FALL 2023 ISSUE
o GREEN The
bserver
UIUC’S ONLY STUDENT-RUN ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLICATION
Contributors Yesenia Adrianzen Fall Crafts: Acorn Garland
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Trey McCallister Black Lives Matter Collage
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Alex Chavez Navigating Veganism in a Mexican Household Breathing Injustice
Emily Correll Sustainable Student Farm: How One Campus Provides Fresh Produce for Its Students
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Gabriella DalSanto The Voice of the Individual as it Relates to Climate Issues
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Michael Gergeni Held v. Montana, Three Months Later – Where Do We Go From Here?
Some of our GO Staff!
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Sophie Meade A Celebration of Autumn: October at the Arboretum
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Fatima Naveed Millisecond Shifts Healing Powers smokey bear says:
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Julia Spainhour What is Divestment?
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Joya Weissman “Overview” “Eyes on You”
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Mia Bartletti and Adam Transue “Other Mother”
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Editor-inchief Sophia Beem Youth Activism and Divestment: Successes and Struggles
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A Celebration of Autumn: October at the Arboretum Sophie Meade Many of us welcome the crisp, cool mornings that autumn brings. I prefer to stay inside. This morning, however, I forced myself to get out of bed, venturing out into the fifty degree weather for a Saturday morning run. I had planned to make a circle around the Southeast side of campus, yet as I run along Lincoln Avenue, I notice the Japan House. Perfectly poised on the corner of the University Arboretum, its wooden archway seems like an invitation, and I decide to divert my run.
Photos by Sophie Meade
Immediately, I am transported into another world, so far removed from the urban feeling and grit of Green street. Bald cypress trees, Taxodium distichum, frame the wooded walkway, their feathery foliage creating a sanctuary of shade for the hostas below. A group of students sketch and study the landscape, capturing the main feature of the park: the pond. As an environmental science major, I can’t resist pulling out my plant identifying app, charting the asters and goldenrods that cluster the side of the pond, the brilliant purple hues of the asters complementing the mustard yellow grains of the goldenrods. Together they create an announcement of fall against the stark, blue sky. I witness two carp, yellow bodies flickering like gold as they dart across the water, dancing in the sunlight.
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I venture further into the park, my pace now slowing to a walk, careful not to disturb the peacefulness of the morning. The long fonds of the willow tree dip delicately into the water, disturbing the otherwise stagnant surface of the pond. Yet as I pass over the wooden bridge, a flicker of motion catches my eye. I carefully peer over the weathered rail and find something unexpected—a group of turtles. I watch as a turtle, eyes closed, lifts her head out of the water, perhaps also savoring the warmth that the October sun brings. I hold my breath as if to immortalize this rare moment, drawing out my camera steadily.
Photo by Sophie Meade
The turtle begins to swim away, navigating the underwater forest of coontail, a layer of deciduous foliage cast upon the top of the pond like a skin. She runs into a stray yellow leaf, and pauses for a moment, as if to consider this intruder, then decides to push it away before carrying on. Finally, the turtle disappears, and I cast my gaze around the rest of the park, noticing the sunlight filtering through the scarlet trees—and the pure gorgeousness of this morning. While my run was abandoned, experiencing this peaceful moment in nature was well worth it, a much needed retreat from the business of midterm season. I highly recommend taking time to visit the arboretum, acknowledging the many species that thrive in coexistence, all celebrating the arrival of autumn. 6
The Arboretum later in October Photos by Sophie Meade
Fatima Naveed smokey bear says:
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Navigating Veganism Alex in a Mexican Household Chavez Being vegan in a Mexican household made me stick out like a sore thumb. Anytime I’d go to a party, a carne asada, or a restaurant with my family, my plate would consist of just rice and beans while everyone else was chowing down tacos, tortas, and burritos. The servers would look at me as if they were saying, “that’s it?”. The first couple of months of the pandemic in 2020 were a time of discovery for me. Thanks to the extra time I had, I was able to do my own research on a lot of things - one of them being the dairy industry. A couple of months ago my mom had sent me a link to a YouTube video of an undercover investigator revealing how common animal cruelty was at a dairy farm. The more and more I watched videos and read articles on that subject, the less and less I wanted to consume animal products.
