Critical Animal Studies Symposium: Positive Social Change Happening on Campus

Recently I had the pleasure of witnessing three talks at HSU’s Critical Animal Studies (CAS) Symposium.  I attended the event with a small knowledge about critical animal studies and what is sets out to do, but I came away inspired and in awe of the amazing work that is currently being done within the field.   The CAS Symposium was a wonderful display of how important interdisciplinary work truly is.  The presentations I got to witness ranged from a discussion about representations in children’s media, wired vs wild, and a philosophical lecture.  Each presented their own unique analysis that critically looked at non-human animals and our perceptions of them.  My favorite talk of the panel was by my good friend Kylie Mosbacher and her analysis of representations of nature and non-human animals with regards to children’s literature and films.  I personally know how hard she worked on the project and it showed during her presentation.  The best part of it though was realizing that I was able to witness positive social change happening right here on campus.  It was so exciting be able to see my fellow peers and undergraduates here at HSU make an huge impact and create a new and exciting dialogue.  Additionally, the event showed the strength that comes from having an interdisciplinary event and allowing multiple perspectives and knowledge share their experience and expertise.  

Science and Humanities for a Better Understanding

       Often times as a Humanities major I hear that what I am studying isn't important. My ideas are dismissed when I speak to science majors as if what I have to say doesn't contribute to the conversation. From the conversations I have with them I know that they are not getting a well-rounded education because they only see the environment in one way. They might advocate for the animals without considering people or any of the other intersections associated with it. There is shift that is occurring when it comes to the way we look and think about environmental issues. We are no longer just thinking about animals as a singular from. People, landscapes, cultures, and bioregions are being taken into account. Interdisciplinary approaches to environmental issues are necessary and crucial for solutions. It allows multiple groups of people to come together to discuss what they know and put pieces together that link histories together. Although, the Environmental Studies program at HSU is fairly knew it is growing as more people acknowledge that environmental problems begin understanding social injustices.
      " Our belief that science alone could deliver us from the planetary quagmire is long dead." People who continue to believe that science is the answer to all the problems are not paying attention to the news. Environmental problems need to be dissected and pulled apart. For example, companies that are switching to become more eco-friendly. If I still had the mentality of a high schooler, I would see that as a great alternative to reducing greenhouse gasses. However, now I know that I am more critical of those types of scenarios. It has to do with green washing, economics, buzzwords, and so much more than what a person is fed. Social Sciences and Science majors need to unite and work together to understand the disparities that are systematically used to separate disciplines.



     

Carol Adams

    I enjoyed being able to attend this event. and listen to a whole new radical perspective. I do confess, that I do eat meat. It is an ongoing moral dilemma and conversation I have with myself when I am about to eat. I remember being offered duck by one of my roommates a two years ago. I declined and made an unpleasant face that she quickly responded to. She asked me, "You eat chicken... right?" I responded, "Yes." I forgot what I said afterwards but she told me "You shouldn't be eating things you can't kill." Those words will forever linger in my head. I am rather squeamish when it comes to killing anything, even a spider. Carol's lecture reinforced this in my head. Her lecture made me more keen in observing the different techniques restaurants use in order to get men to eat meat. Womyn are always sexualized and even when it comes to food. I think the most ridiculous example I've seen of this that she didn't show was a Carl's Jr. commercial. It was Ms. Turkey wearing a tiny swimsuit with turkeys on it while eating a turkey burger. I always think how much these womyn get paid to eat these ginormous burgers that are half of their face. Do they spit them out after they bite into it? Also notice in the commercial how this burger is part of the Men's Health Magazine. She used the term "absent referent"  when a part of either a womyn or animal is displaced and swapped for either animal or human. The absent referent in many of the images she showed was a womyn's face for a pigs. Most of the images she showed pigs which I found disturbing and enlightened all at once. I still can't fathom the fact that fast food joints out so much effort in making meat look manly and appealing by using the opposite sex. I am slowly switching and acknowledging all the associations that come with eating meat.

Community Brings Change

As humans we act in an individualistic and egotistical manner. If something is directly impacting our community and loved ones we quickly try to find a solution to the problem. However, when something is happening in a different country overseas we do not respond as quickly as we should. This will forever be a lingering question in my mind about any movement but especially the environmental movement. Environmental issues in whatever form they come in directly impact a group of people living in that area but also they have a domino effect. Oil extraction for instance, contaminates the water supply for that community like in Alberta, Canada or Flint, Michigan. Why is it thought that these issues are not publicized in the media until it begins to affect the rest of the continent or country? If people were aware sooner so much could have been prevented.
Naomi Klein highlights the importance and role that community members have in participating in environmental issues. The look of an "activist" is shifting into someone who no longer has to fit a specific mold. The general public has the notion that an activist depicts a hippie from the 60s. The reality is that the times they are a-changin'. The look of an activist as she describes, "look like everyone: the local shop owners, the university professors, the high school students, the grandmothers." Everyone is joining to fight for the struggle and for a better tomorrow. As cliche as it may sound one of the reasons most people choose to stand in the front lines and risk their lives is for future generations to be able to thrive.
Along with the shift in community, there has also been a shift of the people in the front lines. Women are partaking in the movement. Our voice is no longer being silenced by males who are notorious fro shunning us down. Traveling through different places where Blockadia is taking place Klein notices recurring themes and women being leaders os one of them; "...often [they] dominate the front lines, providing not only powerful moral leadership but also some of these movements' most enduring iconography." Women becoming leaders has some how sparked a reinvention of what movements look like. Is it women who are bringing the sense of togetherness that the environmental movement lacked? Klein mentions the old babushka wearing grandma who is rioting with everyone else with the caption "You know your government has failed when your grandma starts to riot." I would say that yes, women are bringing change through community. Toxics are affecting the future generation at an early stage, in the womb. "The various toxic threats these communities are up against seem to be awakening impulses that are universal, even primal-whether it's the fierce drive to protect children from harm, or a deep connection to land that has been previously suppressed."

An Interview with Dan Mar, local Permaculture Practitioner

My research paper has unfortunately interfered with my ability to attend guest speaker lectures, participate in student affairs, feed myself properly, or even go outside as much as I'd like to. Nevertheless, It has been an amazing adventure. My research project focuses on defining Permaculture as a social movement, an engine of positive change in the world. To compare and contrast the accounts of permacultural identity and practice found through my research with some empirical experience, I contacted local permaculturist Dan Mar for an interview. Mr. Mar owns and operates High Tide Permaculture, a consulting agency that works with all manner of organizations to improve their operations above and beyond regulatory standards, improve their environmental impact, and reduce the costs associated with getting started (permits, investments, equipment). Dan mentioned that he has worked for wide variety of interests: Timber harvesters, legal cannabis producers, local farms, prospective homesteaders, etc. In addition to his permaculture company, Dan is well-known throughout the local community for his application of permaculture techniques to his residence. My intent in going to talk with this man was essentially to learn his story - How does his company and his property influence his community? How does he regard the impact of his work? What attracted him to permaculture? Does he embody the principles permaculture literature espouses?

