Carbon Footprint of Agnes Scott College

Callie Pierce, Hannah Martin, Jordan Keesler, Sonia Patel

Agnes Scott College

Communication Program Plan

Name of Program:   “Save Now for a Greener Future”

Issue or Problem to be addressed: Carbon Emission Footprints of students at Agnes Scott College

Evidence of Need (why the program is being developed – you must provide data in this section):

According to data our team received from the Office of Sustainability, 65% of Agnes Scott College’s carbon emissions are a result of our electricity usage. Our campaign’s focus is to lower the carbon footprint caused by residential student’s electricity usage. Since electricity is the largest sector, and most controllable sector, our team believes we can encourage students to reduce their usage of AC, charging devices, and lights. The Office of Sustainability has addressed issues related to carbon emissions by installing various systems at the institutional level such as solar panels and a Geothermal HVAC system (a closed circuit loop was developed to heat and cool the building using the Earth’s natural temperatures). These two systems are just the beginning for Agnes Scott’s carbon neutral goal by 2030. Climate change is a social and intellectual challenge of our time and to live this mission, we must lower our carbon footprints on campus. Although the Office of Sustainability is implementing systems and measures to reduce energy/electricity usage, our team would like to help educate students of how their actions can impact the community, and give them day to day strategies on how they can help lower Agnes’s carbon emissions.

Program Objective(s) (what is the ultimate goal of this program e.g. Reduce carbon emissions by X amount on campus):

The ultimate goal of this campaign is to reduce the carbon footprint of residential students by 2% at Agnes Scott College. There are many components of this goal that need to be addressed in order to reduce carbon emissions. The first component is for students to become more aware of the issue surrounding carbon emissions, and how carbon emissions affect their communities. The second component of this campaign is to introduce various actions and/or strategies that will allow students to reduce their personal carbon footprint, even if it is by a small amount. Tracking the electricity one-month pre and during the campaign (obtained from the Center for Sustainability), will allow us to understand how our campaign helped reduce the electricity usage.

Communication Objective(s) (what do you want people to do as the result of being exposed to your communication campaign):

After the completion of our campaign, we would like students to understand how their carbon footprint is calculated and what actions they can take to reduce their carbon footprint in small increments. We intend for students to learn more about carbon footprinting through the communication campaign material we create such as posters, infographics, and challenges. Consequently, after learning more about carbon emissions through our communication material, we want students to feel empowered to use less electricity when possible. Our results would be tracked through data from the Office of Sustainability’s carbon footprinting system. Furthermore, through our communication campaign, we want to create a more positive attitude towards the idea of lowering carbon emissions. If we had IRB approval, we would design and distribute pre and post surveys to understand how our campaign made an impact on attitude.

Primary intended audiences (in priority order; include pertinent characteristics and rationale for focusing on this audience):

The main target population of this campaign would be residential students because they are the majority of students that contribute to the college’s carbon emissions. According to the 2017 Agnes Scott Factbook, residential students consist of 759 out of the total 937 students enrolled at Agnes. The largest sector that contributes to carbon emissions on campus is electricity usage. While students cannot control how institutionally ASC uses electricity through emergency lighting, AC in non-residential buildings, etc, students still have a large impact individually on electricity usage. Students may or may not be aware of how much electricity they use or how it contributes to their carbon footprint; however, our campaign will address carbon-reducing strategies with a focus towards raising awareness of the impact residential students on our carbon footprint as a campus.  We believe that this audience has the ability to change their behavioral practices towards the usage of electricity in their residence halls.

Our second primary intended audience will be commuter students at Agnes Scott College. Commuter students will be viewing our posts/challenges/infographics on various social media platforms, and also contribute to the campus carbon emissions when they are on campus. This campaign will give them strategies on how to reduce their electricity usage as well. However, commuter students are not as likely as residential students to attend our campaign event, since it will be taking place on Earth Day Sunday, April 22nd.

Secondary intended audiences (in priority order with rationale):

Faculty and staff at Agnes would be our secondary audiences because they have the ability to encourage students to participate in the campaign challenges and event. There is not a huge extent to which they are influencers, however, we would believe them to be a secondary audience if we launched this campaign for a longer time frame.

Market Research Plans (include pretesting):

• Design Surveys (pre-testing)
  • Include questions about:
    • Carbon footprint awareness
    • Use of electricity (power strips, refrigerator..etc)
    • On a scale of 1-10 how important is carbon emissions
    • What types of strategies would help them use less electricity
• Do market research on the residential students at Agnes Scott
  • Learn more about how much electricity each residence hall uses
    • Create a challenge between residence halls, to determine which hall uses the least electricity
    • Look at previous data on challenges completed between the residence halls to understand how usage varies by building based on student and institutional factors
• Post-Campaign Survey (random)
  • Include questions about:
    • how many people were aware of the campaign
    • Did the infographics help students grasp the importance of carbon emissions reductions
    • Whether the strategies provided by the campaign team helped

Messages for all Agnes Scott community members:

• Unplug electronics, including your power strip! Even when turned “off” they use electricity.
• Electricity is the largest sector of Agnes Scott’s carbon emissions. By reducing our electricity consumption, there will also be a cost reduction, and the money saved can be used to fix buildings/ things around campus. Another advantage of electricity usage reduction is the positive outcome it will have for the Agnes community in the future.
• Simple actions can make a difference in your carbon footprint which in turn affects the future of our planet

Messages for Residential Students:

• When possible switch off the lights. Use natural sunlight or common spaces to study.
• Keep blinds open in the cooler months to passively warm your room. Keep blinds or curtains closed in the hotter months to keep the sun from warming your room.
• Use a microwave or toaster oven when possible opposed to a traditional oven. They require less electricity to warm a smaller space.
• Let your leftovers cool before placing them in your fridge. It takes energy to keep a cool place cold when hot items are added.
• Remember to close the windows when using the AC system

Materials to be Developed/Adapted:

• Electronic Flyers
  • Flyers promoting our event. They will include the date, time, what we will be doing
  • They will include facts/ data about carbon emissions on our campus
  • Design wise, they will be simple but contain important relevant information pertaining to carbon emissions and our event
• Social Media Challenges
  • Use of Programming Board’s social media accounts to promote campaign event/ challenges leading up to Earth Day-Instagram, facebook, snapchat
• Short Infographics to post on social media
  • Infographics would have data/facts relevant to carbon emissions at Agnes
  • Include our “key promises/messages”
  • Include electricity saving strategies

