And to finish the year strong, we have a 2-part conversation with the El-Sayeghs. They are a dynamic father-daughter duo of Palestinian engineers who care deeply about environmental justice and equity. I hope you enjoy these episodes as much as I enjoyed recording them.
So let's get into Part 1 of my conversation with the El-Sayeghs!
Resources:
Five Myths about Israel & Palestine
Voices from Gaza
Reports from B’Tselem (Israeli Human Rights Organization)
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We are talking about infrastructure apartheid. Infrastructure can play an important role in social inclusion and economic growth. However, when infrastructure is inadequate, it can lead to social exclusion, poverty, and poor health. The fact that some people in some places have more better, more resilient, more effective infrastructure than others is not an accident. Decisions are being made that keep people from enjoying the quality of infrastructure that would allow them to live healthy, whole lives, while others have an overabundance of high-quality systems and infrastructure. It’s not right.
So let’s talk about it on this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab.
Resources:
How infrastructure has historically promoted inequality - PBS News
‘Infrastructure apartheid’: Africatown’s fight against toxins, new toll bridge
Green Apartheid: Urban green infrastructure remains unequally distributed across income and race geographies in South Africa - Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning
Israel's Apartheid against Palestinians - Amnesty International
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We are (still) talking about food apartheid. While the United Nations has the goal of a world free from hunger by 2030, the reality is that because of these inequitable food systems, we are far from that goal. From conflict to climate change, there is a lot that is keeping us from living in a hunger-free world.
So let’s get into it on this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab.
Resources:
Food Apartheid - ReGeneration.
Food Apartheid | Why we should change the way we talk about food deserts
Global Food Crisis - World Food Programme
Violence and the Right to Food - The Situation in Palestine
The Question of Palestine: The Right to Food - United Nations (2003)
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We are still talking about food apartheid. The fact that some people in some places have more food choices that they need, while others have no good food choices at all. And on this episode, we are focusing on how food apartheid shows itself in the United States. Trust me, it’s not an accident. People are making decisions that keep healthy foods in some neighborhoods and keeps them out of other neighborhoods. It’s not right.
So let’s talk about it on this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab.
Resources:
USDA's Legacy of Discrimination - Environmental Working Group
How corporations buy - and sell - food made with prison labor - The Counter
Supermarket Redlining
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We are talking about food apartheid. The fact that some people in some places have more food choices that they need, while others have no good food choices at all. And it’s not an accident. Decisions are being made that keep healthy foods in some neighborhoods and keeps them out of other neighborhoods. It’s not right.
So let’s get into it on this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab.
Resources:
Food Apartheid: Racialized Access to Healthy Affordable Food
Food Swamps Predict Obesity Rates Better Than Food Deserts in the United States
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Since the early 20th century, plastic has been around and has dominated US consumerism. Unfortunately, it hurts the planet in all phases of its life cycle– from when it’s produced (emitting greenhouse gases), to when it’s used (releasing microplastics), to when it’s discarded (rotting in landfills). That being said, everyone knows its negative impact on the environment, but nothing major has been done to reduce this planet-destroying product. So today, we are talking about plastic pollution, but specifically zeroing in the last phase of its life and where it is discarded: developing nations.
Let’s explore the research behind it. Join us!
Resources:
US generates more plastic trash than any other nation - National Geographic
How the fossil fuel industry is pushing plastics on the world - CNBC
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Climate Apartheid. This phrase, coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, describes the ways in which the wealthy and well-connected insulate themselves from the impacts of climate change, while the rest of are left to suffer from them. This two-tiered way of dealing with climate change leaves the vulnerable behind and creates a world where there are two different climate realities. We have to work to identify and dismantle climate apartheid wherever we see it. So let’s get into it on this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab.
Resources:
'I dare not be quiet': What climate activist Ndelika Mandela learned from her granddad - National Public Radio
UN expert condemns failure to address impact of climate change on poverty – United Nations Commission on Human Rights
Climate Apartheid: The Forgetting of Race in the Antropocene
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Apartheid. It’s not a word that you can just throw around. When it’s used, it suggests a systematic, deliberate, intentional effort to subjugate and oppress another group with full governmental support. It started in South Africa. It was present in the United States of America. It’s happening now to Palestinians. And now it’s happening to our environment.
It’s called “Environmental Apartheid”. And we need to call it out. Name it. Dismantle it. But first, we need to educate ourselves and be aware of how it functions around us.
So let’s get into it on this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab.
Resources:
A History of Apartheid in South Africa
Environmental Apartheid: Eco-health and Rural Marginalization in South Africa - Journal of Rural Studies
American Apartheid
The Legacy of American Apartheid and Environmental Racism
Infrastructure Apartheid with Dr. Maya Carrasquillo - Cities @ Tufts Podcast
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The time is now. It’s time to get off of the sideline. It’s time to educate and advocate. Educate yourself on the issues that plague the Occupied Palestinian Territories, otherwise known as Palestine. Then, after you have educated yourself, it’s time to advocate. Advocate for the Palestinian people. Advocate for freedom and justice to reign in the region.