Dan graciously invited me to meet at his house and showed me permaculture in action in his front and back yards. Our session started with him explaining the ins and outs of his designs. His property was an exemplary piece of permaculture - not a square inch of yard space had not been utilized for some purpose. What really struck me about the experience, however, was how closely his words resonated with the concepts and ideals present in the permaculture literature I reviewed.

This is not to say that Dan regurgitated the same holistic doctrine endemic to the permaculture movement; On the contrary, the way he answered my questions came with his unique perspective and language choice. Additionally, Dan imparted upon me tidbits of permaculture wisdom that I had not come across in previous research. Two of my favorite comments he made that day were to stress the importance of acknowledging and bracing oneself for “The unintended consequences of intentional design” and how the “Beer Theory” can be used to make claims about structural decisions.

“The unintended consequences of intentional design” is a mantra I plan to repeat to myself, now that Dan has exposed me to it. The concept is as follows; No matter how well you plan and enact something, there will always be unexpected developments. Instead of fighting against this inevitability or ignoring it, Dan detailed how permaculture techniques are designed to creatively incorporate these hiccups as they arise.

The “Beer Theory” is Dan’s guiding principle towards economic and personal success. “How can I have more time to enjoy a beer with the people I love?” I found this seemingly casual response to my inquiries surprisingly deep after he explained how this "theory" is incorporated into the way he makes business choices, how he chooses to plant crops, and how it influences his valuation of time and money.

While Dan actively rejected the notion that his work is revolutionary, I would disagree with him. It was clear that he had a deep commitment and connection to his community, and was an active participant in positive social change. We first spoke about his garden, and he talked about the role his permaculture projects had played in forming connections with his neighbors. Dan lives adjacent to the community forest, and his residence is designed so as to work with the natural flow of water from the forest as best as possible. His laundry, duck pond, water catchment system, and outside bathroom were all connected and placed in such a way so as to passively replenish groundwater supply. He told me when his neighbors expressed interest in creating similar systems on their property, he used that as an opportunity to get to know them, educate them, and strengthen the relationships between them. Dan drew a connection between positive neighborly relations and ecological and social well-being.

His work as the head of High Tide Permaculture seemed equally revolutionary as his backyard, though you may have trouble getting him to admit this. In a nutshell, he exercises permaculture principles in his consultation work to overcome economic, political, and ecological obstacles present in his clients’ enterprise. I asked him if he had a common protocol to approaching each project, and he does: Objectively observe and collect data about the ecosystem in question, then hold a conversation with the owner concerning their goals - short term, long term, the works. Only after understanding both the conditions of the land and the interests of the human element does he begin the design process. No matter what the enterprise is, he stated that he always starts his design process by considering how water is incorporated into the situation. “Everything starts with water”. 

I think that Dan’s business represents the revolutionary potential of permaculture to bypass modern bureaucratic inadequacies in how business and government interact. Much like how the Hayes’ valley farm project demonstrated that permaculture can produce positive change without conflict through its’ experiment with Interim Use policy, High Tide permaculture bypasses the need for permits by integrating ecosystem functions into economic enterprise. In Dan’s words, “You don’t need a permit to draw water from a stream for your plantation if you don’t need to draw water from the stream”. In this case, he was talking about how he has helped designed cannabis farms to maximize runoff collection, store rainwater, and passively utilize groundwater storage well enough that they don’t require additional water supply. This is bonafide positive change - his job specializes in circumventing costly bureaucratic steps by going above and beyond the status-quo standard of excellence. All while saving money, time, and water.

I believe that the reasons why Dan does not think his work or his residence are examples of revolution are relevant topics of interest. For Dan Mar, this is a way of life. It is not something he has subscribed to, or labels himself by, it is simply the way he has chosen to live. His introduction to permaculture was his grandparents, Italian immigrants who made it through the depression like the majority of Americans at the time by using what space they owned to produce what they could. He does not consider his knowledge revolutionary because the principles of observation, cooperation, and adaptation have been present in human society for as long as human society has recorded itself. This mindset seems like a crucial component of the permaculture discourse - a vehicle for the positive attitude endemic to a movement centered on respect and community. Listening to Dan Mar speak confirmed for me that the essence of the permaculture mindset is one of confident humility; the notion that permaculture is merely practical application of careful, common sense.

On Carol J. Adams

I attended Carol J. Adams lecture on Tuesday, excited to listen about the Sexual Politics of Meat as I had recently written a paper on her Feminist Trafficking of Animals in Environmental Ethics. I really loved her slideshow, as some of her concepts were harder to connect and grasp, and with the help of the slideshow these concepts were made relatable. I have always been a meat-eater and her presentation made me question my own diet more than anything else I have heard of. I often think about my own personal habits as an Environmental Studies major, asking myself if I really “walk the walk.” I agree with Adam’s argument, but I continue to eat meat. This is similar to how I understand how terrible consumerism is, but I love thrift shopping. So how do I reconcile my love for an al pastor burrito once knowing that what I am doing is antithetical to ecofeminism? (I have a feminist tattoo). I suppose that the suffering of others and the cost of getting the ingredients for that burrito to me is greater than the joy I receive when eating the burrito. But my knowledge of how my burrito is harmful and antithetical is not predicting my behavior. I think that it is important to be critical on these aspects, but to not get bogged down on each individual action because that leads to nowhere. Maybe one day I will stop eating meat but I should never stop being critical of the world around me.

Shifting Perspectives

At the onset of reading the article “The Most Important Question Of Your Life” I almost immediately found holes in the assumptions made by the author, Mark Manson. He assumes that in order to achieve the various things that we want we must suffer and go through pain. For instance, he asserts that in order to have an amazing physique one must live “inside a gym for hour upon hour” while “calculating and calibrating the food you eat, planning your life out into tiny plate sized portions”. This is simply untrue. This vision of what it takes to get fit seems framed out of the endless advertisements for fitness related markets such as gyms and fad diet programs that are really just money making schemes. First of all, “living in a gym” is simply unnecessary for many reasons. Get yourself a bike and you’ll be building those glutes and getting your cardio (reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease) in no time. Not to mention you’ll be saving money on gas because it happens to be free to ride a bike while also eliminating the carbon emissions from your gas powered vehicle. See, two birds with one stone! While you may be sacrificing the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B, the benefits of switching from a fossil fuel powered machine to a YOU powered machine far outweigh the costs. Everything in moderation of course but simply scaling back on the driving and supplementing your transportation routine with biking can only be beneficial.