Materials Distribution and Program Promotion:

• Promote the campaign event through ProBo’s Snapchat account
• Program Promotion through our individual social media platforms (Instagram, SnapChat)
• Use of screens to display our electronic flyers/infographics (avoid printing on paper, however, we could use recycled paper)
• ER, RA’s
• Irvine, Dean of Students, CSI

Resources Needed:

Potential Partner Organizations (college departments/office, clubs, etc.):


(Modified) Partnership Plan

Potential Partner Organizations (in priority order):  

1. Office of Sustainability
2. Student Affairs
   1. Center for Student Involvement
   2. Intramurals

Potential Partner Roles/Tasks:

1. Office of Sustainability
   1. Tasks include:
      1. Use of social media to promote activities-Instagram, facebook
      2. Instagram challenge week leading up to earth day with the hashtag “caught green handed”
      3. Participate in planned events to be available to answer questions
      4. Environmental Residents or staff members
         1. Environmental News Network as a means of hyping events and spreading information
         2. Equipping Environmental Residents information to give to residents in halls

Student Affairs

• Encourage involvement via email, social media, and presence at events
• Encourage participation of RA’s through correspondence to Residence Life
• Encourage participation of CSI and Intramurals

Center for Student Involvement

• Use of social media to promote activities-Instagram, facebook, snapchat, twitter
  • i.e. through Programming Board and/or CSI accounts
  • Instagram challenge week leading up to earth day with #caughtgreenhanded

• Fund a succulent, spring planting, event but to receive plants, students must sign a pledge to engage in an activity to lower energy consumption in the dorm halls
  • “Caught Green Handed” –using hands as signatures with paint
  • When giving out plants include flyer for ways to conserve energy

Intramurals

• Hold an event outside to encourage students to be outside
  • partner with SAAC to have athletes involved
  • i.e. Kickball, badminton, archery  

Benefits to Partners of Participation in Program:

Office of Sustainability

• reduction of student energy use  

Student Affairs

• student engagement
• vibrant student life

Other Considerations (such as your organization’s constraints or policies):

• Time constraints to meet with us, to program events, or attend events.
• Lack of funding to support our programming ideas
• Probo being unable to sponsor events unless approved by them or having their logo on information
• Flyer posting policies- must seek approval to post and can only post in certain areas
• Reserving a space as a non-student organization, EMT process

Steps Planned to Approach and Engage Potential Partners:

• Email each potential partner
  • Sustainability, Dean of Students, CC, LeAnna Casey
  • In each email include: plan, expected results with a timeline for completion, expected contribution, possible times to meet to discuss if they have questions, a point of contact person in the group, expected benefits for each partner
    • Additionally, each email will include a statement asking what each partner would need for this project to succeed to open discussion of flexibility
    • Follow up email would include results and regards for their participation

Mechanisms for Communicating/Working Together:

• Email between team and partners
• GroupMe for team members
• Meeting in person individually with partners or together if possible
  
  
  *Evaluation plan will be submitted separately.

Strategy Statement/Creative Brief Template

*This is the document you would provide to your artists/graphic designers/web designers/film producers…

1. Intended audiences (Whom do you want to reach with your communication?) Be specific.

For our campaign, we intend for our audience to be currently enrolled students at the prestigious women’s college, Agnes Scott. We will primarily focus our communications on the residential students since these students contribute the most carbon emissions on campus. We still want to reach out to commuter students to lower their proportion of carbon emission production on campus as well, however, since our main event will be on a weekend we do not expect as many commuters to participate.

2. Objectives (What do you want your intended audiences to do after they hear, watch, or experience this communication?)

The objectives of our campaign are to teach students about the importance of lowering our amount of carbon emissions produced on campus. We also want to motivate students to begin thinking/ implementing ways to lower our campus’ and individual carbon footprints. We want to encourage students to get excited and understand the significance of  Agnes Scott’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2030 and provide ways for students to help our campus succeed in this goal.

3. Obstacles (What beliefs, cultural practices, peer pressure, misinformation, etc. stand between your audience and the desired objective?)

There are a few obstacles standing between our audience and our objectives. Lack of convenience or knowledge, negative attitudes, and laziness may deter people away which results in another obstacle of getting students to take part in our campaign.  Some students may prefer to sleep with a lamp or TV on. For others this may be the first time not paying for electricity causing them to feel as if they can use as much electricity as they want without having the economic burden. Also students often spend time studying during late hours and charge electronic devices overnight due to their busy day time schedules. These can be hard habits to change or may be inconvenient for students making it difficult to reach our desired objectives.

4. Key Promise (Select one single promise/benefit that the audience will experience upon hearing, seeing, or reading the objectives you’ve set?)

Students will learn and develop ways to reduce their individual carbon footprints resulting in lowering the campus’ carbon footprint as a whole.

5. Support Statements/Reasons Why (Include the reasons the key promise/benefit outweighs the obstacles and the reasons what you’re promising or promoting is beneficial. These often become the messages.)

By lowering our individual and campus carbon footprints by just 2%, we will be helping our campus move towards becoming climate neutral by 2030 and also our planet by improving air quality and fighting back against climate change by saving now for a greener future.

6. Tone (What feeling or personality should your communication have? Should it be authoritative, light, emotional…? Choose a tone.)

The tone of our campaign is going to be positive, enthusiastic, and rallying to get students involved with our campus’ carbon emissions through providing infographics, tips, and tricks attached to plants, and by promoting students to take a pledge. We want the focus to be on how much of an impact their actions can make on our campus.

7. Media (What channels will the communication use, or what form will the communication take? Television? Radio? Newspaper? Internet? Poster? Point-of-purchase? Flyer? All of the above?)

We are going to use social media applications, such as Snapchat and Instagram, flyers and screen displays as our channels of communications. Our team will post things such as electronic flyers, challenges, and short infographics. By using social media and screen displays as channels, we will cut down on paper consumption which helps to us to be sustainable as well as by using recycled paper for flyers to hang around campus.

8. Openings (What opportunities (times and places) exist for reaching your audience?)

We will be working with the Center for Sustainability and other student organizations on campus to students involved during the week prior and on Earth Day, April 22 to promote ways to reduce carbon emissions on campus.  

9. Creative Considerations (Anything else the creative people should know? Will it be in more than one language? Should they make sure that all nationalities are represented? What should the people look like in the materials – if people are depicted? Are there particular colors they should use or avoid? Etc.)

