"There's always a way to make a more conscious choice in your life to consume what you need and what you're going to use, so you minimize the new material things put into the waste system" says environmental activist, Laís Santoro. Laís is a student at Johns Hopkins University. In this episode, she covers the broad spectrum of Intersectional Environmentalism and several social issues associated with it, including: air quality, food deserts, colorism within environmental social justice, eco-fascism, the Baltimore incinerator, and other topics. Although this may seem like a lot, it only scratches the surface!
I want to reiterate that I am NOT an expert in this and come into this work with lots of privilege as a JHU student, immigrating from Brazil, etc.. This movement has been around for decades, still is, and has been led by many great organizations and people, especially Black, Indigenous, people and communities of color that have historically also been silenced while doing this work and need to be amplified. I don’t want to do that! Plus, there are so many ways to engage in this and remember that taking the first step to a more just and sustainable world means everything. You can donate, volunteer, spread awareness, educate your family and friends, and always work to pair individual action with the collective action to address the systemic roots of environmental injustice as well! There’s something for everyone to engage in.