The time is now. #freepalestine #ceasefirenow
(A few) Advocacy Groups:
Churches for Middle East Peace
Jewish Voices For Peace
If Not Now Movement
Resources:
Six ways to support Palestinians in Gaza - American Friends Service Committee
How to help Palestine - Palestine Children's Relief Fund
Trusted Organizations to Donate to in Palestine - Build Palestine
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War is raging in Gaza. People are being killed. Homes and schools and hospitals are being destroyed. Famine has ravaged the land. But there is also something else going on. Ecocide. The complete and utter destruction of the environment in Gaza. Water infrastructure has been destroyed. Wastewater infrastructure has been decimated. Soil is contaminated. The air is unbreathable. We do not talk enough about how war destroys the environment and exacerbates climate change. Well, we’re talking about it today. Starting with Gaza…
Resources:
The UN is investigating the environmental impact of the war in Gaza - EuroNews
Emissions from Israel's war in Gaza have "immense" effect on climate catastrophe - The Guardian
Legal Definition of "Ecocide" - Stop Ecocide Foundation
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You need water to live. I need water to live. Everyone needs water to live. However, in Palestine, the necessary amount of water is not flowing to the Palestinians.
It's not just a matter of water insecurity. It's water injustice. It's water apartheid. And it needs to stop.
So let's talk about it.... #ceasefirenow #releasethehostagesnow #freepalestine
Resources:
The Occupation of Water - Amnesty International (11/2017)
Palestinians struggle to get water - Al Jazeera (08/2023)
Gaza children face acute water and sanitation crisis - UNICEF (09/2017)
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Food justice and food sovereignty are hallmarks of a free society. The ability to get the food you need, when you need it, is critical for any group of people to flourish. However, this is not the case in Palestine.
Long before the current war on Gaza, food justice and food sovereignty were not present.
And we need to talk about it.... #ceasefirenow #releasethehostagesnow #freepalestine
Resources:
Palestine - World Food Programme
Restrictions on food sovereignty in Palestine - Visualizing Palestine
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Peace requires environmental justice.
That’s it.
ceasefirenow #releasethehostagesnow #freepalestine
Resources:
Peace will require environmental justice - The Century Foundation
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We need to talk about Palestine. I've been avoiding it. My guess is that you have been avoiding it. But we cannot avoid it any longer.
Too many deaths. Too many parentless children. Too many environmental injustices. It's time to talk about it and take a stand.
So I'm going to try and talk about it....
ceasefirenow #releasethehostagesnow #freepalestine
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DEI. Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. With the proliferation of DEI offices, officers, divisions, and initiatives, are we actually seeing more justice done in our communities? Are our institutions more equitable? Is it leading to environmental justice and equity for all? And how are we talking about DEI when issues related to justice come up?
We need to talk about it.
Resources:
What is DEI?
Failure of the DEI Industrial Complex - The Harvard Business Review
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Race. According to researchers, it’s the #1 characteristic that informs the presence of environmental injustice. However, I’ve noticed that in the literature and in the discourse around environmental justice, many of us are not willing to explicitly state WHO is being treated unfairly. We do not say “Black” or “Indigenous” or whoever else. Instead, I see phrases like “communities of color” or “minorities” or “underserved populations”.
We need to change that. We need to change our language around justice so we let people know exactly who we are talking about when we talk about them. On this episode, I suggest that we change how we talk about these groups of people. Let’s be precise and direct and deliberate, so that there is no confusion.
Let’s talk about it!
Resources:
Race and Ethnicity - American Psychological Association
Race: The Power of an Illusion - PBS
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Equity. Equality. There is a difference. And understanding the difference will determine what we actually advocate for when we fight for justice.
* It’s the difference between fighting for what THEY have or fighting for what YOU NEED.
* It’s the difference between advocating for the same RESOURCES or advocating for the same OPPORTUNITIES and the same ACCESS.
* It’s the difference between demanding changes to the allocation of FUNDING and demanding changes to the operation of the SYSTEM.
So let’s explore it! You’re in the right place….
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Happy New Year!
Welcome to the first episode of Season 3 of the Environmental Justice Lab. On this episode, we are looking at the "language of justice", how we talk about what we talk about. In order to be most effective, we need to make sure that we are clear and precise with our language, especially as we bring awareness to environmental justice issues and the impacted communities.
So let's talk about it!
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We made it through 2023! Give yourselves a hand!
On this bonus episode, I reflect on many of the big topics that we discussed throughout the year, as well as some topics that you can expect from us in 2024. We had a great year, and next year is going to be even better. We have even launched a YouTube channel!
So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from the Environmental Justice Lab! Give someone a hug, tell them that you love them, and enjoy this final episode of the year.
