Breaking Green Ceilings

Traveling from New Jersey to North Carolina, Frances was able to experience urban city living as well as life in a rural area surrounded by hog farms. Through that, she and her family remained tight knit as her mother inspired her from all angles. With the house matriarch as a teacher and enthusiastic environmentalist, Frances was able to get the support she needed to obtain a BA in Sociology & Anthropology, Environmental Studies & Science Minor, from Spelman College, and currently working on a PhD in Society & Environment at UC Berkeley.

With her degree, she has charged into the realm of scientific research in a noble effort to make positive material changes in peoples’ lives, particularly indigenous and communities of color who have been marginalized and silenced for centuries.

Frances’ current PhD dissertation focuses on Gulf Coast women of color’s climate justice activism and strategies to resist environmental racism while navigating contradictory relationships with energy and petrochemical industries. It is titled, “Post-Apocalyptic Environmental Politics: Women of Color, Climate Justice and State-Corporate Crime in Louisiana.”

Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. In contrast with ethnology, ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Described as community based research, or participatory action research, this is a feminist research method that focuses on non-invasive and minimal-extractive methods, empowering the community to be hands on and involved in every step of the process.

Frances’ life work is shaped by environmental justice geographies including Carolina hog and chicken farms, Jersey urban landscapes, and Louisiana petrochemical-plantation corridors. She currently lives and teaches on Indigenous land known as Bulbancha (i.e. New Orleans, Louisiana) that is historically home to the Chitimacha, Choctaw, Houma, Atakapa-Ishak and various other African and Creole Indigenous peoples, which is at high risk to experience adverse climate change effects.

Frances is incredibly inspirational and knowledgeable. From sharing the importance of mentorship and navigating imposter syndrome, to empowering everyday people to claim the title “activist”, to describing the different impacts of climate change for different people in varying locations, this week’s episode of Breaking Green Ceilings is going to leave you motivated and inspired to do your part.

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Growing up in Ohio, Katie spent a lot of her childhood outside during the summer months. She spent a year at her grandmother’s house where she immersed herself in nature. Katie was able to take her love and interest for animals and nature into a career. While in attendance at Ohio University, she created her own bachelor’s special studies degree which she used to conduct research around snakes and then salamanders in Kentucky. After graduating, she worked at the OSU Stone Lab as a maintenance crew worker and has also gained experience in working for the National Parks Services and for the Cleveland Metro Parks at the Zoo and Wildlife Rehab Center.

Currently, Katie has created a company called Legacy 3D which uses 3D scanning as a conservation tool. The company strives to make 3D scanning available and affordable to everyone.

Salamanders

In this episode, we learn a little bit about Salamanders. Ambystoma Salamanders are dual-gendered salamanders which reproduce by cloning themselves. They are often found in the between Southeast Ohio to Quebec. We also learned that Salamanders often live in dead wood which up until around 200 years ago caused them to be associated with fire because people would see them running out of the fire (because they were in the dead wood) and thought of as magical/evil creatures.

Working in the National Parks Service

Working in the Environmental Education Center and on the tourist train at the Cuyahoga National Park, Katie shared her experience working for the National Parks Services. The National Parks Service was less bureaucratic than the Cleveland Metro Parks which she mentioned as having frequent red tape and limited funding. Seasonal jobs are highly common in NPS, which lead to the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act.

Each national park is managed by a different president, so there is often a different tone and management of conflict park by park. Some parks are culturally more conservative and seem like more of a “boys club” than others, normally the more remote the park is, the more conservative it is - either by the visitors or by the employees. One specific example is the Grand Canyon, generally, the “harder work” was done by men at the bottom of the Canyon and often when a woman tried to work down there they were hazed by the male workers. Once a new manager was hired, the harassment ceased.

Other Topics

We talked briefly about Katie’s research with Snakes and Salamanders. Katie also explained how she started her business about Legacy 3D and why conservation is so important. Towards the end of the podcast, Katie shared a shocking story about some of the inequities she experienced as an LGBTQ+ woman in her work field.

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Dr. Justin Dunnavant always had a passion for history and it was only after a study abroad trip to a Mayan site in a rainforest in Belize did he discover his love for archaeology. During that trip he realized that a lot of early history books are written from an archaeological perspective but that balck, indigenous, and people of color were not doing the work. And so, he saw it as an opportunity to bring his background and unique experiences to make a contribution to a profession that lacks racial representation.

Upon his return and learning that less than 1% of archaeologists identify as black, he became determined to open the door for other people of color in the realm of archaeology.This journey led him to co-found the Society of Black Archaeologists.

Currently, Justin’s research focuses on the environmental implications of the slave trade and  slavery. He also conducts amazing underwater archeological research to investigate where slave ships landed, what courses they took and when.

