Environmental Issues

Ocean resources and policy influence have long been inequitable due to racism, colonialism, and industrialization. Meanwhile, coastal communities face disproportionate impacts from climate change, pollution, overfishing, habitat loss, coastal gentrification, and oil and gas activities. Since 2023, Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice has prioritized the experiences and voices of communities who have been historically…

Jasmin Graham is a shark scientist and environmental educator who specializes in elasmobranch (shark and ray) ecology and evolution. In her blog, Jasmin discusses her journey and what ultimately led her down the path of becoming an author and co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS).

John Fiege is a director, cinematographer, and photographer whose films have played at SXSW, Cannes, Museum of Modern Art, Hot Docs. In this interview, he discusses his latest film Raising Aniya, which tells the story of Aniya Wingate, a 16-year-old dancer, who sets out on a creative journey to choreograph and produce a performance to heal her spirit after Hurricane Harvey.

Candice Youngblood is a passionate environmental justice lawyer and advocate. Candice currently practices law at Earthjustice, where she focuses on issues at the intersection of clean transportation and racial justice. 

Betsy López-Wagner, principal and founder, López-Wagner Strategies, An Equitable Communications Agency®, shares her insights in this blog about the urgent global crisis of plastic pollution and its devastating impact on communities, ecosystems, and habitats like those in the Gulf of Mexico.

Shane Araujo is a research assistant and the junior editor for the Hot & Cold NYC team at the Energy, Equity, Housing, and Health program (E2H2 at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health) led by Dr. Diana Hernández.

Jennifer is a Program Officer for Mosaic, a national grantmaking initiative focused on building a bigger, more influential environmental movement.

In this blog, Green 2.0 Fellow Kevin Hernandez discusses the colonization of Mexico and how it streamlined Mexican food becoming meat-centric along with his experience as a vegetarian Mexican-American. He proposes that people try to understand their culture and encourages them to try a plant-based diet.

The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance was formed in 2007 as a diverse coalition of corporate and civic leaders uniting business, philanthropic, and institutional sectors around a common agenda: improving and expanding transportation options for the citizens and businesses of Central Maryland. In this blog, President & CEO Brian O’Malley discusses recent efforts to pass more climate-friendly transportation legislation in the state.

Dr. Chan, garden educator and food justice advocate, talks about the development of a community-based food security project called Sisterhood Gardens, in San Francisco, CA. What started out as a partnership with the city of San Francisco to offer garden plots led to a space for transformational change in our local community and a model for future mixed-use community garden spaces.