Our slogan is “Save Now for a Greener Future” therefore we would like the colors to be green, white, and tie in the Agnes Scott signature purple. Also we are wanting to include both English and Spanish on our campaign materials. For a logo we are thinking something along the lines of a Scottie dog with a carbon “paw print” surrounded with animated people from around the world. Agnes Scott prides itself on being a diverse and inclusive campus therefore, we would like our campaign to also uphold the same values by incorporating a wide range of bodies, languages, and nationalities in the materials.

Citations:

The Pink Book (Making Health Communications Programs Work). (2004). Washington, DC: National Institutes of 

     Health.

Institutional Research. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2018, from https://www.agnesscott.edu/institutionalresearch/fact-

     book.html

(May 2018)

Theory Statement and Logic Model:

Carbon Footprint of Agnes Scott College

Callie Pierce, Hannah Martin, Jordan Keesler, Sonia Patel

Agnes Scott College 

1. Theory Review :

When engaging in environmental communication and outreach often it is helpful to understand the motivating factors of people’s behaviors. Altruism theory suggests that for one to act environmentally they must focus beyond the self and into the larger community; however, this can only be accomplished once an individual’s “self-esteem, belonging, personal control, self-efficacy, and optimism” has been met (Kollmuss, 2002). Altruism itself does not denote self-sacrifice necessarily, but when performed in the absence of self-interested motives it is described as “‘pure’ altruism” (Kraut, 2016). In regards to environmental behavior this translate to two key tenets. First, those who are selfish in nature are less likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior. Secondly, those who have satisfied personal desires and needs are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior due to an excess of resources to devote toward a larger social cause (Kollmuss, 2002). This underlying motivational shift occurs as a result of awareness of others and their strife and a feeling of responsibility of that strife. This guilt consequently results in behaviors that alleviate strife of oneself, others, and the world.

Foundationally, this theory is based on the altruism theory coined by Schwartz (1977) but was shaped by Eisenberg and Miller in 1987 where additional frameworks were added and edited by Wackernagel and Rees (1997), Diekmann and Franzen (1999), along with Allen and Ferrand (1999) to name a few (Kollmuss, 2002). Through their research, they constructed a framework for analyzing what factors influence a person’s decision more in regards to behavioral changes. For example, a person who feels deep guilt for hurting fish in the ocean by their use of plastic may act more on their guilt rather than feeling pressure from the actual fish themselves. On the contrary, a doctor may be heavily influenced by the environmental impact on their patients, but not necessarily trees in the rainforest. In turn, this theory has been able to morph the communication strategies presented by environmentalists in encouraging behavior change by understanding their audience better.  

1. Application to Carbon Footprint Campaign :

The altruism theory heavily applies to the issue of Carbon Footprint through many ways in the Agnes Scott Community. The three orientations described by Stern in the “Mind the Gap” article are components within each person, but at are displayed at varying strengths in individuals (Kollmuss, 2002). The “social/altruistic” orientation is an orientation that many Agnes students may display, because of their genuine concern for the well-being of vulnerable individuals around the world that may be affected by the consequences of environmental problems. The altruism theory states that genuine concern or compassion for the well-being of humans will influence an individual to perform a certain behavior to reduce the problems humans are facing.

The article “Public Perception of Climate Change” mentions the idea of how people who genuinely want to help the environment go through the stages of behavioral change, willingness to act, and the ability to live a more sustainable lifestyle (Semanza et al., 2008). This idea can be combined with the altruism theory to create effective and affordable strategies to reduce students’ carbon footprints. Another prominent barrier to behavioral change mentioned was being unaware of whether the low-carbon footprint lifestyle was meaningful or effective for the overarching issue of carbon emissions. The altruism theory would aid to inform Agnes students on how people and the environment would be affected if every person reduced their carbon emissions by a minimal amount. The most significant guidance our team will receive from using the altruism theory is the idea that Agnes students have a tendency to care about the inequalities and challenges around the world, and would possibly want to be a part of reducing their personal footprint, provided that we deliver clear messages on how to go about making a change.

Our team decided to use the altruism theory for our campaign because we believe it will allow us to influence small behavior changes through the concept of the students’ altruistic orientation. The use of this theory in our campaign could spark a popular movement of how small impacts such as proper disposal of waste can have tremendous effects on people and the economy, which in turn will affect the students as well. By using this theory to guide our campaign we will be able to encourage the students to act, but also let their friends know about this initiative and educate them on how they can live a more sustainable lifestyle, without necessarily donating time and money to the cause.

1. Theory Strengths and Limitations :

The altruism theory addresses both the personal interests and priorities of the individual as well as those humans outside of the individual and the nonhuman world who are affected by the behavior. Typically, the concern for the needs of others outside of the individual are not taken into account. The Agnes Scott student population generally cares about the wellbeing of those marginalized and/or those systematically oppressed by the more affluent and powerful, which makes the theory strong in terms of application to the target community. However, the theory is narrow and assumes that people who have had their needs met and feel responsible for others’ suffering will care about other people and the biosphere more, when this may not necessarily be the case. This is reflected in how richer, more affluent countries who have their basic needs met continue to be the most carbon-emitting nations in the world. Economic gain should be taken into consideration when determining the likelihood of pro-environmental behavior. In a broader sense, incentives should be considered and incorporated into the theory more explicitly. Additionally, cultural and personalities factors are not taken into account. Behavior is heavily influenced by societal pressures, past experiences, and learning.

Theory of planned behavior and social learning theory (taken from lecture) would be beneficial to apply in order to supplement the altruism theory. The theory of planned behavior takes into account the normative beliefs, the perceived behavioral control, and the attitude towards the behavior. Preexisting attitudes are important as they influence how communications are received and what stage of behavioral change the individual is in. Normative beliefs about what the norm is for the Agnes Scott community and the cultural norm are important to consider. The U.S. has a notorious consumer culture with relatively little regard for waste. The perceived behavioral control as students may not understand how simple it is to conserve energy in an impactful manner. The social learning theory addresses the way that habit creates a barrier to behavioral change in considering reducing carbon emissions. By the age that most students attend college, people have already learned how to perform specific behaviors without consciously thinking about it. The communications material needs to somehow encourage students to relearn these habits in a way that is more carbon conscious. By reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of the altruism theory our team can successfully create a communication strategy that achieves our intended purpose of lowering our students’ carbon footprint.

