A group of Boston teens held a press conference in conjunction with Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and the T Riders Union June 10 upon the release of their new report exploring why the MBTA should consider a youth pass program and the larger problem of public transit injustice.
Environmental activist Van Jones visited students at Babson College Feb. 23 to discuss Dr. King’s legacy of social justice and how it relates to today’s sustainable business practices. Jones served as a Special Advisor for the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2009. He is a proponent of a “sustainable, environmentally beneficial economy,” and author of“The Green-Collar Economy; How One Solution Can Solve Our Two Biggest Problems.”
I first read his book two years ago when I was selected to be an Urban Environmental Justice Fellow at the Institute for Justice and Journalism. My project on food as an environmental justice issue in communities of color was partially inspired by his book. It wasn’t until recently people started to make the connection between the food system and the health of humanity and the planet. Thanks to Michelle Obama’s garden and healthy eating initiatives, as well as a plethora of books and films on the topic, food security in vulnerable communities has become a regular topic of discussion throughout the country.
Watch the video interview here
(AP Photo/Mark Stahl)
theGrio
By Talia Whyte
Earth Day turns 40 this year, but many African-Americans have never seen environmentalism as a priority until recently. With Van Jones and Majora Carter becoming household names, green is now the new black. Here is a list of 10 environmental justice issues affecting the black community that should be given full attention by all Americans.
Read the full article here
As many of you all know, I am a 2009 Urban Environmental Justice Fellow at the Institute for Justice and Journalism, University of Southern California. There were so many people involved in making this project possible that I don’t have the room to list them all here, but clearly there is an interest in this subject, and I hope that the discussion will continue in the forseeable future!
Thanks!
Talia
Here is my completed project:
Bay State Banner
‘Something green is growing here’: In Dorchester, residents of color take urban farming to new heights
Photo Slide Show: Something Green is Growing Here
Video series for WGBH Boston (PBS affliate)
Eating Green: Food and Environmental Justice in Boston
Part 1: Food Justice, Part 2: Food Problem, Part 3: Black and Meatless – sort of
The Grio/MSNBC
Gross Inequality to Access to Healthy Food
The Grio/MSNBC
More veggies, less meat; flexitarians find middle ground