Environmental & Social Justice

Fellow Story

Morello-Frosch on how communities of color in California are addressing climate change

On September 30, 2012, California Governor Brown signed the “Climate and Community Revitalization” bills – AB 1532 and SB535. The first of these sets up a process to allocate revenues from auctioning allowances (that is, emissions permits) under the new market-based system that is part of the implementation of the Golden State’s 2006 landmark legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
October 25, 2012
Network Innovation Grant Grant

Understanding the Life Cycle and Regional Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale Basin

Switzer Fellows will collaborate with Earthworks to research the life cycle and regional impacts of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," in the Marcellus Shale of the northeastern U.S. While fracking has occurred for decades in less...
October 17, 2012
Fellow Story

Cleaning the Beaches of Mahahual

The Los Angeles Times also ran an excellent story on this subject: "An exquisite Mexico beach, cursed by plastic" (January 27. 2012)
September 28, 2012
Fellow Story

Bacon's work on food justice profiled

Chris fondly remembers chopping wood and picking slugs off the lettuce in his family’s organic garden. He believes practicing his parents’ alternative lifestyle based initially on choice and then on necessity gave him a basic understanding of how to live sustainably, but he didn’t actually hear the term sustainability until he went to college at UC Santa Barbara to study Economics and Environmental Studies. Read the full story
August 7, 2012
Fellow Story

Morello-Frosch argues that environmental policies must tackle social inequities

Tales of environmental injustices around the country provide strong evidence that chemical-by-chemical and facility-by-facility regulation is inadequate to protect public health.
July 6, 2012
Fellow Story

Grove study finds that tree canopy reduces crime

While shrubs may shield bad behavior, mature, well-tended trees do just the opposite, said J. Morgan Grove, a social ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service and one of the study's three authors. That could be important for a city like Baltimore, where trees cover just 27 percent of its landscape and some neighborhoods are practically barren. Read the full story
July 4, 2012
Fellow Story

Balazs's work with contamination of minorities' drinking water featured

“We were in Seville last week doing survey work and heard about people getting boil notices when there’s bacteria,” said Balazs, who joined the Community Water Center as a staff scientist after completing her Ph.D at UC Berkeley. “But one of the worst things you can do is boil water when there are nitrates. It just concentrates them.” Read the full story
June 20, 2012
Fellow

Miriam Torres

2012 Fellow
Miriam Torres is an environmental justice advocate, urban planner, collaborator, and mother. Currently, Miriam is a Principal Environmental Planner in the Planning and Climate Protection Division of the Bay Area Air Quality Management...
Fellow

Esther Conrad

2012 Fellow
A 2012 Switzer Fellow, Esther is deeply invested in policy-relevant research and partnerships to address critical sustainability challenges, especially in the context of water and climate change, and environmental justice. Currently, she works at Stanford University's Bill Lane Center for the American West, where she manages research projects in collaboration with government entities focused on groundwater governance, California's transition to zero emission vehicles, and policies to reduce wildfire risk.
Fellow

Molly Greene

2012 Fellow
Molly Greene is an interdisciplinary scholar and artist whose work explores nature, embodiment, memory, landscape iconography and technology through printmaking, painting, fiber arts, and writing. She is currently a doctoral student in the...