It might seem like this was just an ordinary moment, but my tipping point was going to a party with my family during that summer. I am a very observant person, for better or for worse, and the nonstop sizzling of the grill, the smell of charcoal and meat, and the sight of everyone around me biting into a big piece of steak made me overwhelmingly nauseous. It was August, and as I was preparing to go back to campus, I decided to make the biggest change my eating habits had ever experienced. I quit eating any sort of animal product and went vegan without even preparing for it. I went back home for only a couple of weekends throughout the school year, but even during those visits I refused to eat meat, much to the dismay of my mom.
“the role of the food we eat and its impact on our health is overlooked in our community” One of the driving forces in my change to a vegan diet was the concept of eating more “indigenous”. This was a concept I had been wanting to explore through my food consumption.
A variety of dry goods being sold at a market stand in Puebla, Mexico
I was vegan for over eight months. Eight months without eating tacos, tortas, and burritos. I would have continued my veganism journey had it not been for the fact that it was May, and it was time to go back home for the summer. My family had no experience with not eating meat for an extended period, so I felt like I was almost doing them a disservice by messing with their meals.
Before the arrival of the Spanish to Mesoamerica, many indigenous peoples had a plant-based diet. The conquistadors brought many domesticated animals not found in this part of the world, such as horses, pigs, cattle, and goats. With the introduction of these species came a new diet for the natives and has led to the proliferation of many diseases in the Latino community. Hannah Six says that Latino cuisines, specifically in the United States, have “grown increasingly Americanized, often resulting in rising rates of obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes.” As serious as this may be, I believe the role of the food we eat and its impact on our health is overlooked in our community.
In “Black Women Are Leaders in the Climate Movement”, author Heather McTeer Toney touches on the niche status of environmentalism or climate activism in communities of color. These same communities are the ones that are disproportionately affected by these issues. Toney says that during a morning news show, Tiffany Cross, a well-known political analyst, mentions that environmental issues are not important; rather the average black person didn’t see it as an everyday thing. As someone who lives in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, I do see the truth in that; climate change is something that is recognized but not talked about enough in my community. Veganism can be a way to reduce one’s own carbon footprint, yet from my own experience it is seen by others in my community as wanting to be trendy or cool. I had to assure people countless times that I was simply being more mindful about what I ate and that I wanted to return to my roots.
Although I am no longer vegan, I was curious to see my family responses to my change in diet and to asked them if they had been influenced by it as it was such a stark contrast to what my family and I are used to. For breakfast or lunch, eggs were the center of the meal, whether it was huevos con chorizo, chilaquiles, or a simple egg sandwich. Most nights we have some sort of meat for dinner. In between classes, I found a quiet spot on the quad, sat down next to a tree, and watched as the campus squirrels ran across the grass. In a half-hour phone call with my mom, she recalled how she’d look for recipes to help accommodate my newfound eating habits whenever I was back home. To her, it was a struggle. “Although we eat meat, whether it’s beef, chicken, or pork, I still think about how those poor animals can be treated. I sometimes feel guilty about cooking meat,” my mom confessed.
My dad was just as introspective about his meat consumption as my mom. After a couple of seconds of silence through the phone, he admitted, “I do eat a lot more meat than I should.” He acknowledged how hard it was for me to be vegan in a “household of carnivores” (his words, not mine) and that he’d like to try being vegan, or at the very least reduce his meat consumption, but he lacks familiarity with vegetarian and vegan recipes. On top of that, he works as a driver, so it’s not always easy to find such a meal. “I’m out on the road all day and when it’s lunch time, I just order whatever is more convenient.” I FaceTimed my two younger brothers Andy and Riley the next day to hear their thoughts. Both had a different point of view compared to my parents. They did not seem to be influenced by my former eating habits. Both said they just like to eat whatever they enjoy, regardless of where it came from or how it was produced. “As long as it tastes good, I’m fine with it,” my younger brother Andy told me. While this way of thinking may seem inconsiderate, they both agreed that perhaps it was because they don’t cook meals for themselves.
Mole, a traditional Mexican sauce that is vegan, but is usually served with chicken
To quote Michael Pollan’s article, “Why bother?”, well, I found out the influence one action I took three years ago had on my family. It was comforting to know that considering it has been three years since I became vegan, I was able to discover the ways my family-well, mainly my parentswere influenced by a different way of eating that I took up. My time as a vegan, which I thought to be eight months of nuisance to my family, resulted in the changing of their perspective on what we eat every day.