We also happen to have access to one of the greatest feats of humankind- the internet. Youtube offers endless channels of motivating, inspiring, and qualified fitness and physical trainers with videos tailored to your needs be it beginner or advanced! Everything from low impact pilates, relaxing yoga, challenging kickboxing, or high-intensity cardio can be found online and the best part is- it’s all free and can be done in the comfort of your own home! Manson makes it seem like living a successful, healthy, comfortable life comes at the price of sacrificing SO much of our happiness and increasing the drudgery. Go on a bike ride around sunset, feel the wind upon your face and breathe in life. Then tell me how painstaking exercising/being active can be.

“Tiny plate sized portions”? Again, simply untrue for this “amazing physique” Manson briefly touches on. Learn to retrain your brain to choose foods that are grown from the earth and are minimally processed and you can eat as much as you want! These foods are packed with nutrients while being generally lower in calories than their processed, high calorie, low nutrient density counterparts. It is also encouraged by health professionals that you eat often to keep a strong metabolism (breakdown of foods to obtain energy) going throughout the day; increasing the bodies processing time and absorption of nutrients. These “hunger pangs” that Manson describes are again, unnecessary.

The point is, be creative in redefining your “sacrifices” and you may find you’re not only not suffering but thriving! We have gotten so used to experiencing our lives according to the status quo that we’ve forgotten how to define our own happiness. What is just as important as being able to define your own happiness is being able to define your own necessities. The perceived status quo is usually what prevents this from happening. Maybe the most important question of your life isn’t about what pain am I willing to go through but, “what do I really need to be happy?” This stuff? This job? This car? Or is it simply- this moment. This breath. This body which is composed of billions of cells that perform just as many tasks every moment in order to sustain the life within it. Life can be easily taken for granted and while I do believe there comes a time for tempering our indulgent habits I also believe in relishing each moment no matter what it’s outward appearance may be. Make a move not only towards a more sustainable lifestyle that serves the outer world, but also make moves towards a more sustainable inner world. It can be done with relatively little suffering involved and with that, I leave you with a quote: “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”. -Haruki Murakami

Why You Should Vote In 2016: A Pedagogy of Hope

It is true we live in interesting times. From the volatile political sphere emerging out of this years’ presidential election to the threat of climate change fast approaching, we as a people need something to grab onto, and fast. In today’s world we are faced with no greater task than to rise up to the challenge of saving the planet. Saving it from the corruption that has become much of our politics which are motivated by greed and continues to kick many while they are already down. This is a reminder that nothing is apolitical, meaning environmental conditions that affect entire ecosystems are connected to political decisions like a ripple through a pond caused by one drop of dew. The governance affecting all countries and other areas of who gets what, when, and how they get it is essentially rooted in socio-environmental relationships which always involve a winner and a loser. That is why it is so important for Americans to utilize their democratic power to call out those who are winning at the stake of others who are losing. Losing in terms of human rights such as access to clean water, fair wages, unpoisoned ecosystems, and availability of nutritious foods just to name a few. Even with the onslaught of environmental problems we face today including environmental racism, poverty, malnutrition, exploitation, and war there is still beauty to be found. We must look to the victories of the past to remind ourselves that all is not lost and the possibility of a better tomorrow is already here within our reach. It is through the shifting of perspective in which healing occurs.

A quote that encapsulates the rising of American people as we stand side by side as our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers and will not rest until equality and justice is served; “The solidarity to share in others’ suffering, to sacrifice self so that other roses may bloom, to collectively struggle to replace the concrete completely with a rose garden is what I call audacious hope.” As a future educator, Jeff Andrade-Duncans’ essay on critical hope offered insight into the role teachers play in healing their students. By healing I mean “relieve undeserved suffering in communities” as he puts it, which is foundational to my pedagogy of hope. My pedagogy of hope involves self-transcendence. It involves seeing the forest for the metaphorical trees which represent us as individuals and standing together in solidarity. Demanding equality across all races, religions, political parties, genders, ethnicities and every walk of life. Standing up for what is RIGHT even if that means making yourself or others uncomfortable with discussions that need to be had. The old saying about never discussing religion or politics is outdated. These conversations need to be had in order to educate and inform voters and to open up pathways in the mind that have become stagnant through stubborn opposition and narrow-minded thinking. Our time is now. With every move you make dissolve the image of the self and begin to see the bigger picture. This picture includes every last living organism and it starts with you. The timelessness of cliched sayings like “be the change you wish to see in the world” stick because they are essential to making changes and improving lives. Not just for the billionaires or for those privileged enough to live according to the status quo of the global North but better for us all as a whole. We are all in this together and once we realize the power that resides within us nothing can stop the force that is calling for justice.

Vote for hope, vote for truth, and if nothing else vote for your right to exercise forgotten and unheard voices among the crowd. Vote for the ones who have been silenced and downtrodden throughout history and make a stand for goodness that says “enough is enough”. This election will be a pivotal point in history as we collectively work towards a sustainable future full of hope for us all. We have the power to make this change so let us exercise it. Regardless of who wins there is a movement gaining momentum across the country. A movement that transcends political parties and instead calls for justice to be served. It is time. Get registered in your county and educate yourself on the true intentions of the candidates. It is not so hard to hear the heart speak through the voice if you just listen carefully. Get ready, this year’s 2016 presidential election promises to be a big one.

Self Reflections as a Presenter...

Last Monday on the 25th of April I presented a 30 minute talk on our relationship with dogs in contemporary society.

Overall I think the talk went good and I am now in the phase on reflecting back on what worked and what did not work.

As I approach the end of my degree I am constantly asking myself what I want to accomplish in my career and what sort of projects get me excited. I think this is an extremely important question to try push myself to answer because I have found that when I am engaged and legitimately excited about something I tend to do my best work.

So what excites me? What makes the hair stand up on my neck, my breathe quicken and my palms sweat?

The answer...Public Speaking.
To be able to move people simply with your words, to cause people to feel things, and think critically, simply by the string of words and sounds that you have compiled together is magical. To me, a message delivered in the right way, by the right person, is almost as powerful as music!

So thinking back on my presentation I must ask myself....

Did I have people enthralled?

Did I make anyone feel anything?

Think anything critical?

My hope is that, yes, I did inspire someone to look at dogs differently or to think about the concept of speciesism in their daily lives.

All I can do is continue to work on my craft, and to continue discovering other powerful speakers that I can learn from and hopefully emulate one day.

I leave you know with a link to a video that started my burning desire to learn how to be an effective public speaker.

This reading of Sojourner  Truths "Aint I a woman" by Alfre Woodward is so powerful and I hope it resonates with you on some cosmic level

<3

Thoughts on Activism

Last night I had the opportunity to hear Van Jones speak. Jones shared his personal experiences and his journey from a small town in Tennessee to law school at Yale. From his closet office in Oakland where the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights was born to working alongside Prince on Green For All. From advising at the White House to hosting television shows for mainstream media. Much of what he said resonated with the conversations we constantly return to in our capstone class, as individuals committed to social change. These conversations on burnout, on despair, on the struggle.

