SEAS COVER STORY
MEET THE FUTURE OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE BY DENISE SPRANGER
For nearly three decades, SEAS has been on the forefront of environmental justice education and research—initially bolstered by the landmark “Michigan Conference on Race and the Incidence of Environmental Hazards” hosted at the Dana Building in 1990. Just two years later, the school became the first in the U.S. to launch an Environmental Justice program that offered both undergraduate and graduate degree specializations. Building upon that early milestone, SEAS continued to deepen its impact through scholarship, advocacy, community partnerships, and master’s projects—with environmental justice at the core of its mission to create a more environmentally sound and sustainable world.
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Today, SEAS is at the nexus of environmental justice thought leadership, and is recognized as a trusted resource for expertise on both state and national levels. Following last year’s appointments of four SEAS faculty and alumni to state advisory roles in Michigan, the Biden administration appointed three SEAS faculty to national advisory positions in 2021. The contributions of Professors Paul Mohai, Tony Reames, and Kyle Whyte are now helping to meet—and shape—the future of environmental and energy justice.
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