Logic Model

References

Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the Gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-

     environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239-260. doi:10.1080/13504620220145401

Kraut, R. (2016, August 25). Altruism. Retrieved February 23, 2018, from

    https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/altruism/#MixeMotiPureAltr

Semanza, J.C., Hall, D.E., Wilson, D.J., Bontempo, B.D., Sailor, D.J., & George, L.A. (2008). Public Perception of Climate

    Change. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 35(5), 479–487. doi:

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2008.08.020

(May 2018)

As a result, the impacts of pollution not only affected the fish but the people who survived off them. At the turn of the century, twenty-five percent of the value of commercial fisheries existed within the river. Despite this, the introduction of sewage fueled the growth of organisms that eventually depleted dissolved oxygen levels. Starting in 1957, researchers started to monitor the fish populations more carefully extending their research from Chicago down the Mississippi. Their methods also included stunning the fish to easily capture and identify them. The complexity of this issue would fail to be completely understood for another fifteen years.

Moving forward to 1972, Richard Sparks joined the team of researchers where he found appalling devastation. Fish were missing fins and eyes along with a multitude of diseases and cancers. Luckily, in the same year, Congress passed the Clean Water Act which provided federal regulations to waterways. With three billion dollars being allocated toward preventing runoff and sewage treatment plants, by 1980 Chicago had already lifted a burden of the dying ecosystem. In eight short years, the populations were at an all-time high since the beginning of the century. Subsequently, scientists were finding less and less carp and goldfish which are non-native pollution-tolerant fish. Despite the sports fish rebound, they still faced invasive species, fertilizer runoff, and chemical leaching from cities and families’ homes. Researchers continue to monitor the delicate balance of human interaction and species survival.

In light of this story, one can easily see the correlation between habitat clean up and a population of species. I imagine numerous stories exists in this nature across the country and have the potential to do something quite remarkable. For those who do not see federal environmental regulation as important or necessary one can reach a proportion of this population-those who hunt or fish. Competitive or casual fishers depend on the health of an ecosystem to enjoy their livelihood and by marketing regulation as a means of protecting the sport perhaps more would jump on the environmental bandwagon. This concept, while not revolutionary, has been proven to work in my own experiences I had over the summer with my internship. By connecting energy to hunting, we were able to make a large seemingly untouchable concept have consequences in someone’s leisure and daily life. All in all, how we market and portray environmental success could be the future of environmental reporting to shape environmental support.

(October 2017 )

Works Cited

Yates, Diana. “Illinois sportfish recovery a result of 1972 Clean Water Act, scientists report.” News

     Bureau, Environmental News Network, 18 Oct. 2017, news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/568319.

This carbon-soil feedback loop does not have clear answers as to how much carbon will be released, hence why Jerry Melillo’s created this twenty-six-year long study. He established the idea while traveling in Sweden where he came back to bury six test sites and six control sites. Each test site was raised by nine degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, they discovered that there was a four-phase pattern starting with a loss of carbon from 1991 to 2000 followed by stability from 2001 to 2007. Subsequently, 2008 to 2013 was a period of carbon loss and 2014 started another period of stability. Melillo explains this data as the soil microbes “‘reorganizing’ genetic material to adapt” as soil temperatures change. Through DNA and RNA sequencing, the scientists discovered a number of carbon microbes were consuming and learned that the soil in the test sites had lost seventeen percent of the carbon stores. While seeming like a small amount of carbon, if compared to a large-scale loss of carbon of that size would be equivalent to “200 billion metric tons” or “20 years of fossil fuel carbon” (Niiler).

Interestingly enough, while on my journeys trip to Manitoba, Canada in Churchill they were mutually doing research on rising soil temperatures but on a short-term scale. In their studies, they were analyzing the impact on plant life and animal biodiversity if permafrost melted due to rising global temperatures. I question how in areas such as Massachusetts, where the temperate deciduous forest biome lacks permafrost, will be impacted in regards to vegetation. Will a rise in soil temperatures dramatically influence plant life or just carbon released? Do areas with permafrost experience significantly less carbon releases than other areas and what impact would it make as permafrost is continually lost to the atmospheric carbon levels? Presumably, as permafrost melts, I figure that vegetation will continue to have longer blooming seasons but will soil microbes increase as well? Do soil specific microbes exist in soil in permafrost that is not present in others? Does temperature affect soil microbes significantly at all? In light of this study, only time can tell, but due to the longevity of this study, we can predict more accurate data that will demonstrate the possible future.

(October 2017)

Works Cited

Niiler, Eric. “Heating Dirt Could Cause a Runaway Rise in Carbon Emissions.” Wired, Conde

     Nast, 6 Oct. 2017, www.wired.com/story/soil-atmosphere-feedback-loop/.

The World Food Programme reports that one in nine people will go to bed hungry every night (Zero Hunger). Out of this population, undernutrition will affect some of their lives greatly. Usually, more often times than not, we imagine this does not affect Americans, but in all actuality incidence rates, undernutrition is still too high on U.S. soil. Feeding America reports that “13.1 million children lived in food-insecure households in 2015” and over twenty percent of the population of children affected by food insecurity lived in Mississippi and New Mexico (Child Hunger Facts). Interestingly, New Mexico has a large number of Native American reservations with living conditions “‘comparable to Third World” where they are “23 percent more likely to be food insecure” compared to the rest of the United States’ fifteen percent (Native American Living Conditions on Reservations – Native American Aid; Gordan, Odde; Map of Indian Reservations in the Continental US). While food insecurity does not always equate to undernutrition, the lack of access to food is a sufficient cause of undernutrition.

So what exactly is undernutrition? Undernutrition is the result of a lack of food intake which leads to being underweight relative to age, stunting, or being wasted. The immediate cause of undernutrition is the lack of food, but prior disease such as parasites or HIV can augment the speed of undernutrition. The effect of being deprived of nutrients weakens linings of the stomach and respiratory systems and development of the fetus if pregnant. Consequently, this results in a lack of ability to fight infections, mental development, and lactation. In turn, children or women who are pregnant or may become pregnant are impacted the most (Burgess, Louis; What is Undernutrition?).