Ecology and Enslavement

The natural environment is more entangled in slavery than most realize. Why were roughly 4.8 million Africans taken to the Caribbean and only 389,000 to the United States? Two main reasons, both involving the environment - Plantations were more common in Central America, where desired crops, mainly sugarcane, could be grown. The other reason being the trade winds that blow from Africa to Central America, which carried the slave ships and deposited them in the Caribbean, where they may have been later sold off to other areas.

During the Transatlantic slave trade, swaths of land were cleared for agricultural production, port cities were established for import and export, and flora and fauna were transplanted across hemispheres in a process known as the Columbian Exchange, causing an immense amount of change to the ecology of the world. Justin and his team of archaeologists are on a mission to uncover the impacts of that change.

Other Topics

Our conversation with Justin is a true lesson in history. Covering topics from the history and intracicies of Caribbean slavery, to the importance of integrating diversity in archaeological projects, to the importance of trees, prepare yourself to be much more informed on the background of the transatlantic slave trade after this week’s episode of Breaking Green Ceilings.

About Dr. Justin Dunnavant:

Dr. Justin Dunnavant is an Academic Pathways Postdoctoral Fellow at Vanderbilt University’s Spatial Analysis Research Laboratory. He holds a BA in History and Anthropology from Howard University and an MA and Ph.D. from the University of Florida. While his former research interrogated the history and representation of minority groups in southern Ethiopia, his current work in the US Virgin Islands investigates the relationship between ecology and enslavement in the former Danish West Indies. Justin is co-founder and President of the Society of Black Archaeologists, an AAUS Scientific SCUBA Diver, and consults for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture Slave Wrecks Project.

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Dr. Shivani Bhalla is a fourth generation Kenyan Indian who grew up going on safaris with her family, which nurtured her obsessionwith wildlife. Her passion has always been big cats, in particular, Cheetahs. When Dr. Bhalla moved to Samburu to research cheetahs for her master’s project. But she never saw any cheetahs. Instead,  she saw lions that tended to be solitary or in pairs, which piqued her interest because she was only familiar with seeing lions in large prides as a child.

Dr. Bhalla was soon curious to learn more about the lion population and decided to create Ewaso Lions in 2007, a nonprofit dedicated to conserving lions and other large carnivores by promoting coexistence between people and wildlife.

Lion Conservation

Africa’s lion population has declined by some 90 percent over the past 75 years, primarily due to loss of habitat and human-animal conflict. In Kenya, there are fewer than 2,000 lions left. Ewaso Lions took a community-based conservation approach where they work hand-in-hand with local communities - Samburu warriors, women and children - to provide education, training and improved conservation practices that help people and wildlife.

One of the ways in which Ewaso Lions collaborates with local communities is through Warrior Watch, which is a group of Samburu warriors who conduct daily patrols around the region to prevent lions coming in contact with herders and their livestock

“They themselves really understand what it is like to lose livestock to carnivores, they can empathize with the person who has lost his cow or camel, and they are able to really convince them why it’s important not to retaliate.”

Because of Ewaso Lion, Shivani, and the Samburu Warriors, nearly 100s of lion killings have been ceased.

Other Topics

Ewaso Lions, Shivani and the Samburu Warriors are a powerhouse in lion conservation. From the intricacies of funding conservation, to Kenyan Indian conservation, to her hopes of the future, this week's episode is one you don’t want to miss.

About Dr. Shivani Bhalla:

Born and raised in Kenya, Shivani believes the key to lion conservation is working in partnership with local communities. She founded Ewaso Lions in 2007 to promote coexistence between carnivores and people. Together with her team, she works with Samburu communities to reduce livestock loss to carnivores, and monitors the existing lion population within the Samburu-Isiolo landscape in northern Kenya.

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Dr. Dr. Walubengo Walubengo is a Kenyan Forest/Natural Resources and Environment Management Specialist with experience in institutional capacity building, project planning, monitoring, evaluation and analysis, and engineering. With an emphasis on managing forests of Kenya, Dr. Walubengo has made huge strides in the realm of forestry, from establishing small, neighborhood forests through individual tree planting, to teaching local communities the importance of forests and empowering them to planting some of their own.

The Forest Sector is key to Kenya’s social and economic wellbeing. The Sector contributes about Kenya Shillings 7 billion to the economy and employs over 50,000 people directly and another 300,000 indirectly. Forest ecosystems also enhance landscape resilience to climate change.

Kenya’s forest cover is estimated to be about 7.4% of the total land area, which is a far cry from the recommended global minimum of 10%. On the other hand, Kenya’s closed canopy forest cover currently stands at about 2% of the total land area, compared to the African average of 9.3% and a world average of 21.4 per cent. Most of the closed canopy forests in Kenya are montane forests that are also the nation’s water towers.