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We have a special episode for you today. In our ongoing commitment to amplify voices, particularly our youth who are doing amazing things, we get to hear from two young ladies, Laina Digeronimo and Eva Ko, who are students at Laurel School, an all-girls high school in Ohio. They just finished their first environmental justice semester in school, and they are sharing a conversation that they had with the founder of Redhouse Studio, a pioneer in sustainable architecture and construction. These young ladies did a great job with their episode, and I know that you are going to enjoy it!
Resources:
Environmental Justice Semester at the Laurel School
Laurel School on Instagram
Redhouse Studio
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We’re talking about food justice today. With the holiday season officially here, many of us are planning meals and parties and get-togethers with lots of eating involved. With that in mind, I want to bring to your attention the reality that many people around us struggle to get the food that they need. Not because they can’t afford it. Not because they choose to eat unhealthy food. Simply because they live in an area where healthy foods are not available.
They do not need your pity.
They do not need your handout.
They do not need your food drive.
They need food justice.
Let’s talk about it!
Resources:
Food Justice - Boston University Community Service Center
The Fight for Food Justice - The Union of Concerned Scientists
Do you live in a "Low Food Access" area?
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This episode hits close to home. As we conclude our discussion on prisons, I share how the jails in my home state of South Carolina (in the United States of America) are under federal investigation for the ways that they are operated. These issues are not foreign. They are right here in my backyard.
Let’s talk about it!
Resources:
DOJ opens civil rights probes into South Carolina jails beset by deaths and violence - National Public Radio (NPR)
South Carolina Jails to Be Investigated After Reports of Abuse and Violence - NY Times
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Climate change is causing natural disasters to increase in frequency and severity. At the time of this episode, Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane, tore through Acapulco, Mexico, killing at least 27 people and destroying everything in its way. And while it’s dangerous for everyone who is in the path of a major hurricane or storm, if you are in prison or jail, it’s exponentially more dangerous. People who are incarcerated are vulnerable to natural disasters in ways that the vast majority are not, and we need to talk about it.
Let’s get into it on this episode! Stay tuned!
Resources:
Prisons and Extreme Weather
Criminal Justice in the Age of Climate Change
COVID-19 in Prisons and Jails
Guidance from CDC on Hurricane Preparedness
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On this bonus episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Susan Frey, who is the spokesperson for the Thacker Pass Working Group. Her group has been fighting for environmental justice in the face of a large lithium mine being developed in her rural community in Nevada. There are so many issues that she touched on in our conversation: drilling, mineral rights, green energy, environmental injustice, (lack of) community engagement. Mining is a big issue in the western part of the United States, particularly in Nevada.
It was a fascinating discussion. Listen and learn about the process and perils of mining in the West. Enjoy our conversation!
Resources:
Lithium mining put rural and indigenous communities at the center of the energy transition
Mining for Clean Energy Could Undermine Biden’s Environmental Justice Goals
Harmful mining operations throughout Nevada
Environmental issues associated with nearby mines
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Water is essential for life. WIthout access to clean drinking water, your life will be filled with sickness and death, guaranteed. And unfortunately for many prisoners around the world, this is what their life is like. Living everyday with no assurances that the water that they will drink will be safe and clean.
In Part 4 of our series on “Prisoners'', we are talking about the lack of access to clean water that many prisoners face each and every day. They have no choice. They have no voice. They have no agency over their surroundings. Many of them are forced to drink dirty, contaminated water every day. It’s a big problem.
Let’s talk about it on this episode. Stay tuned!.
Resources:
Cruel and Unusual: Contaminated Water in New York Prisons
Sentenced to Dirty Water - Water Contamination in Illinois Prison
Water and Sanitation - Global Prison Trends 2022
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BONUS EPISODE: Listen to my conversation with John Renourad, Founder of WHOLives. They are providing clean water to people all over the developing world.
ABOUT WHOLives
WHOlives is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on empowering people with clean water in the developing world and advocating for girls by ending female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriages. The organization’s goal is in the acronym WHO – providing clean Water, better Health and economic Opportunities to all people – while prioritizing sustainability and self-reliance. Since 2011, WHOlives has drilled more than 13,000 wells in about 40 countries using its revolutionary human-powered Village Drill, securing clean water for more than 12 million people. In the effort to end FGM, common-sense solutions and leadership have already resulted in a wave of arrests and convictions since fall 2022. Connect with WHOlives.org on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
ABOUT JOHN RENOUARD
John Renouard, founder and executive director of the nonprofit WHOlives, is known affectionately in Africa as “Bwana Maji,” or Mr. Water. After visiting in 2010, he knew he had to do something about the lack of clean water in many African villages. John worked with engineering students to bring to life his dream of a human-powered drill that could access clean water hundreds of feet deep. The Village Drill has since created more than 13,000 wells in about 40 countries, empowering more than 12 million people with clean water, health and opportunity. John is also making major progress in the fight against child marriages and female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kenya. The American Red Cross presented him an International Hero Award in 2015. Connect with John at WHOlives.org or on LinkedIn.