“Overview”
Joya Weissman | Watercolor
Sustainable Student Farm: How One Campus Provides Fresh Emily Correll Produce for Its Students The drive from my hometown in the suburbs of Chicago, to the University of Illinois, can be summed up in one word: boring. Anyone who has ever driven through Illinois will tell you there are three things to look at: the road, construction and, of course, corn. The Midwest is known for growing corn and soybeans, but most people don’t know that the rich soils of the Midwest are great for growing other crops too. To learn more about farming sustainably, and what we can do to help support it, my Environmental Writing class took a trip to the Student Sustainable Farm (SSF). This 6-acre plot is located about 2.5 miles from the center of the University of Illinois main campus. Ten minutes on a bus and we were turning onto a dusty limestone backroad. One quick spray of sunscreen and we were off to find Matt Turino.
We caught Matt wandering near a row of tomatoes looking at a flock of crows that had gathered. From head to toe, he was dressed in different shades of tan clothing, complete with outdoor work boots and one shiny metal earring. Of course, he was also covered head to toe in dirt. Afterwards, a member of the class pointed out the irony: he didn’t look like a typical farmer, but he was exactly what you would expect on a sustainable farm. “I just cut the grass yesterday,” he said to us in greeting, “I wanted to make the farm a little bit more presentable for you guys.” It’s safe to say Matt was excited to share his farm with us, something he has put a lot of time and effort into.
Photo of Matt Turino during the SSF tour. Photo taken by Kratika Tandon.
How did the farm start? The Student Sustainable Farming program began in 2009 on 2 acres of land to serve the University of Illinois and local areas with a sustainable fresh food option. They wanted to bring together many departments on campus to design and build a washing and packing facility, to help modify a cultivation tractor to be an electric tractor, to make paper out of vegetable plant waste fibers and to put together transplant green houses. Since its creation, the SSF has been selling their food to the university dining halls for students to enjoy. Matt’s goal, once he took over in 2015, was to dial in the production systems and to expand the farm’s educational program. Today, the farm is 6 acres, although only about 3 are being used. Matt told us his personal goal was, “to do as little harm and to try to make the planet happy.”
Photo of the class from the SSF tour. Photo taken by Emily Correll.
“Sustainability is a spectrum” So, what makes the farm sustainable? When we asked Matt this question, he explained that sustainability is a spectrum. There are aspects of running a farm that can contribute to a more sustainable method of growing our food. Ultimately, Matt is experimenting with many different sustainable methods including no till areas, cover crops and reduced pesticide/insecticide spraying. One of Matt’s current focuses is on the effects of no-till farming. No-till farming is a method that includes leaving the soil intact each year and avoiding turning it over. This results in more organic matter being left in the soil and overall better crop yield. Soil health is something Matt has been prioritizing for years.
A quick Google search will uncover many articles showing that no-till farmland significantly increases soil health and crop yield. The increase in soil health is due to the increased organic material when land is not tilled. Organic matter is carbonbased compounds found in in natural environments. The decrease in organic material in tilled land happens because the organic materials are exposed to the oxygen in the air. Once exposed to oxygen, the organic matter will be oxidized and turned into CO2 that is then released into the air. This removes a significant amount of nutrients that plants need to grow. The negative effects of tilling farmland doesn’t end there. Tilling farmland allows for more water to run over the land when it rains. This washes away the rest of the organic materials and puts it in the nearest body of water. On tilled land, artificial fertilizers are needed to make up for the loss of organic matter in the soil. It is a cycle that is then repeated every year.
No-till land greatly reduces this cycle and actually leads to better crop yield because the natural organic matter is not removed, and fertilizers are not needed. Not only that, but it also has economic benefits for farmers. The no-till method is economically beneficial because farmers pay less in manual labor and have increased crop yield. It takes a lot of time, effort, and gas to till a farm field. Matt’s research on no-till land will help students What can I, a mere see the effects of this method and allow them to student, do to support utilize no-till land in their future careers.
sustainability on campus? I have been attending the University for 3 years now, and I had no idea this place existed. Visiting now, I wish I had heard of it sooner. I will admit that walking 2 miles off campus to see a farm doesn’t seem worth it. Luckily for us, the SSF has a Market on the main quad on Thursdays from 11am-4pm during the harvesting seasons. I had probably passed it 100 times, but, like most students on the U of I campus, I didn’t even stop to look. If I had, I would have had fresh, sustainable food at my fingertips and an opportunity to make this earth a little happier. Photo of a red pepper picked from the SSF during the tour. Photo taken by Emily Correll.
Next time I pass by, I might just have to stop and grab a few things. Who knows, maybe even Matt is the one who harvested it.
