By Nina Tinney
Photo by Alex Schwartz
“What is environmental justice?” is a question that was answered for many at the 2024 MIPA Summer Workshop’s Issues Panel. Held on July 23 in the Eli Broad College of Business, the panel focused greatly on the intersections between social justice and climate change. Designed to give workshop participants the chance to practice their skills, some focused on writing, photography, videography or simply asking questions in a professional environment.
The panel was composed of four women with different backgrounds in environmental justice: Latia Leonard, the Justice 40 Program Manager for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition; Dionna Brown, the National Director of Youth Environmental Justice Programs at Young, Gifted & Green; Madi Burt, a Youth Climate Influencer with Michigan Climate Action Network and manager of the zero waste store Walking Lightly in Ferndale, Michigan and finally Mia Brezanu, a Youth Climate Influencer with Michigan Climate Action Network. Led by student’s questions, the panelists touched on topics such as their experiences working in the field, ways to cope with climate anxiety, and strategies for young people to get involved.
Below are some highlights from the Q&A session.
Q: What does environmental justice mean?
Latia: What environmental justice means to me is that regardless of where someone lives,their income or race, they should be able to have access to clean water, air, food and affordable housing. I think that those are not just tenants of environmental justice but human rights.
Q: How can youth get involved?;
Dionna:Just because you can’t vote does not mean you are not a constituent. You can still talk to your state representative, your state senator or city council. They’re required to listen to you. We have to keep the adults in charge accountable. I didn’t create this problem but I’m trying to help fix it. That way, the next generations can inherit a better environment than the one I did.
Q: When did you first start caring about climate change?
Madi: I didn’t have a very climate conscious upbringing. My family didn’t recycle. We didn’t do anything. But when I went vegan around five years ago it was kind of a catalyst for me to change my lifestyle. I became more conscious about the climate and environmental justice.
Q: What does it mean when you say climate change and social justice “overlap”?
Mia: Climate change is the biggest intersectional issue of our time. Climate change touches just about everything you can imagine: human rights, social rights, housing, food prices and even how much your car costs. And it is often people that are impoverished that are contributing the least to climate change because of their lifestyle but are receiving the brunt of the impacts.