1. Economic, Social, and Psychological Burdens

What are the costs of undernutrition and why should we care? Undernutrition plays a within social and psychological interactions. At an early age, nutrition is a vital aspect of growth and development and as they develop, if they lack nutrients it can, in turn, affect how they are viewed socially in life. The top micronutrients for development and growth are “iron, vitamin A, iodine, and folate” which leads to the development of the immune system, thyroid gland, and hemoglobin. An absence of vitamin A can lead to blindness or susceptibility to measles or malaria. Lack of iron or iodine can lead to the thyroid, which controls growth and metabolism, and the red blood cells to improperly function leading to developmental delays. For example, if a child survives into adulthood their lack of nutrients will affect their ability to perform as those “who are deficient in iodine and essential micronutrients have on average 13 fewer IQ points than those who are iodine-sufficient” (What is the role of nutrition; Nutrition Overview).

While this may not equate to every case of undernutrition leading to mental retardation or learning disabilities, it is shown that “bullying persists in our schools today especially for students with disabilities” which leads one to conclude that undernutrition effects start long before one reaches adulthood socially and psychologically (U.S. Department of Education). Consequently, students who do make it to school that are affected by undernutrition typically start later, perform poorly, or drop out of school. Clearly, this presents a problem when America’s workforce is taking a direction toward higher education when more than “30 percent of  U.S. adults 25 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree” which has increased by 4.2 percent from 1998 to 2011 (United States Census Bureau). This is even more troubling when looking at Native American populations were “among those 25 and older, 23 percent have less than a high school diploma” and only “46 percent have some postsecondary education” the overall in the U.S only “14 percent” have less than a high school diploma and “57 percent” have some postsecondary education (Gordon, Oddo).

Education, in turn, plays a vital role in the economic sanctions of undernutrition. The World Bank asserts that “schooling is associated with higher individual earnings” which “for an economy, education can increase the human capital in the labor force, which increases labor productivity and thus leads to a higher equilibrium level of output” resulting in more technological advances for an economy (Hanuskek, Wößmann). All in all, undernutrition not only affects an individual’s development it affects their future household income and their input to their local economy. Through impacting local economies those affected by undernutrition are in turn also affecting national and global economies.

III. Epidemiological Profile

Morbidity

1. 1. Number of Cases Before 2008 (Black)
      1. “More than a third of child deaths and more than 10% of total global disease to maternal and child undernutrition”
      2. “relative risk for morbidity associated with zinc deficiency is 1·09 (95% CI 1·01–1·18) for diarrhea, 1·25 (1·09–1·43) for pneumonia, and 1·56 (1·29–1·89) for malaria” after being diagnosed with undernutrition or malnutrition.
      3. Ages “1–59 months the relative risk is estimated to be 1·27 (0·96–1·63) for diarrhea, 1·18 (0·90–1·54) for pneumonia, and 1·11 (0·94–1·30) for malaria” after being diagnosed with undernutrition or malnutrition.
      4. DALYs (Black)
         1. While I could not find a specific value for the US population or Native American populations it is argued that “stunting, severe wasting, and intrauterine growth restriction together were responsible for 2.2 million deaths and 21% of global childhood DALYs” while 0.2% resulted from iron and iodine and “44 million DALYs (10% of DALYs in children younger than 5)”

Mortality (Black)

1. Number of deaths from Undernutrition Complications

1. 1. 1. Iron and Iodine Deficiencies-115,000 deaths globally  
      2. Suboptimal breastfeeding- 1.4 million child deaths globally
   2. Case fatality rates
      1. Estimated 449,000 deaths in children attributed to severe wasting and the implied case fatality is 2%, but actual numbers are unknown and are assumed to be decreasing.

Person Trends (Black; CDC; Gordon, Oddo; The Characteristics of Native American WIC Participants, On and Off Reservations )

1. Note that while there are no specific studies to be found on direct rates of undernutrition in America or specifically Native American populations, there were studies on rates of education and location of populations along with deficiencies in nutrients for the following graphs.

1. Place Trends (Black; Key Statistics & Graphics.)

Those with children are more affected by food insecurity and access to food as seen in the graphs below

1. Time Trends (CDC; Key Statistics & Graphics.)

(Spring 2017)

Works Cited

Black, Robert E., Lindsay H. Allen, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Laura E. Caulfield, Mercedes De Onis,

    Majid Ezzati, Colin Mathers, and Juan Rivera. Maternal and child undernutrition: global and

    regional exposures and health consequences. Rep. no. 1. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg

    School of Public Health, 17 Jan. 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Burgess, Ann, and Danga, Louis. “Undernutrition in Adults and Children: causes, consequences

     and what we can do.” SSMJ. South Sudan Medical Journal, 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

CDC’s Second Nutrition Report: A comprehensive biochemical assessment of the

     nutrition status of the U.S. population. Rep. no. 2. CDC, 27 Mar. 2012. Web. 17 Feb.

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“Child Hunger Facts.” Feeding America. Feeding America, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Gordon, Anne, and Oddo, Vanessa. “Addressing Child Hunger and Obesity in Indian Country:

     Report to Congress .” Indian Country. USDA, 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

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     Washington, DC: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank, 2007. Education               Quality and Economic Growth. The World Bank, 2007. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

“Key Statistics & Graphics.” USDA ERS – Key Statistics & Graphics. USDA, 11 Oct. 2016. Web.

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     the Interior, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

“Native American Living Conditions on Reservations – Native American Aid.” Native American

     Living Conditions on Reservations – Native American Aid. Partnership With Native

     Americans, 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Roser, Max. “Hunger and Undernourishment.” Our World In Data. Our World In Data, 2016.

     Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

“The Characteristics of Native American WIC Participants, On and Off Reservations.” Nutrition

     Assistance Program Report Series The Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation. USDA, May 2002. Web. 1 Mar.             2017.

United States of America. United States Census Bureau. Public Information. Bachelor’s Degree

     Attainment Tops 30 Percent for the First Time, Census Bureau Reports. By Robert

Bernstein. United States Census Bureau, 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

United States of America. U.S. Department of Education. Press. Bullying of Students with

     Disabilities Addressed in Guidance to America’s Schools. U.S. Department of Education, 21 Oct. 2014. Web. 17 Feb.         2017.

“Nutrition Overview.” Nutrition Overview. The World Bank, 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

“What is the role of nutrition?” UNICEF. Https://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_role.html, 26

     May 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

“What is Undernutrition?” UNICEF – Progress for Children – What is undernutrition?UNICEF, 4

     May 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

“Zero Hunger.” World Food Programme. World Food Programme, 2017. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

As a result of the TVA Act 1933, which aimed to manage flood control of the Tennessee River and promote agricultural development of the Tennessee Valley, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was created. Since its creation, TVA has strived to maintain three E’s of its company: energy, environment, and economic development. In regards to energy, TVA seeks to provide safe, clean, reliable, and affordable power. In regards to the environment, TVA aims to be stewards of the valley including flood control and recreation while economically investing in jobs for the region and keeping power bills low.

