When people hear the word "environment," they immediately think about global warming. So does the University. That's why Brown is actively pursuing paths to offset and, hopefully, neutralize its carbon emissions. I commend those efforts and support anyone committed to preventing global climate change, the single greatest threat facing the nation and planet.
But global warming is where our discussion of the environment should begin, not end. In just the first few weeks of an environmental studies class that I am taking, ENVS0110, my eyes have been opened to the issues we face today as a result of population growth, the loss of global biodiversity and food scarcity, among other issues.
What struck me most, however, was how unequally environmental harms are distributed across the globe, the United States and even Rhode Island. While Brown students like to think of themselves as environmentally conscious, one rarely reads about new undergraduate initiatives that aim to bring about environmental equality.
Those initiatives are sorely needed. Our efforts to go green only reach the tip of the (melting) iceberg.
What I am proposing is not radical; after all, Brown's student body and faculty tend to be strongly pro-civil rights and pro-environment. It seems natural to combine these views by supporting the ideals of environmental justice.
For decades, the environmental community tended to be predominantly white and affluent, until a group of activists gathered in Washington, D.C. in 1991 to introduce the concept of environmental justice. No longer would environmentalists sit by and watch minority and low-income populations bear the greatest burden from energy use and waste.
Robert Bullard, a leader in the environmental justice community, tells the story of Sumter County, in Alabama. The county was 71.8 percent black, and was home to the nation's largest hazardous waste landfill. The landfill itself was located in the town of Emelle, which was over 90 percent black.
If only the story of Emelle were an isolated incident. Unfortunately, Bullard's book, Dumping in Dixie, is laden with similar examples. Although these stories may not demonstrate overt racism, they do show that minorities' lack of political power has direct environmental and health-related consequences.
Environmental justice may seem like an issue that only pertains to distant countries or states, especially those we still think of as racist.
The truth hits closer to home. Lead poisoning is the single most common childhood disease for children in Rhode Island. To make matters worse, lead poisoning is entirely preventable. And preventing lead poisoning is an absolute priority. High levels of lead exposure may lead to seizures and mental retardation.
Where does environmental justice come in? Black and Hispanic children are affected by lead poisoning at double the rate of their white peers.
Thankfully, groups like the Childhood Lead Action Project (CLAP) exist to educate Rhode Island property owners, community leaders and construction specialists about the harmful effects of lead poisoning and how they can be prevented. The group's crowning achievement was the passage of the Lead Hazard Mitigation Act of 2002, the first state policy to attempt to prevent cases of lead poisoning, rather than just respond to them.
Yet groups like CLAP need help; their efforts did not end with the passage of one bill. Much of their work involves educating affected local residents, many of whom only speak Spanish, about their rights to a safe living environment. College volunteers, especially those with experience speaking Spanish, are in high demand.
Lead is just one example. Minority groups may suffer from greater exposure to air pollution or from inadequate nutrition. Yet discussions about the environment ignore these pervasive inequalities. The Brown community must focus more on the environmental burden borne by our neighbors in poor areas.
Two of our strongest ideals, that of equality and that of a greener future, are intertwined in this field of environmental justice, a field we have pushed aside for too long.
Jeremy Feigenbaum '11 just wants to get an A in ENVS0110.
