Environmental Justice in Education
Introduction
Environmental Justice is an important concept for many teachers to incorporate into their teaching because environmental issues affect many of our students every day lives. Environmental issues range from oil spills, like the one that happened just last year in Orange County, to the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events caused by Climate Change. Environmental Justice in education could look like a science teacher explaining the process and effects of Climate Change or a history teacher explaining the history behind the building of communities around high traffic areas where there is poor air quality. As teachers, we can help students to ask questions about the policies in place, consider the practices that people participate in, and look at how local and global environments have been damaged in the hopes of fostering a critical mind about what is being done and what needs to be done in order to achieve Environmental Justice.
Here we have assembled some resources that you can use to help further your own understanding of what Environmental Justice can look like in the classroom and the program is also hosting a set of presentations on January 21st, 2022 that is open to all those that are curious to learn more. Register Here!
UCI Science Project
The UCI Science Project features resources and trainings that teachers can participate in to better understand what teaching Climate Change in the classroom looks like. This organization has a focus on working with science teachers and meeting the science standards. Many of these resources can be found under Education for Climate Action.
Ten Strands
The mission for Ten Strands focuses on strengthening students' environmental literacy. Ten Strands believes in "advancing environmental literacy as a top priority of a public-school education, rather than a nice addition if teachers have time." Visit their website to read some of the blog posts or sign up for their newsletter to get the tips for teaching environmental literacy right to your inbox.
NRDC
The National Resource Defense Council is a nonprofit that "works to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends." Visit their website to find articles that you can use to learn more or use in the classroom so you and your students can learn together.
Climate.Gov
Teachers can visit the NOAA to find climate and environmental information. You can also use their provided Climate Literacy Guide to find information about Seven Key Principles and see how they align with K-12 NGSS.
Youth Participation
The youth we are teaching will be those who will inherit the earth from us and our parents, so environmental justice is even more critical for them which is why so many students are standing up to organize and participating in actions for furthering environmental justice efforts. For your students who are looking to get more involved with community organizations or local and national political movements, there are a lot of organizations that are fighting for environmental justice, some of which are run by student and youth organizers:
Southern California's 350, an organization committed to climate action and environmental justice
Orange County's local branch for the majority-youth led Sunrise Movement
OCEJ is a local organization committed to working towards environmental justice
There are countless more, and some organizations are focused on other goals with environmental justice as one aspect of a program, so continue to look for more!
Header: "Newcastle Port Australia" by Break Free from Fossil Fuels is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0