This week, I want to talk a little bit about my DCERP learning community. My group is focused on environmental justice, and if you know anything about me, you know that I am very passionate about this topic. One of my favorite classes that I’ve taken at U of M was ENVIRON 201: Ecological Issues, which discussed the ways in which marginalized communities have historically been disproportionately affected by environmental problems. I also did a half-semester-long group project about sustainability during COVID in winter 2020.
So, needless to say when I found out that I would have the opportunity to explore this subject further throughout the summer, I was ecstatic. Although we’re still in the relatively early stages of discussion, my group and I have decided to look into films that focus on some facet of environmental justice. The first movie we watched is a Disney classic, Wall-E, and we’re really looking forward to talking with the rest of the group about how this film relates to our topic of environmental justice.
Before the summer is over, we are also planning to watch a documentary entitled “There’s Something in the Water” which is about environmental racism in Nova Scotia. I’m incredibly excited to see how these movies connect and differ from each other, and to work with my group further on preparing our presentation and activities for the rest of the group!
Hello birman,
I think that environmental justice is an amazing category for your learning community. I don’t think that I’ve heard too much about marginalized communities as it relates to environmental problems. I am interested to hear about this especially through films! I Can’t wait.
Best
Totti
Your learning group sounds awesome, and I love that you guys are able to watch these movies and have discussions about environmental justice. The class you took sounds very interesting, and it is a class I think I would enjoy taking, so thank you for mentioning it!
Talk about a throwback — Wall-E! There’s definitely been a few seeds planted for young people and future generations to change things. It’s nice that you all are taking initiative to revisit this issue in simplicity. Also, I’m curious about what you’ll discover regarding environmental racism in Nova Scotia, Canada. Geographically, it looks very interesting so I wonder how that plays into society. Thanks for sharing.
That class sounds really interesting! I’m also excited to see what you and your learning group decide to do for your presentation!