Steps: 1. Using the article Tracking the battles for environmental justice: here are the world’s top 10, introduce students to the social conflicts around environmental issues that result from industrial activities and waste. Use the Environmental Justice Atlas to select one site to explore using Who/What/Where/ Why/When prompts.
Ask students to consider:
• How can you share this information with others to educate them that things like this are happening?
• What advocacy/self-advocacy work are people doing to solve this problem?
• What is happening and who is doing it? How would people who aren’t affected (al- lies) help to amplify the voices of people who are affected?
• Students will examine one of the issues on the Environmental Justice Atlas, answer- ing Who/What/Where/Why/When from two perspectives: those who caused the impact or waste, and those who are affect- ed by it. Challenge students to consider why it is harder for some groups of people to access these systems.
ACT AND ADVOCATE • Create experiences in which students have engagement and agency
• Take action in your local community
Steps: 1. Create a written report, a presentation using a platform such as Prezi, or a slideshow.
• Students use their own words (no ‘copy and paste’ work).
• Provide reference information for the in- ternet sources they use to get information.
2. Use the 5 Ws to research and analyze an issue highlighted in the Environmental Justice Atlas.
• Who is involved?
• What is the issue? What are the health and environmental impacts?
• Where is this happening? • When was/is this happening?
• Why are some groups of people impacted more than others?
• Compare & contrast: Look at neighbour- ing areas (e.g., neighbourhoods, cities, regions, etc.). Why would certain areas be impacted more than others? What are the similarities and differences between areas that are impacted and areas that are not? Are there differences in the social, education, or economic resources that the people in these communities have?
• Analyze: What are the different perspec- tives on this issue? What is being done by the affected community(ies) to change this situation or problem? Are there allies who are already supporting the work that this community is doing? What might be the challenges for this community?
• Act/share: What can we do to advocate for people experiencing the injustice? Brainstorm some possible ways to help the community doing the work. Remember to honour the community voices you’ve learned about.
REFLECT AND SHARE • Reflect on the big idea
• Reflect on learning that has occurred • Share learning with others
Steps: 1. Sharing the learning: Provide time for students to share their products with classmates.
2. Facilitated reflection: Community circle discussion
• My feelings: Unpack students’ feelings about environmental racism – how do they feel about these situations?
• Self-advocacy: What work is being done by the people who are impacted to address the injustice?
• Allyship: As an ally, how can I amplify the voices of the communities impacted?
• Create a space for students to share their responses. Use a bulletin board or chart paper with headings “My feelings,” “Self- advocacy,” “Allyship.” Use sticky notes or index cards to write down a response for each of the three points; students will post their response under each.
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
(Publications, websites, videos, downloads, etc.)
Websites: • Environmental Justice Atlas
• Our Canada Project. A space to share with all Canadians the work you are doing, big or small, individ- ually or collectively, to make Canada a better place.
Teaching Resources:
• Teaching about Allyship: Navigating the Conflict Zone and Becoming an Ally
News Articles:
• New York Times, “Your zip code and your life expectancy”
• Te Atlantic, ”Trump’s EPA concludes environmental racism is real”
• Medium: Minority students are getting choked out by air pollution in Utah
• Grist: Fracking waste more likely to be located in poor communities and neighborhoods of Colour
• AP News: AP finds climate change risk for 327 toxic Superfund sites
• Google stories: Is it possible to save a rainforest by listening to it?
• CityLab: Te Toxic Effects of Elec- tronic Waste in Accra, Ghana
• Te Hill: Black people are dying from corona virus—air pollution is one of the main culprits
• New York Times, “In the shadows of America’s smokestack, virus is one more deadly risk”
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