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In Part 3 of our series on “Prisoners'', we are talking about the effect that heat has on people who are incarcerated. We understand the impacts that heatwaves and overall climate change are having in the general population and among certain vulnerable communities. But what is it doing to the people who live in prisons? What is happening to them?
We talk about it on this episode. Stay tuned!.
Resources:
Heat-related mortality in U.S. state and private prisons: A case-crossover analysis
CBS Report on heat in Texas prisons
Prison Heat - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
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In Part 2 of our series on “Prisoners”, we are talking about where prisons are located. Prisons are often built in some of the worst areas in the country. Landfills. Toxic waste sites. Abandoned sites. For instance, one-third of federal and state prisons are located near a Superfund site, which is the most severely contaminated areas. The siting of prisons represents a significant environmental injustice for the prisoners and those who work at the facilities.
We need to talk about why this is happening and what it does to the people who are exposed to these polluting areas. So let’s talk about it.
Resources:
America's Toxic Prisons - The Environmental Injustices of Mass Incarceration
Environmental Racism, Incarceration, and Toxic Prisons in the U.S
The presence of Superfund sites as a determinant of life expectancy in the United States
Medical costs and lost productivity from health conditions at volatile organic compound-contaminated Superfund sites
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We need to talk about prisoners. People who are incarcerated. The living conditions, the environment in which they are surrounded, are often not fit for human beings. In many ways, they are the world’s largest and forgotten environmental justice community, and we need to start talking about them and the environmental hazards and issues that many prisoners deal with on a daily basis.
But before we talk about those issues, we need to make sure that we view people who are in prison correctly. They are simply “criminals” or “undesirables” or “scum”. They are people. They are people first and foremost. And this episode is here to remind each of us of that reality.
Prisoners are people.
Resources:
Incarceration Rates per capita by country
Ranking of Safest Countries around the world
Forgotten Behind Bars - Amnesty International
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For our final installment in our “EJ with EWB” series, we talk to Gerard Dalziel, Chief Engineer, and Eric Lundborg, Senior Program Engineer, both of whom deal extensively with the technical aspects of the design and implementation of the projects performed by EWB-USA. We talked about the realities of climate change and environmental justice need to be incorporated into the design of engineered projects and how each project is carefully reviewed and quality-controlled to deliver the best product, regardless of the partner or the location. They also talked about the early stages of discussions and analysis related to climate change and environmental justice that led to the development of the Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative.
Enjoy our conversation!
Resources:
The Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative
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I just wanted to take a second and reflect on everything that we've learned about EWB-USA, their Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative, and doing development work here and abroad. There is a lot that we can learn from our conversations with EWB!
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For our third installment in our “EJ with EWB” series, we talk to Natalie Celmo and Ellie Carley of EWB-USA, both of who lead the Community Engineering Corps (CECorps). CECorps works with communities across the United States that are unable to easily retain or afford traditional engineering services. We were able to discuss the path that Ellie and Natalie both took to get to EWB-USA and the origins of CECorps. They also spoke about why it’s so important for EWB-USA to do engineering work in the United States, along with the reality that environmental injustice and a lack of basic services is a major problem in the United States, as well as around the world.
Enjoy our conversation!
Resources:
The Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative
Community Engineering Corps (CECorps)
"Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States" - by the US Water Alliance
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Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
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For our second installment in our “EJ with EWB” series, we talk to Scott Gregory, Program Engineer for EWB-USA, who leads the International Community Program. We talked about his background as a civil engineer, his re-entry into school, his passion for international development, and his life as a humanitarian engineer. (Oh, and the Environmental Justice and Climate Initative!)
Enjoy our conversation!
Resources:
The Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative
Application to Request Engineering Services from EWB-USA
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
For our first conversation in our “EJ with EWB” series, we meet Kellianne McClain, the Officer of Individual Giving, who is also the brainchild behind the Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative. We talked about her background as an activist and fundraiser, the origins of EWB-USA, human rights, and we learned even more about this initiative and how to get involved.
Enjoy our conversation!
Resources:
The Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative
Tedx Talk by EWB-USA Founder, Dr. Bernard Amadei
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Engineers Without Borders (EWB) has rolled out their new Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative, and for the entire month of July, we at the Environmental Justice Lab have been given opportunities to talk to officers, engineers, and program managers at EWB to learn more about this initiative, to ask questions, and to get a better understanding of what it will actually accomplish.
We’re calling it “EJ with EWB”. We have a great lineup of episodes all month long, dedicated to learning more about this initiative.
On this bonus episode, I share my personal experience with Engineers Without Borders, why I’m a big fan of EWB, and some of the questions that I want to pose to our guests throughout the month of July. It’s going to be great!
Learn More about Engineers Without Borders – USA:
Engineers Without Borders - USA
The Environmental Justice and Climate Resiliency Initiative
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or “PFAS”, has been in the news a lot lately. From the EPA’s proposed drinking water regulations to the $10.3 billion settlement to be paid by 3M, PFAS is starting to be recognized as a significant threat to our public health. But what you may not have heard is that the presence of PFAS in our environment is a major environmental justice issue as well. That is what our guest, Jahred Liddie, helps us understand on this episode.