Healing Powers Fatima Naveed We’ll all be dandelion fertilizer one day, turned into dust from the clay we are made of. Nobody likes thinking about it, but rotten things make for the richest soilfeel the end of winter beneath your nails. There is salvation in each grain; separate your palms to let the decay melt away. Hold the spring in your hands; you are made of what you make. You grow from what you grow. So now, let it save you.
“Divest” SECS media working group | Mixed Media September 15, 2023 SECS Climate Strike
Divestment, Law, and Youth Activism Section
What is Divestment?
There's been a lot of talk recently about fossil fuel divestment. Prominent schools such as Harvard and NYU have made headlines for their plans to divest, and it has been championed by activists here at the University of Illinois. What does divestment really mean, though, and how can it be implemented at UIUC? First, let's look at the current situation. Right now, the University of Illinois System (UIS), which utilizes public funds, has around $120 million invested in fossil fuel companies.
Julia Spainhour
The University of Illinois Foundation adds another $110 million into these companies using private donations. This number sums up to over $230 million that the university invests into companies that, as defined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP), profit from the extraction, transportation, or combustion of coal, petroleum, or natural gas.
On the contrary, divestment is the opposite of investment. Rather than putting capital into shares, stocks, and funds, divestment means pulling it all out. The university has a responsibility to divest from the companies that are contributing to ongoing ecological destruction and irreversible warming of our planet. The university should reinvest this large sum of money into renewable energy sources, or other beneficial programs. The university has acknowledged its responsibility to divest in iCAP 2020, objective 9.1, which states, "As an institution that prides itself on being "a model of sustainability, energy efficiency, and environmental friendliness for the world to see, it is imperative that the university's values and commitment to combating climate change are reflected in all of our investments. By divesting from fossil fuel companies, the university will reduce its contributions to and association with the negative environmental and social impacts attached to fossil fuel companies."
However, this is a non-binding agreement, and the university has yet to give a detailed plan of action for accomplishing this goal by the proposed year of 2025. The only concrete plan listed in iCAP 2020 is a letter to be sent from Chancellor Jones to UIF, the Board of Trustees, and President Killeen to encourage divestment, which was then mailed off in 2022. It's imperative that the university uses explicit, comprehensive language when detailing its plans for divestment and that tangible actions are taken.
SECS members protesting for divestment in 2021 (left) and 2020 (right)
Toriis.earth is a website created by students and alumni within Students for Environmental Concerns and Hack4Impact UIUC. This resource includes a transparent database, where you can see, in depth, where the university invests its money.
Specifically, here are the requests that the creators of TORIIS.earth lay out on their website: We request Chancellor Jones, University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen and University of Illinois Foundation CFO Jim Moore publish explicit language detailing fossil fuel divestment by the University of Illinois. We request that the University of Illinois Foundation release a comprehensive and publicly-accessible financial plan regarding fossil fuel divestment. We request the University of Illinois System incorporate fossil fuel divestment into their Investment Policy Statement. We request that both UIF and UIS work with a third-party auditory to carbon grade its portfolio. We request that the University of Illinois Foundation and the University of Illinois System make transparent their progress in fossil fuel divestment.
SECS Members Protesting in 2019
In 2019, 75% of UIUC students voted in favor of divestment. Doing so would take capital out of the hands of the companies responsible for the destruction and warming of our planet. We need to make a stand against these large corporations and embrace the shift into a fossil-free world if we want to stay below the UN benchmark of 1.5 ℃ of warming. We urge the university to take the actions necessary to act on the stated goals, and show that they value people and planet over profit.
Youth Activism and Divestment: Successes and Struggles Sophia Beem
Across the globe, young people have been advocating for climate change policymaking and sustainable practices from local to national levels. One example of this activism is divestment movements at universities and colleges. Student organizers work on protests, research, and writing to urge their institution to divest from companies supporting fossil fuels. However, young people face many specific challenges in their work towards addressing climate change, especially in legal struggles and recognition for their efforts. Some of the university divestment movements of recent years highlight the successes and struggles of youth activism work, which fits into a larger global context of young people fighting against the climate crisis. Alma on September 15th. Photo by Sophia Beem
SECS Climate Strike and the Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels On September 15th, 2023, students and community members donning orange clothing and humming with energy gathered in front of the Alma Mater at UIUC. Alma was the beacon for interested youth activists, arms spread wide, beckoning, holding a bright orange banner that read “divest now”. This was the beginning of Students for Environmental Concerns’ Fall Climate Strike, an event that is organized each semester. The University of Illinois has $230 million invested in fossil fuel companies and has made a non-binding promise to divest from these holdings by 2025 in the Illinois Climate Action Plan. SECS held the strike to hold the University accountable to this promise and raise awareness about the cause of divestment.