Jones, throughout his talk, returned to the importance of hard work. He called out the misleading nature of the movie montage, where the protagonist of the film puts in about 30 seconds of hard work—runs some stairs, does some sit ups—and bam! achieves their goal. Life isn’t like that. If the movie reflected reality, most of the 90 minutes-2 hours would be spent training and struggling, with perhaps 30 seconds of glory at the end. Or not. Sometimes there isn’t that moment of glory, of achievement. As activists, we need to realize our lives aren’t going to be a montage. After coming to terms with that, it’s critically important to return to what Mark Manson talked about in his piece “The Most Important Question of Your Life,” and making sure that we choose the right struggle.

Another thing that Jones touched on that is especially pertinent is knowing when to take care of yourself. Burnout is a real possibility (probably an inevitability) for those of us who want to dedicate our lives to helping others and changing the world. It’s important to prioritize taking care of ourselves in order to tackle the issues we care so much about.

At the end of his talk, Jones discussed issues within progressive culture that are counter-productive to the goals social change. One of these is the competition to be the most righteous activist or to be the most successful change-maker. Conversations among activists often fall into a pattern of tearing people down for what they aren’t doing, rather than building people up for what they are doing. Jones expressed his frustration with this and his belief that real change is made when we take time to call people up, not call people out. I really appreciated his perspective and totally agree that effective movements are built on positivity and inspiration, rather than competition.

A final point from his talk that I want to bring up is the pedagogical pitfalls of post-structuralism. We spend all of our time learning how to deconstruct problems and dissect issues into all of their fundamental parts. As a result, we know how to “deconstruct everything, but don’t know how to reconstruct anything.” I wanted to stand up and cheer as soon as he said this. I often feel frustrated by the cyclical discussions on the nature of the problem. Believe me, I’m not trying to discount the importance critical analysis of social issues. To make change, it is necessary to understand the historical context of why things are the way they are. It is necessary to understand the social relationships and structures that dictate policies and perpetuate inequality. There must be time for talking about these things. But now it’s time to get shit done.

Tool Kit for Change - Beyond HSU

My work at Humboldt State has focused on community gardens, youth engagement, and building positive relations through hands-on approaches. Those have been at the forefront of my essays, my research papers, and my presentations in most, if not all of my classes. I would often dream of one day working or starting a nonprofit organization that focused on just that.

About a week ago, I received a call and an opportunity to pursue that dream over the summer.

Earlier this semester I applied to an internship program in Salem, Oregon that works with youth in a farming program. These high school students have spent the spring season growing their own food - which they will sell during the summer. Shortly after walking at the spring graduation ceremony, I will head north to serve as the Environmental Education Intern with the Marion-Polk Food Share Youth Farm. I will have the opportunity to work directly with young people by leading presentations on food security, environmental justice, and sustainable agriculture all while helping them establish their own business at the Salem Farmers’ Market.

This reminded me about the jobs and careers that we say we want to create. It also reminded me that there are already amazing programs addressing the issues we’re talking about in our classrooms. They might not be a common, but they’re out there. And when we see a need for one of them - it’s important to remember that we can start programs like these using the skills we’ve picked up in our program. We are leaving HSU with a toolkit to build or build on what is already out there.

I’m excited about my experience in their program. I’m also equally excited to apply the training that I have developed through my classes, professors, and fellow classmates.

Teaching to be Engaged Citizens

I was just offered an internship of a lifetime in which I'll travel to, live in, and work in Salem, Oregon at a Youth Farm led by a local food share. At this Youth Farm, young people are taught about food justice issues through garden-based, hands-on, experiential learning. Because they work directly with the food share, they are given the opportunity to really view cause and effect in action - they grow food, a customer at the food share obtains it, hunger is mitigated, and the cycle persists. 

This internship opportunity is really putting all I've learned in the Environmental Studies program to the test. The Youth Farm directly tackles pressing issues through directly engaging diverse youth and putting them in the forefront of positive social change. 

In questioning the current food system, the Youth Farm assesses the status quo and cultivates new approaches to how we obtain our food. Because the current food system isn't working, the Youth Farm diverged out of that structure to create a new system. Eventually, an appropriate and sustainable solution was created in the form of a youth farm that encourages youth to become active, engaged citizens in their communities, thus helping to mitigate future environmental issues.

The Youth Farm's processes in and of itself aid in the longevity of transdisciplinary thought.

Creating Careers (That May Not Exist, Yet)

This week, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with two distinguished HSU graduates. They were in town, on campus, and spoke in one of my classes. (PSCI 364 - Technology and Development, if you’re wondering.) They are both environmental engineers - involved in international development programs around the world and they’re doing great things. However, it wasn’t just the work that they talked about that stood out. It was what they said about students in the humanities. About students in social science who could communicate with a diversity of different people from a variety of backgrounds.

I’ve often talked with fellow classmates about careers and post HSU work and how it might relate to our major. About how we can apply the skills we’ve developed in the program into positions with organizations near and far. It’s daunting. But they are questions we have to consider. (Being seniors, and all.)

My  conversation with the two graduates had one important “take home” piece. They talked about the skills they look for when bringing on new staff. The want “integrators,” or people that can communicate ideas well with others. People who can establish trust and who can create connections with communities when establishing national and international projects.

I found that enlightening - to hear it come directly from people immersed in humanitarian efforts around the world only added to the hope I have. Sarah once said that our jobs don’t even exist yet. That we have to go out there and create them. And that’s absolutely true. We’re critically analyzing the world around us. The skills we have - are needed in a world where disciplines are collaborating on complicated issues. We can serve as a bridge between disciplines that help bring people together. Or we can be the voice that challenges a status quo that is unjust. All we need to do is create those jobs.

Let’s be deliberate about that creation - while not becoming overwhelmed by careers that don’t yet exist.

Teaching to be Hybrid Practitioners

Through my undergraduate career, I have written various papers having to do with Urban Agroforestry, Urban Sprawl, Green Roofs, Green Mentoring, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, to name a few.

Recently, I had an epiphany and realized all of the papers I've written as an undergraduate inherently critically analyze why such a disparity exists between environmental science and environmental justice. I realized I was unconsciously focusing on "fixing" some form of environmental science something by adding an environmental justice component by asking if anyone had considered how a given technology alleviates or agitates human social needs. In writing these papers on an individual level, I hadn't even considered that a passion for environmental justice lied within me.