Jahred Liddie is a PhD candidate in the Department of Environmental Health in the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. He specializes in PFAS contamination, particularly in community water systems, and the underlying environmental justice issues that result from exposure to PFAS. He stopped by the podcast to share his research on PFAS and to help us understand why PFAS exposure is an environmental justice concern.
Resources:
PFAS and Environmental Justice - J. Liddie et al., 2023
TIME Magazine: 3M's Historic $10 Billion 'Forever Chemical' Payout Is Just The Tip of the PFAS Iceberg
Proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation by US Environmental Protection Agency Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
It is vitally important that, as we fight for environmental justice in our communities, we teach our children and the next generation about these issues and continue to encourage to be a part of the solution. So, for my first interview on the podcast, I talk to my 11-year-old daughter, Jael Joseph. She shared her thoughts on the environment, the state of environmental education in her school, and some proposals for how to protect the environment. She is very insightful and passionate about the environment, and I know you will enjoy hearing her perspective.
Enjoy this episode!
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
On June 6, large patches of wildfire smoke came down from the Canadian wildfires and covered major cities throughout the northern parts of the United States. Meanwhile, the wildfires in Canada are continuing to rage throughout Canada and the impacts of those wildfires are being felt all across North America.
We need to talk about these wildfires. Not just how severe they are, but also how climate change is driving the intensity of these wildfires. And we need to talk about the environmental justice implications of these wildfires.
Let’s get right to it!
More on the Canadian Wildfires:
Wildfires in the Alberta province
Wildfires reported by Quebec
How did the Canadian wildfires start?
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Sometimes you just need some encouragement. I know I do. This episode is here to provide some encouraging examples of environmental and climate justice wins in the United States and around the world. No matter how difficult it seems, we are making this world a better, healthier place where everyone can flourish.
So let this episode encourage you as you fight for environmental justice!
Additional Reading:
UNEP - Healthy Environment, Healthy People
The Global Citizen - Six of the Most Extreme & Effective Environmental Bans in the World
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
We are at the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, and we are going to close out our series with a discussion about the mental health impacts of climate change. Climate change is a major issue throughout the world, and its impacts are felt far and wide. However, not much is said about how the impacts of climate change can affect us mentally. So we are talking about it today. Join us!
Learn more:
Climate Change 2023 - IPCC
Chapter 7 of IPCC Report - Health, wellbeing and the changing structure of communities
Mental Health and our changing climate - American Psychological Association
Crime, Weather, and Climate Change
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Toxic contamination has been shown to have significant, adverse physical health impacts. However, the mental health impacts of exposure to toxic contamination are not often discussed.
On this episode, we are discussing the mental health impacts of air pollution. Toxic air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter (PM) disproportionately impact people of color, and there is a large amount of research that connects it to severe mental health disorders.
Let’s explore the research behind it. Join us!
Learn more:
Air Pollution's Impact on Mental Health
PM2.5 polluters disproportionately and systemically affect people of color in the United States
Air pollution, depressive and anxiety disorders, and brain effects: A systematic review
Air pollution and mental health: associations, mechanisms and methods
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Toxic contamination has been shown to have significant, adverse physical health impacts. However, the mental health impacts of exposure to toxic contamination is not often discussed.
On this episode, we are discussing the mental health impacts of lead exposure. Lead is a major issue in the United States and around the world, and there is a large amount of research that connects lead contamination to severe mental health disorders for both children and adults.
Let’s explore the research behind it. Join us!
Learn more:
2020 UNICEF Report – The Toxic Truth
The intersectional effect of poverty, home ownership, and racial/ethnic composition on mean childhood blood lead levels in Milwaukee County neighborhoods
Early-life lead exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders
Prospective associations between childhood low-level lead exposure and adult mental health problems: The Port Pirie cohort study
Association of Childhood Lead Exposure With Adult Personality Traits and Lifelong Mental Health
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
While the physical health impacts of living in a highly polluted, industrial zone has been well-documented and the mental health impacts of various contaminants are being researched, little attention has been given to the reality that simply living near industrial activity has negative health impacts. Not the pollution from the facilities. Just the fact that the activity is near you causes mental health issues for the residents.
Let’s explore the research behind it. Join us!
Learn more:
Environmental Stressors: The Mental Health Impact of Living Near Industrial Activity
Living in grey areas: Industrial activity and psychological health
Communities living with chronic environmental contamination: Leveraging interdisciplinarity to address environmental justice issues
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we are going to spend the entire month exploring the mental health implications of experiencing environmental racism and injustice. Mental health is often an overlooked and under-researched outcome when considering the issues associated with living in a disproportionately polluted and toxic environment, even as those negative outcomes are just as pervasive and destructive as the physical health issues that are clearly present.
