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Session Objective: to organise projects with attention to inclusive diversity that will result in effective, justice-centric change
This class has spent a lot of time exploring art as a platform for teaching, resistance, and collective action. But science can do that too!
Academia has often been critiqued as an Ivory Tower, where scholars cut themselves off from the realities of the world and exist in a privileged bubble, while Western science often demeans other forms of knowing the world. The way we create and share environmental knowledge can thus contribute to environmental injustice - or, through public participation in research processes, be a powerful platform for environmental justice.
This Learning Log explores participation in environmental research and action, thinking about how community-centric approaches to environmental problems and holistic responses to resource inequalities can create a wide array of additional benefits.
Participatory Research
In class this week, we’ll have a conversation with Christopher Morgan, recent graduate of the University of Northern British Columbia with a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, and his research partners in the Tsay Keh Dene Nation. We will talk about how Chris’ thesis project used public participation to blend Western approaches to science with Traditional Ecological Knowledge, co-creating information that is both more equitable and more accurate.
Please note that the views and opinions expressed in these materials and the class discussion are those of the individual author/speaker and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of the Tsay Keh Dene Nation.
Read: about Christopher Morgan’s research collaboration with the Tsay Keh Dene Nation through the news articles and ArcGIS story below.
Christopher Morgan
Chris is a conservationist interested in parks and protected areas, land use planning, and geographic information systems (GIS). He currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the traditional territory of the Potawatomi, Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee Nations, and works for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Born and raised in Madison, Chris graduated with degrees in geography and cartography/GIS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He worked as a planner for the Minnesota Department of Transportation for three years, including an analysis on whether people of color were disproportionately affected by public airports throughout the state.
Chris recently completed his master’s degree at the University of Northern British Columbia in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, where he partnered with the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation to identify lands of ecological and cultural importance in their territory for conservation action. Together, they built a planning tool that considers current biodiversity, climate change, and landscape connectivity, all while working to interweave the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of the Tsay Keh Dene throughout the project.
Christopher Morgan, Wisconsin DNR
(pronouns: he/him/his)
Visualise: the Williston Lake region and review what you learned about the conservation planning project through this video produced by Chu Cho Environmental, an environmental research and consulting company owned by Tsay Keh Dene Nation.
Learn: more about the Tsay Keh Dene Nation by browsing their website and looking at the image chosen by their Leadership to represent the Nation in the Nenachalhuya - The Cedar Plank Project.
The Tsay Keh Dene Panel“Nenachalhuya - The Cedar Plank Project”
This piece is a representation of the Tsay Keh Dene Nation’s logo created by Cree and Dakelh artist Clayton Gauthier. The piece was commissioned as part of the UNBC’s First Nations Centre Nenachalhuya - The Cedar Plank Project. 32 carvings produced by Gauthier represent the First Nations who attend and collaborate with the university. In the Dakelh language, Nenachalhuya is a way of thanking people for what they have done.
from the artist: “Walking this journey as an artist, I have learned a lot about myself and the arts. My bloodline is Cree and Dakelh. The art I produce is revolved around our traditional teachings that we have learned from our Elders, the Spirit within and our Mother Earth. Artwork in my life gives me a feeling of serenity that nothing can replace. I love to share my gifts to the ones who want to learn. We are as beautiful as our art.”
Watch: “Beyond the Rocks”, a music video created by Tsay Keh Dene teenagers reflecting on their Nation’s struggles with displacement and journeys toward healing.
Participatory Action
Plant: environmental justice with WE DO GREEN, a youth-led organisation supporting ecological education, community food security, renewable energy, and sustainable peace in Rwanda. Their Executive Director, Emmanuel Sindikubwabo, took part in the Spring 2021 Community Audit of this course.
We Do Green - Organization Overview.mp4read transcription
WE DO GREEN is a youth-led organisation in Rwanda working toward a cleaner and healthier environment. We promote climate resilience, the wellbeing of people, and the conservation of biodiversity through collaboration. We are a team of highly passionate scientists, activists, and educators driven to achieve green growth in our country and our world. We are driven by evidence to do high-impact work, focusing on local engagement in global issues. Our mission is to leave no one behind in environmental conservation. We do this by involving youth in climate change mitigation while enhancing community resilience through access to clean water, food security, and green energy.
Our current society is living at the expense of future generations. Environmental degradation and climate change are threatening human lives. It is time for a change...and young people have a central role to play in reshaping the world and saving their own future. However, they often battle alone with limited resources and little experience. There is a mismatch between youth energy and access to power. If more youth-led initiatives can be supported and integrated in wider society, the impact will be greater, to everyone’s benefit. The work of WE DO GREEN grows environmental consciousness and prepares the next generation to be sustainable climate stewards.
At WE DO GREEN, we believe that science literacy and ecological civilisation starts with young minds. Environmental education and a conservation ethos should drive school curriculum.
Our flagship program involves partnering with schools around the country to teach children about climate change, environmental conservation, and green entrepreneurship. The initiative is based on cooperation and benefits for all stakeholders. Schools receive a quality addition to their lesson plans. Students partake in experiential learning that helps them best retain and share information. And our volunteers build their leadership and communication skills, while contributing to the greening of Rwanda.