Gomez's "Four Directions for the Humanities" suggests one solution for negative framing is moving toward transdisciplinarity in the humanities wherein collaboration between academic scholars and other publics can reflect their roles as hybrid practitioners. In writing these papers on an individual level, I hadn't even considered that I was moving toward transdisciplinarity. By writing articles as a scholar, but being involved in the campus community, I was reflecting my role as a hybrid practitioner.

My role as a hybrid practitioner has only just begun, however. This field must continue developing interdisciplinary inquiry into environmental questions and assumptions. Even more, the field must challenge already established questions and assumptions.

Environmental Humanities provides a holistic perspective that is so necessary in solving each an every one of the world's ailments. Without the environmental humanities, we fail to tie ourselves into the context of the intersection of the planet in which we live. Environmental Humanities is essentially an avenue in which we can have our cake, and eat it, too.

Humanities: The Last Key to the Puzzle

For years and years global powers have been trying to solve our overwhelming environmental problems with just science, policy , and economics. This however has turned out not to be the ultimate equation for environmental problem solving. They were missing a key component, the humanities. This was shown after the failure of the Rio Conference in 1992. This conference focused on furthering ecological modernization to move into an era of sustainability. Unfortunately this doesn't solve all our issues and after this was confirmed the search for the sustainable answer resumed.

All signs point to environmental humanities as our way to tackle these overarching issues. Environmental Studies as a discipline uses knowledge from all over the academic spectrum to solve problems. Without unification, these areas of studies are ignorant to other ways of looking at the issues and are blind to what may help. Humanities mainly have been out of this picture. Environmental studies in a lot of ways focuses on this overlooked discipline and fits it in as that last piece of the puzzle. As more humanity thinkers start to take the reign of environmental policy and science planning, all things point to a brighter future. 

Gomez, Sergio. "Why Should Biologists Interested in the Environment Take the Humanities Seriously?" Yale Environmental Humanities Initiative. N.p., 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

Reminder to Myself

I recently read an article about a local activist named Betty Chinn. Have you heard about her? No? (I highly recommend this brief write-up about the transformational work she is doing in Humboldt County - right here.) She’s an advocate for the homeless population in Eureka and spends countless hours working to help people around her. From getting up at 2:00 a.m. to help transport homeless youth to school to helping make sure others have a meal to eat throughout the day - she seems to be at it nonstop, all while trying to raise funds to continue offering services and resources.

The work she’s involved in reminded me so much about Mark Manson’s article You probably know to ask yourself, “What do I want? Here’s a way better question. The years of struggle she endured (and endures) are what make her who she is and makes her work all the more powerful. She lives it. She is actively out there working for change and it’s not easy.  And it’s true, “What determines your success isn’t ‘What do you want to enjoy?’” No, it’s more than that. Manson points out that it’s not the end result that we should focus on when considering our goals. It’s the process and the sacrifice that comes along with reaching that goal “ The question of “What pain do you want to sustain?” is at the root of it all. It’s what we should consider when we start on a life long path.

This semester has been an uphill struggle. I’m sure you (yes, you) can agree with me on this. Being a full-time student, with a full-time job, and another part-time job on top of that is a balancing act. (All while trying to have a social life.Yikes) It’s a struggle. But it’s a struggle that I love. Sure I might not always get a full night's rest, and I constantly find myself rushing from one meeting to the next - but it’s the end goal of where I’m headed that keeps me going. It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. If I wasn’t engulfed in the daily struggles that expose me to new challenges then I wouldn’t be working for change. I would be stuck and content with the way things are.

So here’s a reminder to myself - your choices today should be a reflection of the person you want to be. Don't ever forget that.

Sincerely,

“My Former Self”

Aim For the Stars

It's only been a few weeks after reading Mark Manson's "Ask The Hard Questions" and I can already feel the words in his blog impacting my everyday life. The premise of article is to make people rethink the way that they go about challenges and hardships. He implores you to ask yourself not what you want but rather what are you willing to sacrifice for that want. This is because you will never achieve hopes and dreams without assessing the struggles that goes along with it. In other words you have to want the struggle if you truly want your goal. 

In my own life this question of if I really wanted the struggle had been lingering in my mind. Am I willing to put in the hard work for my goals in health, relationships, and schoolwork? The answer is yes. Now however I'm focused on the means other than the ends. When it came to my health, I started appreciating my opportunities to workout and eat healthy. Which I can testify is not easy, but it was something that I decided for myself. When it came to my schoolwork, I came to the conclusion that the hard work is worth the grade and you need to put in the long nights at the library if you want that A. You can't just turn in mediocre work and expect your professor to give you something to be proud of. Otherwise that wouldn't be fair to everyone. When it is clear someone tried harder than someone else on an assignment they should be rewarded with a better grade and 9 out of 10 times that person understands the curriculum more. You've got to put in the effort for the knowledge.

In conclusion I feel like my brain has been rewired because I read this. Only looking towards goals isn't a bad thing, it just undermines the trials and tribulations of getting there. Being aware of how you're going to get there is the take home message. Aim for the stars, but don't forget you have to build the rocket ship, train the astronauts, and educate the ground control.

Prison Ecology Project as a New Direction for the Environmental Humanities

As many of you in ENST 490 know, I am part of the Prison Ecology Project, which looks at the intersection of mass incarceration and environmental degradation. I work as a research assistant, but my primary duties are conducting archival research and developing a story map of the project. The project is definitely in the beginning stages, but the team has some goals for the project that follow some of what Gomez’s deems directions for the environmental humanities. 

One of the directions Gomez’s talks about is transdisciplinary and postdisciplinarity. Innovative and appropriate methods, approaches, theories and dialogues are necessary to achieve transdisciplinary and postdiscplinarity, and the environmental humanities should be a laboratory to develop these innovations, according to Gomez. I would argue that the Prison Ecology Project is working towards this as it is using different bodies of knowledge to work towards policy and social change of the expanding prison industrial complex. It combines the prison abolition movement with the environmental justice movement and makes connections in the fields of political science, criminology, sociology, GIS, cartography, communications, and the environmental humanities. We are working with people of all different backgrounds, from incarcerated individuals, radical environmentalists, academics, and students, which aligns with transdisciplinary as it, “involves increasing collaboration between academic scholars and other publics” (Gomez). We are incorporating visual arts, though my role as a cartographer, to communicate a global environmental and human rights issue, and are bringing to question that there may not be a difference between the two. 

The other direction that we are incorporating into the project is developing “citizen humanities.” This concept emphasizes the importance of not only working across scholarly disciplines, but working from academia to other spheres of public engagement. When the Prison Ecology Project presented at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) in March 2016, we opened up our project to the audience and the public, asking for participation in data collection and public records requests. Through this we are able to not only gather more data on the pollution in prisons, but also have thousands of people who live in communities near a prison participate in a global movement and feel a sense of liberation. Currently, this is a goal of the project but the foundation is there. As a part of this project, I hope to liberate communities through the use of GIS and cartography. 

