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TGB 2012 - Seeds of Opportunity: Environmental Justice Solutions for the Bay Area

Basic Information
Application Process: 
TGB 2012
Trip Name: 
Seeds of Opportunity: Environmental Justice Solutions for the Bay Area
Trip Location: 
Bay Area, CA
Air Travel Trip: 
No
Number of Participants: 
10
Trip Description: 

"As a black person in America, I am twice as likely as a white person to live in an area where air pollution poses the greatest risk to my health. I am five times more likely to live within walking distance of a power plant or chemical facility, which I do."

"We need to work together to embrace and repair our land, repair our power systems and repair ourselves."
-Majora Carter

In Oakland, income inequality can be seen from space- higher tree cover correlates with wealthier areas, and vice versa. Richmond residents are forced to contend with suffocating pollution and the occasional fire from the local Chevron refinery. And in our own backyard, East Palo Alto residents dealt with a toxic waste recycling facility that operated for years without environmental review or regulation. 

The environmental justice movement rose as a response to disproportionate environmental burdens like these across the US. These disparities are unfortunately reflected in worsened health problems like asthma in poorer communities, typically of color, where polluters have faced less resistance. Tangled with race, class, and health, environmental injustice is a multifaceted issue that presents unique challenges as well as opportunities. Even in light of such difficult conditions, the EJ movement can be a unifying force for positive change, empowering people to take the fate of their homes into their own hands.

Our trip will visit and volunteer for several Bay Area organizations doing just that- working to better their communities in the face of environmental inequality. From raising lawsuits against polluters to training disadvantaged youth in urban forestry for tree planting, these groups are both tackling the forces that put health at risk and building pride among local residents. We hope trip participants will be inspired, coming away with a better understanding of the environmental challenges that many of our neighbors face, and with a drive to continue pushing for positive change in our own communities. 

Trip Leaders
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Christina Zhou

Heyo! I'm Christina, and I'm a junior majoring in Environmental Engineering with interest in urban design, water, air quality, and far too many other things. I grew up in Long Island, New York, where the seed (hah) for my interest in the environment and public service was planted. I'm super active within the sustainability community here through Green Events Consulting (GEC) and Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS). SSS is important in particular because yes, I did learn quite a bit about EJ issues, but more significantly, that's how I met Hanni :) I also got to study and interview the badass Majora Carter of NY for my PWR class last year, and was really inspired by what she and local EJ organizations accomplished in the most forgotten of places- I'm excited to really learn about what orgs are doing here on the west coast as well! Other things I like to do with my treethugga life include dancing hip-hop with Common Origins, playing guzheng, caffeinating/feeding myself, running/hiking (especially in pretty places!), and hanging with friends.

Hanni Hanson

Hi! I'm Hanni, and I'm a senior majoring in Religious Studies from Portland, Oregon. Perhaps it was growing up in such a hippie city that made me passionate about the environment and social justice issues. I've been active in sustainability work on campus since freshman year through Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS), where I've been co-leader of the Climate & Energy group and am now helping to coordinate outreach. I spent the summer tying together my sustainability interest and my academic focus with five weeks of playing and gardening (read: researching for an honors thesis) in a spiritual community and ecovillage in Scotland. My interest in environmental justice springs from a deep belief that environmental problems and social injustices have their roots in our very worldview—and must be tackled holistically. I'm thrilled beyond measure to explore the intersection of both with you in the EJ field. In my free time, which is often a thing of myth, I enjoy living the co-op life (I see you, Synergy!), reading the NY Times online, baking bread, and sewing the occasional twirly skirt. Like any good Anglophile, I take my tea with milk.