During our sessions in primary schools, we first talk in the classroom about the reality of the climate situation. These interactive lessons build science literacy and help young people understand the urgency of environmental action. But we know how children learn best, and that they are more likely to remember experiences than classroom conversations. So we go outside and get our hands dirty. Planting trees with kids is an amazing way to foster a love for nature and a responsibility for environmental stewardship. Once children have planted a tree, they feel a special connection to it. They take care of it for years to come, and are proud to see it grow. It helps them realise how much time and care went into mature trees they see around the country, valuing our forests. And the children we talk with go home to their parents and their villages, talking about trees and the importance of environmental conservation.
a young student shares:
The people who have visited us today are the people from the WE DO GREEN Organization, and they have come here to encourage us, the youth, how to conserve the environment. So we children, we can save the environment. So here we also learned how we can plant a tree, and this is very important to our lives.
I have a message to tell my fellow students: You can also save a life by doing a small thing of planting a tree, because one single tree can save you and your family. So this is a very good thing. And also we can just attend other different sessions to encourage us how we can save our environment, doing good things, because our human activities that we do like industries, these things have influenced the climate.
Through our work in schools, young girls like Isaro see role models like Josiane, and know they can study anything they want to at university – including engineering, medicine, and environmental science. Boys like Joseph meet leaders like Felix, and witness how important it is to value teamwork, diversity, and nature.
Last year, the country of Rwanda launched a tree planting season. The theme was “Trees for Community Livelihood”. To support our national project, WE DO GREEN partnered with other civil society groups and 8 Billion Trees to increase forestation.
Felix, another WE DO GREEN member, shares:
Today’s project: We have focused on planting trees in partnership with 8 Billion, and we have planted trees at Kamatamu village. And these different kinds of trees, like fruit trees and ornamental trees. We also have involved the communities around this village so that we have sustainable communities, engaging them in planting the trees in order to tackle climate change and also to fight against food insecurity in the place, because this is going to have a greater impact in this sustainable community. People are going to have clean air, and they are going to have fruit harvested from the trees, and we are going to have trees in general.
It’s going to have a great impact, and the people are very happy for this project. It’s a great initiative, and we’re so happy to have initiated this thing of planting trees where they haven’t been, to tackle many environmental problems. So I think this a great thing. We all together fight against climate change. We all together work in order to have sustainable communities.
Bugesera is a district in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. It is a peri-urban area, with economic development expanding at an accelerating rate. New industries, new infrastructure, and a new international airport require a green growth strategy for carbon offsetting and sustainable planning. On March 3rd, just before we experienced the lockdown effects of COVID-19, we were proud to work with the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA) to plant 400 trees in the area. The day involved 1000 international delegates, giving us a chance to share in environmental diplomacy and learn more about youth climate action around the world. When full grown, the 400 trees we planted together will offset 6.8 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, also providing multiple social and ecological benefits.
an IFMSA delegate shares:
I’m a medical student from Belgium, and I’m here in Rwanda. Today, we did a very nice activity with my organization, IMFSA, and another organization named WE DO GREEN. This morning, we planted trees – one tree for one country (but we did more!). That was a very nice activity, because it allowed us to participate in a way for climate change and to discover the place near us and to discover a fantastic organisation.
Engineer: water justice in Southwest Morocco with Dar Si Hmad, a local non-profit using fog-harvesting technologies to empower Indigenous Amazigh women.
The final video is a recording of Jamila Bargach’s visit to the Spring 2021 cohort. Though we didn’t have time to host her live in class this semester, Becca can put you in touch if you have questions about the project!
Dar Si Hmad - Infographic.pdfDr Jamila Bargach is the co-founder of Dar Si Hmad, which operates the world’s largest operational fog harvesting project. The system not only delivers potable water to Amazigh households, but also fosters the independence of women in the community. An anthropologist by training, Jamila has taught at University Mohammed V in Rabat and worked at a number of NGOs in Morocco and overseas. She has also published several articles on adoption practices, unwed mothers, gender and development, and the DSH fog initiative. As an activist and scholar, Jamila has dedicated her life to serving under-resourced communities, creating sustainable initiatives through education, and scientific innovation.
Appreciate: the biomimicry of fog-harvesting technologies as you view “Grandmother Spider”. The design of Dar Si Hmad’s nets was inspired by spider webs, and many other fog-collecting systems around the world take their cues from nature.
“Grandmother Spider” (20” x 30”, Acrylic on Canvas, 2014)
“Even the smallest of insects can be healers and helpers. Sometimes they come to visit, in person, or in dreams. The spirit world is a mystery. I may not always understand the message they bring, but I understand love. I understand we each have helpers, and they love us.”
“Even the smallest of insects can be healers and helpers. Sometimes they come to visit, in person, or in dreams. The spirit world is a mystery. I may not always understand the message they bring, but I understand love. I understand we each have helpers, and they love us.”
Christi Belcourt is a Michif (Métis) visual artist with a deep respect for Mother Earth, the traditions and the knowledge of her people. In addition to her paintings she is also known as a community based artist, environmentalist and advocate for the lands, waters and Indigenous peoples. She is currently a lead organizer for the Onaman Collective which focuses on resurgence of language and land based practices. She is also the lead coordinator for Walking With Our Sisters, a community-driven project that honours murdered or missing Indigenous women. Her work Giniigaaniimenaaning (Looking Ahead) commemorates residential school survivors, their families and communities to mark the Prime Minister’s historic Apology in 2008 and is installed at Centre Block on Parliament Hill commissioned by the Government of Canada. She was named the Aboriginal Arts Laureate by the Ontario Arts Council in 2015. In 2016 she won a Governor General’s Innovation Award and was named the winner of the 2016 Premier’s Awards in the Arts. Author of Medicines To Help Us (Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2007) and Beadwork (Ningwakwe Learning Press, 2010). Christi’s work is found within the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Gabriel Dumont Institute, the Indian and Inuit Art Collection, Parliament Hill, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and Canadian Museum of Civilization, First People’s Hall.
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