Through my four years as an Environmental Studies major, I have come to find a passion in social justice GIS or counter/ critical cartography. The Prison Ecology Project has fallen into my lap, and I am very lucky to be involved with such wonderful people and work for such a powerful movement. Reading this article made my work and the project feel even more validated. I hope to incorporate all four of Gomez’s directions into further work. This is exciting but also daunting, as I am sure is a feeling many of us ENST seniors feel. Here we go. 

Perception of Options to Improve the World

In “Four Directions for the Environmental Humanities”, Sergio Gomez discusses problems that “frame our relation to the environment” and then goes on to propose shifts in environmental humanities that could address these problems. One interesting problem that Gomez mentions is the “Dominant Technocratic Approach”, which frames environmental issues as something that can simply be solved by science and technological innovations. Science and “careful management” can solve all issues under this approach. The technocratic approach can greatly affect our perceptions of options available for improving the world. Under the technocratic approach it is only the “administrators” or “experts” that are “qualified” to improve the world. This leads to the perception that is not within “our power” to improve the world or that it is not our place. Ideas can’t improve the world unless they come from a qualified expert. And even those ideas aren’t said to make much improvement unless there are “material results”.

Options available to improve the world under the technocratic approach also become “simple” and “efficient”. Any option to improve the world that is deemed “too complex” will either be ignored or reduced to simple terms that will lead to ineffective and damaging solutions. The technocratic approach can also go hand in hand with negative framing. It becomes very easy to frame things in a negative light or deny that there are even options available to improve the world when the only options are deemed as “management” or “scientific innovations”. When only “management” or “scientific innovations” are said to be options, it is easy to say there are not enough narrowly defined “resources” to improve the world. Instead, when innovative thinking is thought of as a way to improve the world, there are of course much more “options” and negative framing is not quite as easy. Scientific innovations can be rare but innovated thinking happens every day.

Developing citizen humanities is just one solution to address the problem of the dominant technocratic approach. Citizen humanities “reengages publics” as producers of knowledge, and in turn “reengages publics” in improving the world. It is more than just the “experts” that have the option to improve the world. When “publics” cultivate new ideas and discussions, they are not only coming up with new options to improve the world, but they allow for others to see just how important “non-experts” are for improving the world. These diverse “environmental imaginaries” that bring in human experience and different worldviews show that there are not always “efficient” solutions. Options to improve the world will not always be a linear progression and they may be messy and difficult. This complexity is not a sign to “give up” or “simplify the option”, but instead is often just a part of diverse collaboration. Improving the world will not always be neat and tidy, and acknowledging this will help prevent options/solutions that are in the end only more damaging.

Why is Social Science needed for tackling Climate Change?

Keri Norgaard says Climate Change is a social issue. She’s right! Climate Change may be an ecologically-premised trend of ominous long-term natural phenomena, but it is a social issue because it affects social stuff - like how we eat, how we breathe, where we build, who/how we fight and what we’re fighting each other for. Norgaard makes another great point - there’s not enough social science going on in climate change action. I think this is true because I see that those not involved in environmental disciplines still regard climate change  as “just another” fad of the noise-machine-media. It’s not their fault either - climate change comes to many Americans most often by media headlines where they are beside celebrities and candidate drama. Contrast the emotional response you receive when asking an average American about their views on U.S. involvement in the Middle East and the response you get when asking someone about their position on climate change.
Its absolutely necessary to have boat-loads of natural scientists in the field of climate change science. This is important because climate change is super duper complex and we would never come to understand the full breadth of its’ impacts without them. However, if there were a greater amount of sociologists and other humanitarian social scientists at the forefront of climate change science, there'd be a lot more reputable material on how climate change affects society, not just how climate change affects mother nature.
If that were the case, I think it’d be a lot easier for people to relate with the pernicious threat Climate Change poses. We talk a lot about risk perception and alienation - how problems that are super long term or exceedingly complex or from an indirect source are difficult for the human psyche to wrap itself around. So it seems like a clear connection to me that a growing body of work detailing the social impact of climate change, and even the social sources of climate change, would contribute to the trend of people taking climate change seriously. If there was this hypothetical body of social science, then people would care more. People might vote more. They’ll surely change their consumer habits and daily behavior if they had some “scientifically proven” connection between an aspect of their lives and this big hairy scary problem of climate change. And that, my friends, is a critical hope we need to foster. While taking shorter showers may not make the military spend consume less oil or emit less fossil fuels, changing the hearts and minds of the american people is the only sure way to establish a substantial paradigm shift. We need a paradigm shift as big as Climate Change itself to tackle Climate Change, and it won't happen without the consilience of every discipline.

True and False Hope

Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade wrote a powerful piece on hope;  a powerful feeling that motivates us to pursue things in life and to be optimistic for the future. Duncan-Andrade discusses how hope has been assaulted in urban communities. The assault on hope can be seen in the disinvestments in schools and overinvestment in the prison industrial complex. This claim by Duncan-Andrade is not only true but it stings when i acknowledge the extent of it. As a student I am constantly reminded that education is not only my key to success but it is essential to my future. I do believe this statement is true but I also acknowledge that only a few will actually reap the true benefits of this claim. Education has the potential to break many barriers that prevent us to reach our true potential but many students face trauma that make it nearly impossible to excel in school. Many urban youth are also given false hope on access to education granted that more prisons are build than schools and schools are underfunded. Duncan-Andrade identifies reactionary distortion as a process that promotes false hope and takes away true hope

Duncan-Andrade identifies three forms of false hope, the first is Hokey hope. Hokey hope affirms the american belief of pulling yourself by your bootstraps. This false hope suggests that one can simply pull themselves out of poverty or bad situations if they “work hard, play attention, and play by the rules”, critical analyses of this statement recognizes that there are inequalities and systematic oppression urban youth and people of color face that make it unattainable to reach. As Duncan-Andrade states Hokey hope, “delegitimizes the pain that urban youth experience as a result of a persistently unequal society” (p.3). The second false hope identified by Duncan-Andrade is mythical hope. Mythical hope proposes that everyone has equal opportunity. As we all know we do not have equal opportunity, urban youth are more disadvantaged in regards to opportunity (academic, economic, and socially) than wealthy suburban youth. This false hope also perpetuates the false notion of a color blind society and does not acknowledge political and historical events that cannot validate mythical hope. Mythical hope in my opinion is like a disney film, it’s suggests that life is a fairytale and that all is well and fine but neglects to recognize that processes that casts certain characters a certain way. The third false hope is hope deferred, this false hope, as stated by Duncan-Andrade “hides misinterpretations of research that connect the material conditions of poverty to the constraints placed on schools” (p.4). It's the inability to efficiently create a transformative pedagogical project that focuses on aiding students rather than focusing energy on the errors of the system. This false hope also mandates that students go on a route that teachers are reluctant to take.