Although the population of Kenya has gone from less than 10 million people in the 1960’s, to surpassing 50 million people in recent times, the most recent forest policy was established in 1968, over 50 years ago. There is a lack of government initiative to properly manage forests throughout Kenya, ranging from extreme protection in the name of conservation, excluding the local communities completely from sustainably harvesting necessities or conducting rituals, to solely considering plantation forests, such as coffee plantations, under the umbrella of manageable forest resources.

Dr. Walubengo believes with proper governmental influence, the forests could be managed for their resources, while also being conserved, creating an assortment of environmental jobs for local communities and environmentalists.

Dr. Walubengo has spent many years in the environmental sector, and with that comes a great deal of wisdom he shares with us this week. From how he convinced his neighbors to let him plant a forest in his yard, to the political obstacles of developing governmental forest management, to what inspired him to join the environmental movement, Dr. Walubengo is a force to be reckoned with and we are happy to have him on Breaking Green Ceilings.

Although still early in her environmental career, Valerie Nasoita is already making a large impact in conservation efforts towards vultures in Kenya. Originating from the Maasai tribe, Valerie is currently working hands-on as a Vulture Liaison Officer for The Peregrine Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to the global conservation of birds of prey.

In many parts of Africa, only 1-2% of previously abundant vulture populations remain today. This is a result of many agricultural producers poisoning the vultures, in hopes to deter them from their livestock. Unfortunately, this has proven ineffective in preventing predation upon the livestock, but also has contributed heavily to the rapid decline in vulture populations. Valerie focuses her conservation efforts on educating the public on the importance of vultures in an ecosystem and how devastating the effects of poisoning these birds prove to be.

A wide range of discussion takes place in this week's conversation with Valerie Nasoita. She shares fascinating insight about the struggle as a woman conservationist in a male dominated society, and how she navigates getting work done despite these obstacles. From vulture facts to what it’s like growing up in the Rift Valley of Kenya, we are very grateful for what Valerie presents to Breaking Green Ceilings.

Sam Dindi has been working in the field of environment conservation for eight years now. As the co-founder of Mazingira Yetu, Sam is engaged in:

Trained in sustainability development, tourism and wildlife management, Sam was awarded the Head of States Commendation (HSC) by the Government of Kenya for his exemplary service to the Republic of Kenya. He also received the IUCN-CEC award for his efforts in educating the public on environment conservation and sustainability development. Sam enjoys nature walks, bird watching and travelling.

Youth Education and Empowerment

Environmental education is crucial in inspiring children to understand the importance in conserving and protecting their natural spaces. Unfortunately, many primary and secondary schools fail to incorporate this into their curriculum, which ultimately stunts the environmental movement. Sam emphasizes the importance of not just educating students, but empowering them to take action in their local environment and claim their right to protect and restore the land and waterways as well. Because of the many young adults who have never had the opportunity to plant a tree, or grow their own garden, Sam’s vision is to give these students the tools they need to understand the importance of these tasks.

Nairobi River Restoration

The Nairobi River is a prime example of a waterway that is heavily polluted. Used for everything from bathing to washing clothes to waste disposal to industrial drainage, the Nairobi River is riddled with garbage and contaminants. Sam inspires a group of around 100 local individuals to take control of cleaning their portion of the river by teaching them the ropes of water restoration. Empowering communities in this way allows for them to rely less on governmental intervention, which often proves to be ineffective, and creates space for a shift in the idea that environmentalism is a white person commodity.

Other Topics

This week's conversation with Sam Dindi is full of insight and inspiration. From the intricacies of dealing with bureaucracy and corruption, to Sam’s vision of Kenya’s environmental future, to his advice on keeping a level head in the hectic sector that is environmentalism, this is an episode of Breaking Green Ceilings that you won’t want to miss.

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Kristy Drutman is Jewish Filipino American environmental media host, activist, independent consultant and digital media strategist who created the podcast and media series known as Brown Girl Green.

Forging her own path through the careers within environmentalism, Kristy is passionate about working at the intersections between media, diversity, and environmentalism and has used that passion to speak in front of thousands about the current climate crisis, facilitate workshops, and work with youth from around the world to create collaborative, intersectional online media with the goal of creating conscious, culturally relevant content.

Environmental Communication

Community outreach is something many organizations struggle with, especially when it comes to connecting with communities of color. Generally asking themselves how to make people of color come to them, they often fail to consider how they can make themselves more accessible to the local communities of color.

“Figure out who your community is and how you can communicate with them. I think everyone has an important story to share, and we need as many storytellers as possible right now to be able to engage people, because maybe you come from a completely different community than where I come from, and you’re able to communicate to your community in a different way than I could that will be able to connect with their hearts and mind to take action.”