Throughout the Tennessee Valley, TVA acts as the producer of energy that powers the electricity used in homes, businesses, and other items in our daily lives through a series of hydroelectric dams, storage pump facilities, coal plants, and nuclear plants. This energy then goes through a system of local power companies that distribute power to the consumer. These local power companies vary throughout the region based on rural or municipal areas.

Energy Justice in Chattanooga

In a recent survey, ranking cities by their job availability and growth, Chattanooga ranked second only being bypassed by Nashville for the state of Tennessee. Growth within the city has been credited to Volkswagen, who “brought on about 1,000 employees” within the last year raising their total employee count to three thousand four hundred fifty.  The Scenic City ranked forty-third nationally in regards to their job market which takes into account “employment opportunities, growth, and outlook” (Pare). Last year, the city added five thousand nine hundred fifty jobs with an employment rate growing by two and a half percent (Flessner). While Chattanooga has prospered, this prosperity has not been shared across all residents in regards to housing.

Chattanooga residents within four key neighborhoods have experienced a decrease in affordable housing. These neighborhoods-Highland Park/Ridgedale, East Chattanooga, East Lake, and Alton Park- disproportionately host households that are paying more than thirty percent of their monthly income on housing costs which includes utilities. Eighteen percent of these low-income households are paying more than fifty percent of their income on housing. To put into perspective, the average income of these communities is twenty-three thousand two hundred eighty-seven dollars with approximately eleven thousand six hundred forty-three dollars going toward housing expenses. Consequently, this means that some families in these communities are spending upward of nine hundred seventy dollars per month on housing costs. In context, the median income of Chattanooga is thirty-six thousand six hundred eighty-three dollars which makes their rent affordability at nine hundred ninety-two dollars.

Beyond affordable housing, these communities additionally face an energy burden. In the winter months, these neighborhoods use forty-three percent more energy per square foot than the average household in Chattanooga. This energy burden is exacerbated by the type of homes residents are living in. Sixty-seven percent of households in Chattanooga were built before 1980 leaving them vulnerable to leaks and older building practices, yet these homes are eligible for existing weatherization programs. Households, however, often lack the upfront capital and/or knowledge regarding upgrade programs, investments, and basic home maintenance. This is especially difficult for aging in place homeowners.

In retrospect though, homeowners only account for approximately forty percent of the lowest income zip codes in Chattanooga. The vast majority of this population consists of renters which curate a wide range of challenges. As a renter, there exists a split incentive within energy efficiency investments between the renter and the landlord. The landlord does not pay the utility bill so there is no incentive for them to invest in cost-saving actions; additionally, for absentee landlords, they lack effective mechanisms to ensure basic necessities of a home are in working order such as the mechanical systems and hot water heaters. With limited legal actions existing for tenants along with most effective programs geared toward homeowners, renters often fall to the wayside. Despite this a large number of renters require some aid regarding housing cost,  with twenty-five percent of renters, three thousand two hundred thirty-four residents, severely burdened with fifty percent of their income going to housing and two thousand eight hundred thirty-two moderately burdened by paying between thirty and fifty percent of their monthly income toward housing. 

(July 18, 2017)

Works Cited

Bridging the Gap: Affordable Housing and Workforce Development Strategies. Rep. Washington,

    DC: National Resource Network, 2016. Print.

Flessner, Dave. “Consumers, businesses expect another year of growth in Chattanooga in 2017.”

     Timesfreepress.com. Times Free Press, 1 Jan. 2017. Web. 22 June 2017.

Pare, Mike. “Chattanooga among top Tennessee cities for jobs, survey says.” Timesfreepress.com.

     Times Free Press, 22 June 2017. Web. 22 June 2017.

     Chattanooga carries a heavy history involving coal dumping, starting with the Chattanooga Creek, just west of downtown. Companies such as Tennessee Products, Chattanooga Coke and Chemical, Riley Tar, and Southern Wood Piedmont filled the creek with “millions of pounds with coal tar” before environmental legislation existed. By 1995, the EPA listed the creek as a national priority and had already sectioned off part of the creek to prevent public access as it flows through “low-income and minority” communities. Short-term cleaning occurred in 1998 and seven years later a long-term clean-up was established to remove sediment and place it in a landfill (Site Information for Tennessee Products). A time frame of five years cost the federal government twenty-five million dollars and taxpayers “several million dollars” which still did not completely solve the problem (Sohn).

     What is the relationship between the Chattanooga Creek and the Stream Protection Rule? It is evident throughout Chattanooga’s history that the lack of environmental legislation has been costly. If the fact that your taxes could be going to something else, such as education or infrastructure instead of cleaning up after a huge company, does not bother you enough then consider the cost on life when polluting a creek goes beyond the life within it. It negatively impacts communities and their health, but if you are still thinking, “I do not live next to the creek,” or “I am not sick,” then take a moment. To this day, the Tennessee government states that fish should not be eaten out of the creek and contact with the water of the Chattanooga Creek itself should be avoided due to chlordane and PCBs, but what are these chemicals and why do they matter (United States of America)? Both chlordane and PCB, polychlorinated biphenyls, are man-made chemicals which cause damage to nervous, digestive, immune, reproductive, and endocrine systems (Learn about Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Substance Portal-Chlordane).

     More often than not, these chemicals result in cancer. Exposure to these chemicals through build up in the fatty tissues of fish or being in the creek affects at risk populations such as women who may become pregnant, those who are pregnant, elderly, and children (Contaminants in Fish). With the creek flowing through low socioeconomic areas, this presents the question of how do those who are most impacted afford treatment if exposed? Not including health insurance premiums, medication and chemotherapy for cancer can range from ten to thirty thousand per month (Glover). Additionally, with Chattanooga having one of the “fastest rates of ‘gentrification’” minorities are being moved at an alarming rate to areas such as those around the Chattanooga Creek (Walton). With the overturning of the Stream Protection Rule, Chattanoogans lose protection over the nine bodies of water alone within the Chattanooga limits (City Of Chattanooga). If dumping is not carefully regulated soon every Chattanoogan will feel it’s devastating effects through its exposure to chemicals along with costs on human life and medical expenses.

