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For me, environmental justice is about being environmentally conscious while also treating all living beings and things with kindness and equality. In other words, it's about recognizing our connection with the world around us and acting accordingly by using the law fairly. This is the same when it comes to justice in the context of environmental justice. Justice is the meaning of equality, or being treated fairly. Environmental justice is similar but just adds to the environment, where everyone is treated fairly and lives a healthy life in a sense of balance.
My understanding of justice has been enhanced by being empowered to see both sides of the story and give a voice to those who are unable to speak out, such as the environment. An example is the Module Summary listed below.
Evidence of Learning
Evidence of Learning
1A: Critical Consciousness
1A: Critical Consciousness
EJ Changemakers recognize oppressive social forces shaping society and are moved to take action against them.
1B: Advocacy
1B: Advocacy
EJ Changemakers must know how to use their voices to convince others to adopt sustainable, just, equitable, and collective behavior.
1C: Collecting Action
1C: Collecting Action
EJ Changemakers must work with a community coalition to transform institutional and political policies to restore environmental justice.
At the end of each interdisciplinary Module learning, we make a project of our choice to show our learning. This Module Summary about sustainable agriculture opened my eyes to the broader societal issues and the injustices surrounding them. The sustainable agriculture unit highlighted the lack of access to healthy, organic foods for many people and the use of harmful methods to grow our food. However, it also taught me sustainable ways of farming and how individuals are working towards creating a fairer system in agriculture, ensuring people have access to healthy food.
During the Environmental Justice Semester, I was interviewed by the Chagrin Valley Times, where I expressed my views and urged others to consider joining or exploring the program. I hope that more girls will raise their voices and support the cause of environmental justice for the affected communities and the environment itself.
I had a great experience being interviewed for the news. It was my first time, and I was quite nervous, but I felt thrilled afterward. The experience also pushed me out of my comfort zone since I tend to get nervous during interviews.
Friday for the Future
As part of the Environmental Justice Semester community, we organized and participated in the Friday for Future movement at our school. We aimed to voice our opinions about ending the use of fossil fuels and educate the students who participated on the harmful impact of fossil fuels on the environment. My contribution to the community was designing posters and taking pictures to capture the movement. We hope that, along with institutional and political policies, we can restore environmental justice in the outside community that we call home.
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