I sat down with Trey McCallister, a sophomore at UIUC and the Action Coordinator of SECS, who led and organized the September Climate Strike. I raised the question, “Why do think it is important to mobilize the youth and get students involved in activism work?”
“Youth voices deserve to be heard and elevated on a platform as we are the future and have unique perspectives with unmatched passion!” “What inspires you about striking with your peers?”
“Seeing other youth across the world taking to the streets to fight for bold climate action”
SECS was just one of the organizations participating in the Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels that took place on September 15-17, 2023. Millions of people around the world, in dozens of countries, took part in protests demanding a rapid and equitable end to fossil fuels. Many of the strikes were youth-led and ranged from local to global organizations, including Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future movement. On September 17th, tens of thousands of people gathered in New York City, demanding divestment action from President Biden ahead of the UN climate ambition summit in the city later that week. These protests have been described as the largest since before the COVID19 Pandemic. These recent protests illustrate the pivotal role young people have played in fossil fuel divestment movements across the globe. At many American universities and colleges, the conversation about divestment is very active.
On September 12th of this year, the New York University Board of Trustees announced they would no longer invest in the fossil fuel industry. New York University is one of the largest private universities in the United States, with an endowment of over $5 billion. This huge climate win came after years of organizing and protesting. The NYU board first formalized their commitment to divestment from fossil fuels in August, in a letter written by William R Berkley, chair of NYU’s Board of Trustees, addressed to a student activist group. In this letter, Berkeley says that the university has no direct ownership or investments in companies that directly explore and extract fossil fuels, and also promises that NYU will continue to find ways to limit indirect investments with its endowment. This was unique, as many universities do not address indirect investments even if they promise to divest, and it is uncommon for universities to name or celebrate the student groups that pushed them towards divestment. Students at NYU have been pushing for divestment from fossil fuels since at least 2004, but have previously rebuked. This recent divestment win comes as a huge inspiration for other youth activists groups and a step forward in the goal of ending fossil fuels.
New York University
NYU Sunrise Activists Protesting
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https://bdsmovement.net/news/50-nyu-student-groups-endorseboycott-divestment-and-sanctions-movement-palestinian-human
Princeton University The University of Princeton announced plans to divest its $35 billion endowment in September 2022. The Board of Trustees voted to dissociate from 90 companies involved in the fossil fuel industry, including ExxonMobil. This was another great climate win for activists, but the statements put out by the university exclude the involvement of youth organizers. In the statement announcing the decision, the chair of Princeton’s board thanked Princeton faculty members for their work and research on the issue and the engagement of the University community, erasing the work of Divest Princeton. Divest Princeton is a coalition of students, faculty, staff, and alumni primarily operated by student coordinators. Divest Princeton had been making dedicated efforts for years to keep attention on Princeton’s role in the climate crisis. Divestment was successful because more than 3,100 community members pledged to withhold donations until divestment. This was the second-largest petition in Princeton’s history. Why does recognition matter? Princeton’s divestment came as a culmination of years of organizing and community input. Without that community organizing, often led by students, there would be no divestment. It is important to elevate the voices of activists and the community to continue to inspire others and not drown out the voices that worked for this accomplishment.
Divest Princeton Students Marching
https://paw.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/styles/large_feature/public/images/content/OTC_Divest3new.jpg?itok=g9muhT7l
Divestment and Global Youth Activism Divestment is only one of the many issues that young people across the globe are taking on to tackle the climate crisis. The youth have played a fundamental role in driving climate change accountability on multiple scales and settings. With the tool of media technologies, they can galvanize support for their projects and events. Universities in particular are a growing platform for young people to get involved in climate activism. Here at UIUC, Students for Environmental Concerns is one of many student-run organizations that focus on issues of climate and sustainability. Youth activists face many challenges as well. The inability to participate in pushes for formal accountability is exacerbated by the high costs of legal action. Young people also, as in the case of Princeton divestment, may fail to receive recognition for their efforts.
Youth Climate Activists
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Back to my conversation with Trey McCallister of SECS, I asked, “What are some of the specific challenges that you face as a student activist that you might not if you were older?”