     So, how can we keep the Scenic City, scenic? Here are four things one can do now and in the long term. First, call, email, and speak to our representatives. Our elected officials work for us and depend on our votes. Congressional representatives and senators can be found here along with their contact information. Tennessee state representatives and senators can be found here. A collective group of tips for making the most out of your call can be found here. Second, find a local organization working toward environmental justice. Groups like Green Spaces work toward education and advocacy for advancing the “sustainability of living, working, and building in Chattanooga” (What We Do). They are looking for volunteers and do outreach education to Chattanooga’s low-income areas and if volunteering is not your thing, they are always willing to receive donations. Are you a social butterfly? Take to the streets with the next election to canvas for a candidate that supports environmental protection laws. Last, but most important, vote. Through each vote we have the opportunity to voice our opinion to our government and more often times than not, we also speak for those who cannot vote including our future generations, our children, and those who cannot make it out to vote due to lack of access to transportation or voting laws. Chattanooga is in the hands of those who act. How will you choose to?

March 20, 2017

Works Cited

“City Of Chattanooga.” City Of Chattanooga. City of Chattanooga, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

“Contaminants in Fish.” Contaminants in Fish – TN.Gov. Tennessee Department of Environmental and  

Conservation, n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

Geuss, Megan. “Relaxing coal pollution, methane flaring rules: This week in Congress.” Ars Technica.

Ars Technica , 02 Feb. 2017. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

Glover, Lacie. “Oncologists Worry About Rising Costs of Cancer Treatment.” U.S. News Health Care.  

U.S. News, 1 July 2015. Web. 4 Feb. 2017.

“Learn about Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs).” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 15 Sept. 2016

Web. 04 Feb. 2017.

“Regulations.gov.” Regulations.gov. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 Dec. 2016. Web. 06

Feb. 2017.

“Site Information for Tennessee Products.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 Feb. 2014.

Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

<https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/dsp_ssppSiteData1.cfm?id=0403765>.

Sohn, Pam. “Chattanooga Creek still threatened.” Timesfreepress.com. Times Free Press, 12 Nov. 2010

Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

“Substance Portal-Chlordane.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 21 Jan. 2015. Web. 04 Feb. 2017.

United States of America. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.

Technical Information on Development of Fish Consumption Advice . By Amy D. Kyle, Emily Oken, and

Andrew E. Smith. N.p.: n.p., 2016. Print.

Walton, Judy. “Census data notes racial shifts in Chattanooga neighborhoods.” Timesfreepress.com.

Critiques

     If such a coalition is to be formed it must be careful to avoid the tenets of ecofeminism that ultimately led to its demise: universalism and essentialism. To understand these tenets one must first understand the primary types of ecofeminism: socialist and cultural. Notably, both of these facets of ecofeminism address the means of enacting social change, yet their means of doing so differ. Socialist ecofeminists use the destruction of nature as a result of capitalism to show how economic systems are environmentally destructive (Carlassare 92). Socialist ecofeminists argue that materialism is the force behind positive change within society (Carlassare 93). On the other hand, cultural ecofeminism focuses on manifesting change through “changes in culture and consciousness” which can be attributed to the creation of myths and language to reclaim women’s history and spirituality (Carlassare 95).

     As a result of the core values of ecofeminism, it has been critiqued for culturally appropriating indigenous cultures, essentializing and universalizing womanhood. By “reclaiming” indigenous people’s cultures through faith, myths and language, the homogeneous, white ecofeminist movement further suppressed and erased native cultures. Thus, by associating people of color with nature ecofeminism essentialized race. This “racial essentialism” romanticizes brown skin by associating it with “‘indigenous’ spiritualities” (Sturgeon 264). Consequently, ecofeminists utilized the parts of others’ cultures without including them into the conservation eliminating the voices of those of color and generalizing people of color’s opinions.

     Outside of race, cultural ecofeminists have been heavily critiqued for their use of essentialism where they embrace stereotypes associated with women through biological determinism. These stereotypes perpetuate that women are inherently intuitive, caring, nurturing, and emotional (Carlassare 95). Socialist ecofeminism contributes to this as well as it values “reproduction over production, both as a category of analysis and as a social and economic goal” (Carlassare 93). As a result, these stereotypes have alienated a wide variety of people including those who are not cisgendered women, those who fall outside the gender binary, women who do not hold these personality traits, and those whose anatomy is incapable of reproduction.

     Furthermore, those who do not fit neatly into the gender binary’s normative behaviors or expressions of gender are further excluded from the reclamation of women’s spirituality as their foundations are built on interconnectedness. Restoration of their spirituality, to ecofeminists, is “listening to the natural rhythms”, the worship of nature and fertility, and their inherent ability to menstruate. Consequently, ecofeminists see their reconnection with nature as connecting back to the “nurturing” and the internal way of being (Goddess Remembered 1989). Universalizing women to being nurturing, fertile, and connected to the Earth and each other erases the rich diversity of what womanhood is. Additionally, this is limiting to their own practice by reducing it to women who fit this particular mold. Interestingly enough, these self-proclaimed feminists further ideas of biological determinism through their essentialization of themselves to be inherently nurturing.

Attention to Faith

     These pitfalls ultimately led ecofeminism to decline in popularity after the 1970’s; however, before one can explore how the ecofeminist model provides a means to revolutionize current movements, one must understand another aspect which pushed ecofeminism away from mainstream feminism: faith. Often, ecofeminism is associated with earth-based spirituality as it seeks change through “personal transformation and changes in consciousness” (Carlassare 90). This association has been primary evidence by feminist academics of how essentializing and apolitical ecofeminism was, but this critique fails to address how faith informs individuals’ political actions (Gaard 39). Starhawk, a major contributor to the cultural ecofeminist movement, argues in her essay, “Feminists, Earth-based Spirituality and Ecofeminism” that “Earth-based spirituality influences ecofeminism by informing its values” (Starhawk 175). She presents three aspects of Earth-based spiritual practices that “can resurge in new cycles of political momentum” which includes immanence, interconnection, and compassion. These values “shift our definition of power,” “furnish the basis for our political understandings,” and help us “develop alliances with those whose interests and issues parallel ours” (Starhawk 177-181). Starhawk calls for coalition politics to not only complete “short-term bandages” but to also “support long-term recovery” so that there can be a political agenda enlightened by all issues (Starhawk 181). Through Starhawk’s work it is evident that faith plays a major role in why people take political action.  