So this month, we are going to bring awareness to the mental health issues that are faced by so many fenceline and frontline communities, as the fight for environmental justice continues.
Let’s talk about it!
Learn more:
Mental Health Statistics - Johns Hopkins Medicine
The Interplay between Environmental Exposures and Mental Health
Racism and Mental Health
Mental Health and Communities of Color - Statistics and Resources
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
On April 21, President Biden issued an executive order on environmental justice. It was his strongest statement reaffirming his commitment to environmental justice since he became president. But what does that mean for fenceline and frontline communities? How excited should we be about this executive order?
Let’s talk about it! Join the conversation.
Learn more:
Fact Sheet - Biden Executive Order on Environmental Justice
Indigenous Knowledge Guidance Document
1994 Executive Order on Environmental Justice
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Episode Description:
Have you ever thought about what an “environmental justice” community actually is? How are they identified? How do you know if you are living in one? How does a community become one? Let’s think about it on this episode. Join us!
Learn about how environmental justice communities are identified:
Environmental Justice - California Environmental Justice Alliance
Environmental Justice - NAACP
Life At the fenceLine - Understanding Cumulative Health Hazards in Environmental Justice CommunitiesDefinition - New Mexico Department of Public Health
Definition - Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Definition - Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Over the last month, we have been talking about everything related to Cancer Death Alley. From the health issues to the complaints to the lawsuits to EPA. And while it may get discouraging at times to discuss the issues surrounding Death Alley, there is hope. Hope from the various community groups and organizations fighting for change.
On this episode, we discuss two of these groups, RISE St. James and the Concerned Citizens of St. John, and what we can learn from their hard work and dedication in the fight for environmental justice in Death Alley.
Let’s get into it!
Learn more about RISE St. James:
Official Website of RISE St. James
The Story of RISE St. James
Sharon Lavigne, Founder of RISE St. James - 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner
Learn more about the Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish
Official Website of Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish
Profile: Robert Taylor, Founder of Concerned Citizens of St. John
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the United States’ regulatory body who is responsible for keeping us safe from pollution and environmental hazards. So what are they doing about everything that is going on in Cancer Alley? From letters to lawsuits, this episode explores all that the EPA has done in response to the continued push for change from the residents in Cancer Alley. Let’s get into it!
Learn more about the EPA’s involvement in Cancer Alley*:
EPA Administrator Michael Regan tours Cancer Alley and other pollution hot spots, vowing to promote environmental justice - The Washington Post
Residents of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley hopeful for action after EPA head’s visit | Environment | The Guardian
Complaint No. 01R-22-R6 and 04R-22-R6 against the LDEQ
Complaint No. 02R-22-R6 against the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH)
Letter of Concern from EPA to LDEQ and LDH
Letter to Denka and DuPont (before the lawsuit)
EPA’s lawsuit against Denka and DuPont
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
This episode is about the health impacts of living in Cancer Alley. While Cancer Alley gets its name from the high rates of cancer (which is 50 times higher than the national average), there are plenty of other health issues that these residents face, including various lung and heart illnesses. And there is new research that shows direct links to the discriminatory permitting practices that place these polluting facilities in Cancer Alley and the direct impact of that increase in air pollution on the cancer rates in the area. None of this is a coincidence.
Let’s get into it!
Learn more about the health issues in Cancer Alley*:
Research Article - Air pollution is linked to higher cancer rates
Research Article - Discriminatory Air Permitting in Louisiana
News Article - Cancer Alley residents sue for moratorium on chemical plants
Fighting for Cleaner Air in Cancer Alley
"You only have to smell ‘Cancer Alley’ to know how toxic it is"
*If you are unable to view any of the resources listed above, please reach out to me, and I will send you a PDF copy.
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
This episode is about Cancer Alley. A place where the risk of getting cancer is 50 times higher than the national average. A place that the United Nations refers to as “the textbook definition of environmental racism”. A place that has more polluting facilities per square mile than anywhere else in the United States. The ultimate sacrifice zone. We need to talk about Cancer Alley.
Learn More about Cancer Alley*:
History of Cancer Alley
Story Map of Cancer Alley
UN News Report - Cancer Alley
Research Article: Employment in Cancer Alley
Plantation (i.e. Slavery) Tourism
*If you are unable to view any of the resources listed above, please reach out to me, and I will send you a PDF copy.
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
As we continue our series on “Sacrifice Zones”, we turn our attention to Cancer Alley, a particularly insidious area in Louisiana that is riddled with petrochemical plants and various chemical facilities. In a major step, the EPA has filed a lawsuit against Denka and DuPont, companies with long-standing histories of polluting in Cancer Alley. On this episode, we begin our discussion of Cancer Alley by talking about this lawsuit by the EPA. Stay tuned!
Learn More about the EPA’s lawsuit against the Denka Plant*:
Lawsuit: EPA vs. Denka and Dupont
Report: "Waiting to Die: Toxic Emissions and Disease around the Denka Plant
*If you are unable to view any of the resources listed above, please reach out to me, and I will send you a PDF copy.