“Lots of older adults don’t take the issue that we’re fighting for seriously and believe divestment from fossil fuels will not have a negative impact on the fossil fuel industry. This is untrue as our university’s investments provide an avenue for fossil fuel companies to raise their corporate debt and finance their operations. Additionally, divesting from an industry removes your social license of that industry. By pulling investments out of the fossil fuel industry, the University of Illinois would take a stance against the heavy polluters that overly contribute to climate change.”
McCallister giving a speech at the SECS Climate Strike on September 15th.
Despite the challenges youth activists face, it is important to listen to these voices and uplift those who are willing to take action to secure a future for their generation and those to come.
Held v. Montana, Three Months Later – Where Do We Go From Here? Michael Gergeni
Over the summer, we watched What does all this mean? And how closely as 16 youth plaintiffs from do we make sense of it now, almost Montana won against the Montanan three months after the fact? Let’s figure State Government in the Montana it out. District Court in the case Held v. State First, we need to take a look at the of Montana. It represented the first scope of the decision. Although it (of what we all hope is many) climate- represents a great step forward to what related constitutional challenges to go may hopefully evolve into a much larger to trial. judicial movement, several legal experts The specific challenge laid in a contend that Held is still a pretty clause of the Montanan constitution, narrow decision. It challenges a guaranteeing a “clean and healthful provision in the Montanan Constitution environment in Montana for present that very few other state constitutions and future generations.” The plaintiffs’ have. In addition to this, the protections argument surrounded the state’s the order gives for GHG emissions are apparent disregard for this right by its’ relatively weak, and agencies in the support of the fossil fuel industry. This state are not really being held to any support, they claimed, was depriving standard for withholding approvals for them of their health, and of future potentially damaging projects. generations’ health. During the trial, the plaintiffs brought numerous scientific records to the attention of Judge Kathy Seeley, the judge presiding over their case. The state government, evidently, left these all uncontested, instead choosing to downplay the trial and claim that they were purely following what the state laws said. The plaintiffs of Held (Janie Osborne for The New York Times)
But hope is not lost. Although this case only focused on a small provision in the state constitution, there are still six other states with similar provisions, and around 150 countries around the world with similar codified rights to a clean environment. Experts have already begun to think about how the ruling may jumpstart the development of new legal approaches to climate change and environmental law. Perhaps the most important part in discovering this new approach, as retired Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Nelson found, was that the phrase “clean and healthful environment” can now easily be read to include climate change. Where, in the past, those who filed suits on the same grounds were dismissed because of a lack of standing or causation, Held presents a clear path of causality from the effects of global fossil fuel emissions to both physical and mental health harms stated by the plaintiffs, and the aggravation of those same harms by a lack of injunction from the court. By connecting these dots here, that pathway could be replicated in other cases. Moreover, and perhaps with the most implications for you and me, it opens the door for more impact litigation – lawsuits intended to keep the ball rolling on social change – to seek redress from policies that allow for the land around us to be destroyed, our lungs to be filled with carcinogens and wildfire smoke, and our futures to be cut short. Held gives us an opportunity to begin carving out a foothold in which we can combat climate change. If it’s used correctly, this is what we need to start hacking away at years of environmental negligence in the legal system. Being proactive now could pay dividends later. It’s still very early on, and the true effects on the legal paradigm remain to be seen, but the momentum is there. How both future courts, plaintiffs, and lawyers take action to acknowledge this case is still a question for future articles, but we are at a pivotal point in the paradigm of climate litigation, and where we go from here could completely change the story of the courts’ role as an avenue for helping save our climate. One more thing, a quote from Lander Busse, one of the youth plaintiffs in Held, upon hearing of the decision: “Hell yes, we won, and I am going fishing.”
“Other Mother” shot by Adam Transue and modeled by Mia Bartletti.
Breathing Alex Chavez Injustice Alex Chavez
Alex Chavez with posters he painted at the Spring 2023 SECS Climate Strike
As an environmentalist, I always want to spread awareness about something that is close to me, something that affects people like me and my city. Something I feel doesn’t get enough attention here or anywhere for that matter is how environmental issues disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities.
This is something that is especially seen in Chicago – which has a reputation as one of the nation’s most segregated cities, signifying less resources for Black and Latinx communities. I would like to talk about a childhood friend from back home. I won’t say his name for privacy reasons, but his story is an example of how environmental issues in low-income communities are pushed aside and not given the right attention or resources. My friend lives in Little Village and has lived there for most of his life. Some background on Little Village: it’s a predominantly working-class Mexican neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. It’s known as the center of Mexican culture in the city.
