On the Green

In the last episode of this series, Jordan and Lyric finally address the elephant in the room…coronavirus! How has the pandemic affected the environmental movement on Columbia’s campus?

This week's episode of On the Green examines Columbia's environmental relationship with the surrounding community. What organizations provide links between Columbia and West Harlem residents? In what ways is Columbia a good neighbor and in what ways can the university improve? How does environmental racism factor in? 

In this week's episode of On the Green, Jordan and Lyric explore the climate crisis in the classroom. How have faculty members across Columbia's campus initiated interdisciplinary conversations about the changing climate? And how do institutional structures help or hinder them?

In a virtual roundtable discussion, Lyric talks with student activists from Sunrise and Extinction Rebellion about their fight for climate justice on Columbia's campus. How are the two groups different? And what struggles have they encountered with the administration? 

We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and encourage our listeners to take direct action, donate, and read up on its intersection with the climate justice movement. Here are some resources:

SIGN: Petition to get Columbia University, the largest contractor of the NYPD, to cut ties

https://www.change.org/p/columbia-university-diverge-from-nypd?signed=true

DONATE: List of Bail Funds across the country

https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory 

READ: Links between Racism and the Environment

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/05/climate/racism-climate-change-reading-list.html

LISTEN: Can the environmental movement address American racism?

https://www.alleghenyfront.org/can-the-environmental-movement-address-american-racism/

This episode of On the Green was recorded between March 2 – May 22 and covers the history and complexities of the fossil fuel divestment movement at Columbia and Barnard. Why have these institutions agreed to some forms of divestment but haven’t been willing to go all the way?

In this episode of On the Green, Jordan and Lyric set the stage for the series by breaking down the 2017-2020 Columbia Sustainability plan. Is Columbia practicing what it preaches?