-Kristy Drutman

Collaboration

Along with strategic and effective community outreach, the importance of collaboration continues to grow with the increasing specialization of skills and activists. Ranging from the protesters to the policy makers, and everywhere in between, to make an impact, larger and larger groups with specific specialties will have to work together. Kristy uses her education, platform, and consultation to bridge these gaps, bringing people together, and promoting a sense of community within environmentalism.

Other Topics

This week's conversation on Breaking Green Ceilings is full of insight and inspiration. From the difference between forest service and urban planning type environmental jobs, to what defines an environmental activist, to why identity politics matter, there is much to learn from guest Kristy Drutman.

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Ariel Maldonado is a hispanic artist and environmental social media influencer/strategist with nearly 50K followers on instagram. Standing as an example that one does not have to have a nature-oriented childhood or education to become an environmentalist, Ariel did not post her first image on gogreensavegreen until the spring she graduated from college. With a newly developed interest in making budget-friendly environmental choices, she was able to use her lifelong passion of sharing information with people around her to find her place in the environmental movement.

A Gateway Into Caring

Men often apply to jobs they feel only 60% qualified for, while women will typically only apply if they feel 100% qualified. This is exactly what inspired Ariel to break that chain and dive head first into the realm of environmentalism and educate the public that everyday people making their own sustainable decisions are environmentalists as well.

“I’m not hoping to talk to just people who are in the business already, or living perfect zero-waste lives, or educators or academics, I love the work that they’re doing, but I also realize that we need more everyday people to care, and we need more people to act. So I am hoping to act as a kind of gateway for people that never thought of themselves as environmentalists, to show it can be accessible to anyone, it can be as simple as voting, or a toothbrush.”

Social Media Influencer

Reaching tens of thousands of people every single day is a large responsibility. 71% of millennials are more likely to buy a product or service that has been promoted by a trusted influencer over a celebrity. That is why it is essential for influencers to be promoting environmentally friendly brands and choices. Ariel pushes this even further by acknowledging the financial struggles many experience when attempting to shop sustainably, and informs her followers how they can also make budget-friendly environmental decisions.

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From bamboo toothbrushes, to the importance of empathy, to why Ariel decided to open gogreensavegreen, this week's episode of Breaking Green Ceilings is packed with insightful and inspiring conversation.

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His environmental narrative was influenced by his experience of growing up in a low income community in California, which was predominantly black and brown. Lack of access to clean air and drinking water and green spaces made him realize later (in college) that his community was a victim of environmental racism. Isiais came to this realization only because he gained access to information that helped him to identify the problem and its definition.

While he gained a lot of knowledge attending University of California, Berkeley, he found that language used in academia was often inaccessible and defeatist and as a result tended to be exclusionary. The same pattern continued in the real world when he became involved in various environmental initiatives.

To break the barriers often created in the environmental community, Isaias chose to focus on educating his followers about complex environmental terminologies using simple descriptions and delivery methods. The goal being to get more people from various backgrounds interested and involved in environmentalism.

Knowledge Inaccessibility

Academic language often creates distance between those who went to college and those who did not. Frequently, those who obtained a higher education become familiar with words and phrases, of which those who enter straight into the workforce may not be exposed to, cultivating a type of language barrier between the two groups of people.

This often results in a smaller portion of the population having the necessary knowledge to make informed, environmentally friendly choices, further perpetuating the idea that less educated communities, often of color, care less about environmentalism. Isaias creates colorful, informative, and concise content with an effort to bridge this gap and allow more accessibility to the knowledge of the many facets of environmentalism.

Making Space for Queer People of Color

In addition to focusing on environmental education, Isaias was keen on increasing representation of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color). As a queer Mexican he realized that there was often a lack of diversity and inclusion in his college and mainstream environmental organizations, which are predominantly white and heterosexual. Further,  there was a lack of attenton being given to the plight of LGBTQ+ communities, especially low-income, queer trans people of color, who are often at the frontlines of environmental injustices.

In the same vein, he wanted to raise awareness of the contributions that BIPOC make to the environmental movement. Isaias has known BIPOC communities have also been at the frontlines of environmental justice for many years but have been silenced or ignored by mainstream media and environmentalists. At the end of the day Isaias wants to be able to bring an intersectional lens to climate change mitigation and do so with humility.

Other Topics

A lot of information is discussed in this conversation, from environmental racism and exclusion, to the LGBTQ+ influence in his life, to hydrodams, to the importance of direct action, and much more. Isaias allows us a glimpse into his life and gives us a call to action in this week's episode of Breaking Green Ceilings.

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