It is also home to two brownfields, a former superfund site, and various coal-fired power plants. In addition, there is a lack of green spaces, and the environmental quality is not the same as more affluent neighborhoods on the other side the city. For people like my friend who grew up in Little Village, this is the reality. The air quality in his neighborhood has been so bad at times it has worsened some of his medical conditions. It’s so bad, that as a baby, his younger brother had to be connected to a machine just to breathe properly. Think about that image: A baby hooked up to a machine because his asthma was that bad. The negligence of these companies led to this. Do you think these companies care? No. These companies only focus on making money without regard for the wellbeing of the community. In 2020, the Chicago City Hall published a report that estimated 5% of premature deaths a year in Chicago are linked to particulate matter. My friend’s younger brother was close to being part of that 5% and it’s infuriating. The Chicago Sun-Times identified air pollution hot spots in neighborhoods such as Englewood, Little Village, Austin, and Auburn-Gresham using data from sensors installed around the city.
“His younger brother had to be connected to a machine just to breathe properly.”
However, they said even if they installed more sensors, it is harder to analyze the Southeast Side and Far South Side- areas hit hard by air pollution. I’m not advocating for taking resources away from the north side neighborhoods, but I want there to be more attention on the south side. This isn’t the only case of health problems because of these factories. At the start of the pandemic in April 2020, the Crawford power plant was set to be demolished, only for its demolition to be botched and cover the neighborhood in an endless fog of dust. Mercury, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide were some of the chemicals you would breathe in over the next couple of weeks. Do you think you would want to breathe in mercury during your morning run? I certainly wouldn’t.
Good news - the residents of Little Village filed a class action lawsuit against the power plant company. As of today, the company was ordered to pay $370,000 to the people. If you ask me, that’s not enough. It’s not enough considering all the damage they have done to the health of tens of thousands of people throughout their decades, some of which have died due to respiratory complications. If you think working class people don’t stand up for themselves because they don’t want to, you are wrong. Paying bills and providing for your family – hell, waking up each morning is a success. How can you have time to be an activist for your community if your focus is surviving? As someone who grew up in an immigrant household in a predominantly immigrant neighborhood, I know how hard people work just to keep a roof over their family’s heads. My dad works two jobs just for us to be able to have a better life than he did. Those who have not experienced this may not know how draining this is. Working two jobs does not give you the time to organize together and fight injustice, and this is the case for many living in Little Village and other communities across Chicago.
Alex Chavez giving this speech on the September 15th SECS Climate Strike
I ask that you listen to the struggles of black and brown communities and amplify their voices. If you see a problem, speak out against it. We cannot solve these issues if we are not united.
When our communities are under attack, what do we do? STAND UP, FIGHT BACK! When our planet is under attack, what do we do? STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!
Trey McCallister
The Voice of the Individual as it Relates to Climate Issues "The voice of Gabriella DalSanto I am a strong believer in the power of the individual. I think as the rise of the internet and influencing has happened, we can truly see the power just one individual has. No candidate gets elected without individuals, no TV show airs, no product is bought. The voice of the individual is immense and is one of the only bargaining chips a person gets. This is not to say that every individual voice is weighted the same, my point is not that regardless of power and wealth, that the individual voice is always equivalent.
That dream is one that is never going to be achieved. Wealth and corruption and power all sway how powerful an individual voice is, but it doesn’t make the individual voice worthless. I think there is a lot of apathy towards social issues because people believe that they can not make a large change that goes against the will of the one percent. I strongly disagree. At the end of the day, rich people want to stay rich, powerful people want to stay powerful, so as long as they get that, an infinite amount of change can happen.
the individual is immense and is one of the only bargaining chips a person gets."
As we talk about things like divestment at the University, I think that a point that will really sway the board of trustees is undeniable evidence that divesting will allow them to keep making as much money as they are making now. At the end of the day, individuals are needed to make money, and each of those individuals have a voice and a sway in what decisions are made by the most powerful voices.
Think of it like this, a teacher prepares an earth day presentation, there are 30 students in the class, and 1 of them goes on to pursue a career in academia and figures out a new way to reintroduce species to their natural habitats, change is made. Another one of the students becomes a politician, they vote on climate legislation and help pass regulations on corporations leading to a 10% decrease in carbon emissions, change is made. Another student becomes an economist and speaks against continued fossil fuel investment which leads to a large hedge fund divesting, then a divestment snowball starts with fossil fuel stocks tanking, change is made.