Duncan-Andrade gives his readers solutions to false hope; material, socratic and audacious hope. These three true hopes are mutually ingrained and as advocated by Duncan-Andrade they must work holistically. Material hopes helps us acknowledge that the road is not smooth and will have potholes that we encounter. Socratic hope ables us to push through difficult paths that we cannot escape. Audacious hope encourages us to sacrifice pieces of ourselves so that others may rise thus we can collectively aid each other on the pursuit to our definition of success. When I finished reading this article I acknowledged that I have been at both ends of hope. I have been fed lies and at the same time I have been given so many helpful resources that have aided me to achieve my goals and dreams. As a person of color who attends a institutionalized public university I have come to understand that my peers and I face the same struggles, some harsher than others but nevertheless we all face struggles. The extent in which we receive aid greatly differs, I have been very fortunate to have professors who truly care about me and want to see me succeed. Unfortunately this has not been the same experience for some of my peers. This article opened my eyes to value true hope, hope that acknowledges that the road will not be smooth and easy and that everyone will endure different challenges but we should all preserver

Why should Science and Politics take Environmental Humanities Seriously?

This weeks’ articles covered the role of the humanities in addressing environmental issues. It is of common assumption that environmental science - climatologists, natural resource managers, soils technicians, etc - are the social caste with the tools to save us from self-wrought ecological decay. And this is true! But as is always the case with critical studies, the situation is more complex than it appears to be at first glance. Both articles bring up the point that although the “left-brained” disciplines (as we have been calling them in class) are extraordinarily well equipped to measure impacts and qualities of environmental problems, they are often deplorably inept at turning these measurements into effective strategies for change. In many cases, bureaucracy, funding, and a purely scientific outlook ironically combine to turn a solution into yet another problem. Take for example, the Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge. At first glance, the refuge is a beautiful example of modern science and management techniques being exercised on compromised land for the betterment of wild species and humans alike. But from a humanitarian perspective, this location represents a suite of curious contradictions that hint at an underlying structural problem. 

Why is this wildlife refuge in the particular spot that it is? How come the management is spending the vast majority of its’ budget and time on maintaining the land as an ecosystem that would not naturally occur in that place? Who is in charge of determining how this land gets used? These are the kinds of questions that the humanities bring to the table. They might sound a little belligerent, as if there were trying to stir up trouble and look for problems, and thats’ because they are. The humanities’ contribution to environmental problems is to put the Human back into the equation, because humans are some of the strongest interactors in the environment. If you’re curious about the wildlife refuge, the management is maintaining the refuge as a freshwater wetland despite its’ location smack-dab in the middle of the salty mud-flats of the Humboldt bay because of a nearly century old congressional policy that requires government-run refuges to prioritize populations of waterfowl for hunting. Their secondary efforts to maintain ecosystems amicable to threatened or rare bird species are primarily motivated by another government policy declaring that public space must be put aside for these birds because ranchers don’t like these birds nesting on their properties and want to be able to extirpate them. In summary, the wildlife refuge IS a great example of conservation management implementation, but the sources of its’ authority and funding are poorly organized, out-of-date policies that were put in place to appease economic interests and the recreation of the wealthy. I leave it up to you to decide whether your tax dollars could be put to better use.

Enough with the summarizing. The wildlife refuge is a local, personally relevant example of how environmental efforts have a void which could be filled by humanities-oriented thought & action. But the critical lack of self-insight and systems-level analysis found in the funding and agenda of the refuge reflect a common trend on all scales of the environmental movement. Measuring air quality, water quality, soil composition, disease rates, etc is EASY. That’s why we’re so good at it, and why as a society these techniques are most prevalent. But the humanities are all about asking the hard questions - the ones that can’t be measured in a lab. The fact that the questions humanities are poised to ask are scrutinous of power structures, politically subjective, and often metaphysical in nature is very likely the reason why their implementation is sluggish. But pernicious problems that extend beyond the scope of the individual - climate change, food insecurity, overconsumption, resource conflict, environmental justice (to name but a few) are, by nature, a product of the LACK of humanities’ influence in the world of policy and management. Intangibility, technocratic post-political mindsets, negative framing, and compartmentalization are the four problems listed in ‘What are the Environmental Humanities’ article. They sound to me like consequences of denial. Denial that social justice is inherently linked to environmental quality. Denial that economic solutions can’t always be environmental solutions. Denial that compassion and tolerance are as important to social reproduction as efficiency and efficacy. 

As a species, a community, and a collection of individuals, humans are on the brink of something big. Our world has never felt smaller as technological advancements and shifting cultural paradigms rapidly accelerate the rate of global connectivity. As we hurtle towards this future, I’d like to remind everyone of Stan Lee’s famous words, “With great power, comes great responsibility”. To me, these words aren’t just the epitaph of a comic book character - they’re powerful social commentary. Humanity is becoming increasingly powerful, so much to the point we’re considering naming this era after ourselves. Its about time Humanity focused on accruing a proportional amount of responsibility to match its’ power. And that responsibility can be found through the articulation of Environmental Humanities.

Hope in the Humanities

When I first transferred to Humboldt State University, I was not in the Environmental Studies program. In fact, I transferred in to the Environmental Management and Protection program. Ever since I was young, my family has always pushed me toward the medical field, the sciences, and 'management'. They would say, "you have to get a job - and that is where they all are."  This message was drilled into my head, even as a transfer student. My real passion was activism and animals - but many people tried to warn me that I would never find my place between the two. During my first semester in my first week of EMP classes, I KNEW that this program was not for me. I felt disconnected and lost. I remember going home that day crying to my partner, looking at every program HSU had to offer. I finally discovered the Environmental Studies program. The one thing that stood out to me was the focus on an interdisciplinary education. I emailed the ENST program leader, Sarah Ray, and expressed my interests. She replied - "this program would be perfect for you."

It was at that moment I knew I belonged - I found my niche. To be honest, I had anxiety switching majors - not because I was changing paths (again...) but because I was going from a B.S degree to a B.A degree! The past two years in community college, all I took was math and science courses, and now I am in the humanities, and let me tell you, this was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.  Now that I am about to graduate, I can't imagine life without the humanities, (specifically, environmental humanities.) I am in love with everything about this program. I see the value of this program, especially the skills and tools I have obtained over these past two years. I am lucky to graduate with the knowledge I have and what positive social change I will create in the future.

 Without Environmental Humanities, our future looks bleak. We cannot continue to follow the path we are on. We cannot rely only on the 'hard' sciences to solve our environmental and social issues. Environmental Humanities offers us hope. If people valued Environmental Humanities as much as the 'hard sciences' we would have more critical thinkers, intersectional activists, and more positive social change. All disciplines must work together in order to address our present and future issues. We must demolish the 'discipline hierarchy' within the ivory tower and promote interdisciplinary programs - and make them more transdisiplinary. Let's start creating new collaborations, methods, workshops, and hope.