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Blog Forum: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
This episode is dedicated to Mary Gladell Rice Martin (1932 - 2023). She was an amazing woman, a pillar in her community, and a lifelong BASF employee in South Carolina. Her life was the motivation for this episode.
BASF is the world’s largest chemical company. BASF is also one of the world’s greatest purveyors of environmental racism and injustice. Part 4 of our series on “Sacrifice Zones” dives into ProPublica’s investigation into the sacrifice zones created from the work of BASF that goes into just one product: Cascade Dishwasher Detergent. Join us!
Learn More about BASF and its impact*:
Propublica Investigation: The Dirty Secret of America's Clean Dishes
Research: Link between benzene and leukemia
Research: Ethylene Oxide and Cancer
*If you are unable to view any of the resources listed above, please reach out to me, and I will send you a PDF copy.
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Blog Forum: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Part 3 of our series on sacrifice zones takes a look at ProPublica’s investigative reporting on sacrifice zones. ProPublica’s analysis of five years of modeled EPA data identified more than 1,000 toxic hot spots across the country and found that an estimated 250,000 people living in them may be exposed to levels of excess cancer risk that the EPA deems unacceptable.
This work has provided tremendous, data-driven analysis that gives support and evidence to the environmental injustices that residents of predominantly Black, Latino, and low-income communities throughout the United States have known for years. The apex of this work is an interactive map that allows you to put in their zip code and understand the cancer risks associated with industrial pollution in your area. Let’s dive in!
Read their reporting here:
Article - Poison in the Air
Map of Sacrifice Zones from Propublica
Full investigation of Sacrifice Zones by ProPublica
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Blog Forum: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Part 2 of our series on sacrifice zones takes a look at the world stage. There are areas all around the globe where resource extraction, dirty energy production, and horrid waste management practices have led to sacrifice zones all around the world.
Zones where the children are poisoned with lead and other heavy metals.
Zones where the life expectancy for adults is 20-25 years lower than average.
Zones where the toxic environment is literally killing people.
We need to talk about these issues and think about how we can fight against them. Stay tuned!
Learn More about Global Sacrifice Zones*:
UN Special report on Sacrifice Zones around the world
The Guardian - Sacrifice zones all around the world
Article - Myanmar, the "Green Energy" sacrifice zone
*If you are unable to view any of the resources listed above, please reach out to me, and I will send you a PDF copy.
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Blog Forum: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Today marks the beginning of a series of episodes about sacrifice zones. Have you heard of them? They are areas all throughout the world that are in close proximity to intense pollution produced by intensive and concentrated industry. These areas are most often inhabited by communities of color, low-income families, and indigenous populations. Not surprising. We need to talk about this. Join us for this new series!
Learn More about Sacrifice Zones*:
Sacrifice Zones - How people of color are targeted
No More Sacrifice Zones - Center for Health, Environment, and Justice
Origin of "Sacrifice Zones" - Strip Mining of Coal
Sacrifice Zones around the world
*If you are unable to view any of the resources listed above, please reach out to me, and I will send you a PDF copy.
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Blog: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
The City of Baltimore is in the midst of a water crisis, decades in the making. From E. Coli contamination leading to a week-long boil water advisory last September to on-going disruptions and frustration from the residents, we need to take a look at this issue and consider the burdens that come when communities of color are forced to live with this type of water insecurity. Let’s talk about it!
Learn More about Baltimore’s Water Issues:
Sept. 2022: Water system shut down due to E. Coli contamination (Washington Post)
Sept. 2022: Statement on Baltimore water system from Legal Defense Fund (NAACP)
Sept. 2022: Federal funding for Maryland water infrastructure (Inside Climate News)
Jan. 2023: Recent water problems in Baltimore, MD (NBC News)
Jan. 2023: Sewer system issues connected to racial injustice (Blue Water Baltimore)
Per capita water consumption - Breakdown (Aquasana)
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Blog Forum: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Gas stoves have always been touted as the superior way to cook, whether you are grilling outside or making dinner in the home. However, they have come under a lot of scrutiny for their connection to childhood asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Many commentators even suggested that the use of gas stoves presents an environmental justice issue!
Earlier this month, the chair of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission suggested that gas stoves could be banned due to health concerns, which sent the internet into a frenzy. But it got me thinking... Should gas stoves be banned? Are they an environmental justice issue? What should you do if you currently use a gas stove? Let’s talk about it!
Helpful links:
Article: US Agency considers ban on gas stoves
2020 Report on Gas Stoves and Indoor Air Pollution
Research Study (Jan. 2022): Harmful Emissions from Gas Stoves
**Research Study (Dec. 2022): Gas Stoves and Childhood Asthma
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.comBlog Forum: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!**
In August 2022, major flooding disrupted the operation of the O.B Curtis Water Treatment Plant, which caused residents in Jackson, MS to go without water for over a week. While this disruption garnered national attention, it put a spotlight on the water issues that Jackson, MS has endured for decades. So how did we get here? And what is being done to address these systemic water system issues? We talk about it on this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab.