Think of all the change that happens with 4 individual voices, all in different fields, all with different experiences, all united to use their voice to change things for the better. Now think of the 27 other students that listened to the presentation; maybe not all of them are going to care as much as the original 3, but if they start to care enough as they get older maybe they would start voting in favor of environmental protection, maybe they participate in a boycott or a strike, if the apathy goes away, think of how much more change could be made.
Apathy kills social movements, and hopelessness removes all the power your individual voice has. I am not an optimist, I believe that most of the time, things are as bad or worse than they seem, but not with this. I feel a lot like an elementary school teacher trying to explain the power of voting, but it’s truly how I feel. If people interacted with all of the social issues they appear to care about in a casual conversation, I think the world would be a very different place. Use your voice please, vote, boycott, protest, invest in what you believe in, work where you feel good about what you're doing if you can afford it. Make your life one where you don’t let the greed in this world win.
The voice of many individuals is the only way anything happens, the whole point of this country is not letting one bastard make all the rules and I feel like with all the apathy we see towards actually making change, we might as well still be living in a feudalist system. The suffragette movement only worked once the average woman started realizing change needed to be made. The civil rights movement only worked once people started listening, and making the fight of equal rights the fight of the majority. Every major social rights movement has only succeeded once a large group of people decided to use their voices. This is basically my love letter to the concept of individual rights, but I really do think that the more you use your voice and the more you get involved in a real way with the issues you care about the more you feel fulfilled. I am a strong believer that the power to stop climate change is in regulating corporations who are polluting at such a large rate compared to individuals living their lives. These regulations are not possible though without large amounts of public support. No matter what companies say they are doing to combat emissions or pollution, there will always be something they are manipulating behind the scenes. Something that comes to mind is the changing of sprite bottles from green to clear. Sprite (Coca Cola) said that this change was made to help the bottles be recycled more, but the truth was that it was just a way to remove people from being able to see which bottles were sprite bottles in a garbage patch or dump. A corporation will not change by itself, but it will change when a government strong arms them into changing, and a government will change when people care. So please, care. There is a lot of doom and gloom when we talk about environmentalism, mostly because it is a lot of doom and gloom, but there are actual changes people can make when we stand together and use our individual voices for all they’re worth.
“Eyes On You” Joya Weissman Linoleum print/collage
Millisecond Shifts
It is windy. Much happens in the moments Fatima Naveed between breezes. The oceanic roar of a wind's crest, rebounding over and around. Hold your breath in. Curling together in anticipation for the next one to hit you, eying your glass of water, freezing it in place with your stare. It hits, flips pages, throws fly-aways into flight. Find where the sun lingers most, and don't move. It's warm now, feels as it should, a quiet moment of inspection, searching for the position least transient, least vulnerable. Capture the minute shifts that occur in the span of breaths. Breathe out that which was held. Make a tornado for the ant that flew into your lap 7 before the next.
References Meade - A Celebration of Autumn: October at the Arboretum 1. https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_1/taxodium/distichum.htm#:~:text=Baldcypres s%20(Taxodium%20distichum)%20is%20a,essentially%20the%20same%20natural%20range. 2. https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2023-01-27-one-tough-tree-baldcypress#:~:text=The%20native%20range%20of%20bald,its%20ornamental%20appeal%20throughout%20 Illinois.
Spainhour - What is Divestment? 1. toriis.earth/home 2. https://sustainability.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/iCAP-2020-FINAL-WEB.pdf
Beem - Youth Activism and Divestment: Successes and Struggles 1. https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/09/15/historic-mobilisation-climate-protesters-around-the-worldjoin-fight-against-fossil-fuels https://fightfossilfuels.net/ 2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/17/march-to-end-fossil-fuels-new-york-city 3. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/12/new-york-university-fossil-fuel-divestment 4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8694303/ 5. https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/princeton-university-divestment-climate-student-organizing/
Gergeni - Held v. Montana, Three Months Later – Where Do We Go From Here? 1. www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/held-v-montana-redefines-climate-5068508/. 2. eelp.law.harvard.edu/2023/08/held-v-montana/. 3. apnews.com/article/youth-climate-trial-montana-8c03fe47bb6c29334cf22d047d76fd1a. 4. https://www.aclu.org/podcast/kids-sued-montana-over-climate-change-heres-how-they-won 5. montanafreepress.org/2023/08/17/this-changes-everything-experts-respond-to-landmark-youth-climateruling/. 6. www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en/knowledge/publications/5982a867/held-and-ors-v-state-of-montana--awatershed-ruling.