Hope In My Studies

“Taking into account intersecting trends in political, academic, and popular engagements with environmental issues, we delimit four problems that currently frame our relations to the environment. These include: the problem of alienation and intangibility; the post-political situation; the negative framing of environmental change; and compartmentalization of “the environment” from other spheres of concern- both in practical and ontological terms. Addressing these problems, we argue, is not possible without environmental humanities.” (Gomez’s Four directions for the environmental humanities) 

Growing up and going through school in a time that focuses on the doom and gloom narrative of environmental issues, a world where “more Americans can imagine the end of the world than can envision a switch from fossil fuels or an economic order other than capitalism” (Norgaard 2) puts a great deal of stress and sense of responsibility on my colleges and I. These are times that seem to say that I cannot make a difference, that there is no hope for the future. Before I can find hope for the entire planet and all its daunting issues, I first have to find hope in myself as member in creating positive change. As a student at Humboldt state studying environmental studies I am part of environmental humanities that Sergio Gomez describes. I take comfort and great pride purely in the fact that environmental humanities are dedicated to the uphill struggle of real positive change. Change that does not look at the human world as something that is intrinsically bad for the environment, change that is “starting to invite experts on the human values, ideas, history, thinking, religion, and communication to bring their knowledge to bear on critical global issues.”(Gomez’s Why should biologists interested in the environment take the humanities seriously?)

While it often feels like environmental humanities are creating more problems when we critique and evaluate mainstream environmental narrative. In reality environmental humanities are filling a vital and neglected role in the environmental movement “We cannot dream of sustainability unless we start to pay more attention to the human agents of the planetary pressure that environmental experts are masters at measuring but that they seem unable to prevent.” (Gomez’s Why should biologists interested in the environment take the humanities seriously?). Just the growing presence of environmental humanities in the environmental movement gives me hope for a real positive change.     

  

The Four Directions for Environmental Humanities

Environmental Humanities take into account intersecting trends in politics, academic, and popular engagement with environmental issues as states by Sergio Gomez. It is frustrating that a society advanced as ours still do not acknowledge the importance interdisciplinary jobs and how it significantly contributes to its the well-being of its society. These majors are trying to midgate oppression through different lenses of creativity to creates hope, and advances in equality for all ethnicities. Even though this major is not in the science fields it should not be looked down upon. In the article called, Yale Environmental Humanities Initiative written by Sergio Gomez stated “ We cannot dream of sustainability unless we start to pay more attention to the human agents of the planetary pressure that environmental experts are masters at measuring but that they seem unable to prevent”(3). This would be a perfect example of measuring change, people who want to resolve Climate Change should be encouraged towards the interdisciplinary careers and not just the sciences. awareness and understanding are vital for social change if we are trying to spark a better social movement.

It was neat how Gomez also wrote, The Four Directions for Environmental Humanities. It demonstrated the wide range of options we can do within this major. This article reinforces my stance on  how I want to contribute in this field. I would like to mitigate Alienation and Intangibility, and change Negative Framing through awareness.

Blockadia, Huelga, and the CFA Strike

As the California Faculty Association strike dates approach, it is especially appropriate to consider strikes of the past. Last week our campus was closed in recognition of Cesar Chavez Day. Sadly, for most students, this day was viewed as just another holiday thrown on the calendar, a day for Netflix binging, relaxing on the beach, or—god forbid—catching up on homework. I think it is important to take a bit of time to revisit why we were given the day off and to appreciate the man and the movement that we ought to have been celebrating.

Fifty years ago, strikers set out on foot from southern California, traveling nearly 350 miles to the capitol building in Sacramento. Led by Cesar Chavez, they marched for 25 days and were joined by hundreds of people along the way. Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and countless other Chicano and Filipino farmworkers fought for better working conditions and basic human rights. Using all sorts of approaches from the grape boycott to the massive strike (Huelga!) to art and theater, a movement that started small reached across the entire nation, garnering support from as far away as Europe, where dock workers refused to unload Delano grapes. Eventually, after years of struggle and striking, the UFW was born.

Many of the stories in Naomi Klein’s Blockadia are reminiscent of the civil rights movements of the 1960’s, like the farm workers movement. She shares stories of people across the world standing up for their health and their homes against corporate giants. These are movements led by the people, “grassroots” if you will. Like the farmworkers, most of the people of “Blockadia” are poor and lack agency, but after coming together are able to exert social power as communities. While the dialogue around environmental issues is so often “doom and gloom,” these examples provide inspiration to those of us who have become disillusioned by top down environmentalist approaches.

Welcome To The Environmental Enterprise.

“The arrival of humanists to the environmental enterprise should be welcomed.  It will mean deeper reflexivity and an increased competition of ideas and perspectives. It will also bring a sense of realism back to our work for the environment and sustainability. When even humanists have come to the point at which they consider the environment (almost) as important as people, there may—malgré tout—be reason for hope.”

-Environmental Studies.

-Mitigator between scientists and the public.

-Interdisciplinarity lense.

-Critical Thinker.

These are the sentiments that come to mind when I think about my college degree. They definitely sound nice but I just hope they will ring true and valuable in the “real” work world. Will I, a humanist, be welcomed to the environmental enterprise? Or will I always be looked down upon as someone less than due to not having a true STEM background? I do feel like I have the capacity to be deeply reflexive as a result of our extensive work deconstructing complicated concepts and ideas. Surely that will be a vital skill in this ever increasingly complex world? I do indeed hope I will be welcomed to the “environmental enterprise” and taken seriously for the potential I believe in my heart that I have.

However...At this point in my life, the only thing that I know for sure is that insecurity does still exist within me. I have to have the power to accept that I can't be sure of my skills at all when I consider a lot of the jobs that I may prosper at don't even exist yet in the job market. More importantly, I have to be okay with the fact that these jobs may never exist.

Despite this fact, this whisper of negativity in the back of my mind, I do love my degree. I really, really do.

I love the way that we are able to take technical and complicated information and transform it into something that anyone could understand. We can create messages that have the potential to reach broader audiences than ever before with the help of our interdisciplinary lense.

That is beautiful.

Environmental Studies is beautiful.

Environmental Studies is change waiting to happen.

Keeping this in mind as the countdown to graduation reaches 39 days is vital. At this present moment I have to constantly remind myself to be an optimist. To push myself to have thoughts that are as deep, well rounded, and meaningful such as those put forth by both Sergio Gomez, Asberg, Hedren, and Neimanis in these weeks readings..

Hopefully there is malgré tout - reason for hope. For not only me but all of my fellow Environmental Studies majors. Because we are important. We are needed. We are the future.

...Even if the rest of the world doesn't know it yet.