Helpful links:
Title VI Complaint by NAACP
Complaint and Order issued by the Department of Justice
Schools close due to ongoing water crisis
Announcement of $800 million in funding for Jackson water system
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.com
Blog Forum: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023 and to the (new and improved) Environmental Justice Lab Podcast. It is exciting to think about all that we can do together this upcoming year. On this episode, I want to reintroduce you to the podcast. Many of you have been listening since I started the podcast this past summer. Many of you are listening for the first time. In any case, I am so glad that you’re here. I want to tell you a bit about myself, why I started this podcast, how we are working to improve the podcast, and ultimately what I want this podcast to accomplish. Stay tuned!
Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: theenvironmentaljusticelab@gmail.comBlog Forum: https://lesleysjoseph.wixsite.com/lesleyjoseph/blog
Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen!
The US Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments regarding The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. The fate of this law has significant implications for environmental justice and protection for Native American tribes and their communities. We need to talk about it.
Learn more about ICWA:
National Indian Children Welfare Association: https://www.nicwa.org/about-icwa/
Native American Rights Fund: https://narf.org/cases/brackeen-v-bernhardt/
SCOTUS Blog: https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/11/in-challenge-to-indian-child-welfare-act-court-will-weigh-the-rights-of-states-and-the-role-of-race/
It’s Native American Heritage Month, everyone. Let’s take some time to celebrate our fellow Americans this month and to learn more about the environmental justice issues that plague Indigenous communities.
Find a Native Tribe near you:
https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislators/quad-caucus/list-of-federal-and-state-recognized-tribes.aspx
Start following these accounts:
@najournalists
@DinaGWhit
Last week was National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Too often, lead exposure has compromised the health and wellbeing of communities of color. We need to talk about it.
This is our first installment of “Notes from Benedict College” (NFBC), where I share experiences as a Professor of the Practice at Benedict College.
Bottom line: We need all of our engineering students (not just the environmental ones) engaged and excited about confronting issues related to environmental justice.
Time to celebrate Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We love all of our Native American friends and neighbors, and we continue to seek justice on your behalf.
The water crisis in Jackson, MS continues. And we are still talking about it.
Class Action Lawsuit: https://www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Jackson_Complaint_Filed.pdf
NAACP Title VI Complaint: https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-files-discrimination-complaint-mishandling-jackson-water-crisis
The EPA made a big announcement today - The establishment of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. Let's talk about it.
Link to announcement: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-launches-new-national-office-dedicated-advancing-environmental-justice-and-civil
Let's talk about environmental racism and mental health. The issues do not end when the water is restored or the air is cleaned up. It remains a real problem.
Article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2796540?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=092022
It's Week 2 of the water crisis in Jackson, MS. Let's check in, see where we are, and see where things are headed.
Important articles and videos:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62783900
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCVJP1Cg3g8
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3625822-water-crisis-in-jackson-miss-raises-concerns-about-environmental-racism/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/advocates-environmental-racism-blame-jackson-water-crisis-89181953
There is a water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi right now. While there are a lot of thoughts about why this water crisis has occurred, I can clearly see why this is happening.
Call me an "environmental justice advocate". Environmental justice activist. Warrior. Researcher. Just don't call me an environmentalist. That's not me.
Learn more about environmental justice:
Environment & Climate Justice (naacp.org)
Why communities of color are demanding environmental justice - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
Environmental Injustice - EHN
Time to take action! As we deal with this heat, please remember to love your neighbor as yourself. We need each other.
Thanks for tuning in, and it's still HOT outside! We are back with another discussion about heat islands. Enjoy the show.
EPA's Heat Island Strategies: https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/heat-island-cooling-strategies
Follow me on social media:
Instagram: @drlesleyjoseph
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleyjoseph/
Thanks for listening to this bonus episode. I'm thrilled to share with you that I am the new (and first) Professor of the Practice at Benedict College. I'll be teaching classes in the Environmental Engineering program. To learn more about it, click the link below:
https://www.benedict.edu/schools/school-of-arts-and-sciences/computer-science-physics-and-engineering-department/environmental-engineering-program/
What's going on? I just realized that I'm building this podcast and you don't even know who I am! I hope this episode helps with that. Thanks for listening!
Instagram: @drlesleyjoseph
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lesleyjoseph
Website: www.lesleyjoseph.com
It's hot outside. Go inside and enjoy this episode on heat islands.
Links from the episode:
From the Climate Journal:
https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/8/1/12/htm#B55-climate-08-00012
Sign up for the heat island study:
https://cpac.columbiasc.gov/urban-heat-island-mapping-initiative/#volunteer
Welcome to the Environmental Justice Lab Podcast. We are about to go on a journey into the world of environmental justice. Please join me!
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