     Understanding how exactly earth-based spirituality influences individuals provides the model that will change mainstream movements today. Paganism, a collection of non-Christian faiths that are collectively unified through their connection to the Earth and values for balance, reverence for life, and interconnectedness, was a major faith followed by ecofeminists. Centered around a goddess, many used their beliefs to support their activism. In a 2012 study, completed by Gwendolyn Reece, out of three thousand three hundred eighteen self-identified pagan respondents, fifty-five percent claimed that social justice work was a part of their spiritual practice. On the same note, forty-seven percent identified that political activism was a part of their faith (Reece 45-46). More important to note is the fact that each individual that responded manifests their political action in a different way, but they do it as a result of similarly held beliefs.

    The rich history of Paganism has led to multiple divisions among practitioners. Major sects of Paganism today include Wicca, Druidry, and Hellenism which inherently hold similar morals, but uphold them in various ways. Similarly, Ecofeminism contains a vast array of different influences due to the variety of earth-based practices that influence its means to best effect social change; however, ecofeminists are innately striving to dismantle oppression and end environmental destruction (Carlassare 89, 95). Reece’s data demonstrates this connection between paganism and political actions, more importantly, it demonstrates empirically that even among groups of extreme diversity within their own faiths that they are unified overall in their core beliefs. This attention to faith brought forth by ecofeminism provides a model for current environmental efforts to acknowledge that individuals have different motivations and beliefs, but collectively are fighting for the same goal.

Interconnectedness

Additionally, ecofeminism’s values of interconnectedness provides a means for the longevity of a movement by providing a form of analysis that is attentive to the interrelationships of oppression. Stemming from paganism, interconnectedness is the “ability to feel with and identify with others-human beings, natural cycles and processes, animals, and plants” (Starhawk 178). Interconnectedness, presented by Starhawk, a major cultural ecofeminist, is the foundation which fuels political understanding, but those who are in power seek to prevent us from seeing these connections (179-180). Once one sees the interconnectedness of the world one can see that political issues are not insuperable but are actually a connected in a web (Starhawk 179). This value of ecofeminism provides a lense for us to see our focuses may divide us “from those who might be our allies” if we “other” those who are different from us (Starhawk 180).

Understanding that we are all connected, through means of oppression or culture, presents us with an approach that can seek to tackle the interlocking web of domination. Consequently, interconnectedness can bring forth compassion. Once one understands our inherent connectedness through mutual oppression, we can begin to see the “multifaceted views of the world” and see problems “in their true complexity” (Starhawk 180). The awareness created by understanding the relationship between people, plants, animals, and nature contributes to our understanding of our individual actions affect those not directly in front of us. This model allows for collaboration that expands past individuals and allows them to form relationships that are stronger on a local, national, and global level. If we can understand how individual actions, in turn, affect those beyond us and can mobilize around this concept, the current environmental movement will be able to communicate its demands of protecting those disproportionately impacted who have the least say more effectively to elicit change.

Agential Earth and Nondualism

     This mobilization must also be attentive to the idea that the Earth has agency to fully understand that if we continue to disregard this idea, we further the logic of domination. Ecofeminists hold a nondualistic worldview which is the way “of conceptually organizing the world in binary, disjunctive terms, wherein each side of the dualism is “seen as exclusive (rather than inclusive) and oppositional (rather than complimentary), and where higher value or superiority is attributed to one disjunct (or, side of the dualism) than the other” (Gaard 115-116). Ecofeminists understand this notion and believe that the superiority of self is a result of viewing the differences between the self and others (Gaard 116). Consequently, due to seeing oneself as intertwined with the Earth, Ecofeminists believe that if one believes that they are “at odds” with nature or if one is trying to exploit it for its resources then they see only the differences with nature and not their shared connections furthering the domination over the natural world (Starhawk 178).

     Seeing the Earth with agency acknowledges our “ability to create dysfunctional relationships with the earth, with our ecological community, and with each other” by acknowledging that the earth continues on with or without humans (Ruether 147). If we continue to ignore this facet then the current environmental movement continues to use its privilege of intelligence. This privilege is one that allows humans to “alienate and dominate the world without concern for the welfare of all other forms of life” (Ruether 147-148). To begin to understand this privilege however we must first address how we subject other humans as lesser before we can restore value to nature. We equate marginalized people with nature such as people of color, women, and people of developing countries through dualistic thinking. While the environmental justice movement seeks to dismantle the oppression affecting marginalized people it fails to acknowledge the earth as one of those subjects. We must acknowledge the earth as an oppressed figure or we do nothing to acknowledge our dualistic thinking as we then choose a living being to be lesser.

Conclusion

     Overall, the falling out of ecofeminism due to essentialism, universalism, and appropriation have been justly critiqued; however, revisiting ecofeminism to understand how nondualism, interconnectedness, and the incorporation of faith within a movement can enhance the current environmental justice movement to aid in its longevity, inclusion, and effectiveness. Moving forward, current environmental groups must incorporate an ecofeminist line of thinking to bring forth change. The environmental justice movement must go beyond seeking justice just for human beings, but for the earth as well or it is hypocritical to say it is working to support the “social needs of human populations” (Pellow and Brulle 3). Humans are inherently tied to the ecological systems and processes of the earth.

     To help further understanding of an agential earth, the environmental justice movement must see our lives interconnected within and outside our species. Our actions affect more than just the human race. This value will protect the longevity of the movement as it allows us to understand who our allies are and that political issues are not separate from each other. This allows for collective organizing and support at the local, national, and global levels.

     In turn, however, while a national platform is a powerful unifier, it does not change the lives of those affected directly at an individual level. By creating a movement with a uniform identity that allows for the expression of individual’s beliefs and practices manifests a truly intersectional approach as it provides a platform for those from all intersections of identity to participate in whatever means they are capable. Acknowledging the different motivations such as faith within the environmental movement consequently will allow for a larger understanding that faith is not apolitical. Faith informs the thoughts and actions of many individuals and as environmental activists acknowledge this they can rally people from what motivates them best. This is not to say the environmental activism movement must be religious, but it must acknowledge that faith as a motivation to be attentive to individual communities.

     Ecofeminism, a model of the past, ultimately demonstrates key values that the environmental justice movement needs to take on to progress with support effectively over time. Climate change is not going to reverse itself or be fixed; yet, we must come together to combat the social stratifications that will occur as a result. Social, economic, and policy changes cannot occur without an overwhelming congregation of people tackling the issue of the future of the environment. Revisiting and applying parts ecofeminism to today holds the key to the future of activism.

(Spring 2017)

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