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Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Melissa Watkinson

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A citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and descendant of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Melissa Watkinson partnered with the Urban Indian Health Institute during her first year on the Environmental Justice Committee, serving as Co-Chair her following years as a community liaison. She currently works at Washington Sea Grant as a social scientist.

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?

I grew up here in Washington State, in both Yakima and Puyallup, and with family who are members of the Upper Skagit Tribe. Marine foods, like salmon and crab, have always been vital to my family when we gather. Over the last decade or so, when we go to harvest these foods, they’ve become harder to obtain. When I moved to Seattle after high school and began building my community in the area, I started learning how other people and communities are affected by environmental injustices. Even when I was living in Seattle, being surrounded by water, accessing the environment and traditional foods was not always easy. Going off this, working on addressing the environmental changes that I have observed affecting my community and the Native community overall became a big motivation to me.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?

Environmental leadership is embodied in a person or group of people who work towards creating space and bringing new voices into policy-making arenas, so that environmental work is not only supporting the dominant culture in a society, but recognizing the reality of environmental racism and that those most impacted need to be able to participate and lead in decision-making.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within EJC?

Initially, when I started my education, I focused on international affairs and human rights. After I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, my grandmother passed away, and the one thing I remember her telling me regarding my undergrad career was that “our people need help, too.” Although it was difficult to confront the hardships and inequities that some of my family has faced over the years, as a consequence of what I now know is a result of inter-generational trauma, I decided to work with and on behalf of Native peoples. When I went to graduate school, I started working with one of our coastal tribes here in Washington state, focusing on the impacts of climate change affecting that community. Through that process, I learned a lot about how the histories of colonization and settler colonialism have affected tribes’ abilities to cope with environmental changes, including displacement caused by sea level rise, lack of funding and historic assimilation policies affecting the ability to develop infrastructure, or the ability to adapt to the loss of salmon and other traditional foods. This really drove my work in environmental justice, and being active with the Seattle urban Native community, I wanted to be able to bring a Native perspective to the EJC. I don’t believe, nor do I expect, that I represent all people within the community, but I work to ensure that I bring a perspective that reflects other Native voices.

Can you share a highlight from your work with the EJC in the past couple years?

One of the priorities I hoped to address, in addition to elevating voices and priorities of other EJC members, is the recognition of Indigenous peoples in Seattle, along with working to increase access to traditional and first foods. The EJC worked with Carina del Rosario, a Seattle-based visual artist, who developed a community-led project focused on addressing those issues. She worked closely with the Muckleshoot Cultural Committee, who led the Muckleshoot TEKnology Expo back in May. The intention was to bring in City department leaders and the Mayor’s office, along with City Council members to learn about the importance of acknowledging tribes and first food access throughout the Seattle area. It initiated difficult, but critical conversations within the City and the Mayor’s office, and the EJC is continuing its work to learn and acknowledge how to support the multiple Indigenous peoples and area Tribes in environmental justice work in the greater Seattle area.

What are you looking forward to in your next year’s work outside of the EJC?

I am now an alumni member of the EJC, and we are currently wrapping up a recruitment process for new EJC members, so I’m excited about the opportunity to create new space for different voices to be leading on the Committee. This will broaden the collective perspectives of the EJC, ultimately influencing policy within the City of Seattle. As it grows, the EJC continues to deepen its connection across communities of color in Seattle, keeping the momentum that the committee has gathered thus far. I’m excited to see how the EJC’s work will continue to shape city policy in upcoming years!

This article is part of the series: “EJC Spotlight”- highlighting the backgrounds and work of current and former Environmental Justice Committee (EJC) members. Since 2017, the EJC has striven to uplift those most impacted by environmental inequities and center community needs in the City’s environmental efforts while building partnerships between community organizations and local government. This interview series is being conducted by Karen Bosshart, a UW Program on the Environment student and current intern at OSE.

Seeking Youth Climate Leaders!

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If you are a young person who is passionate about working on climate change and climate justice, consider applying for the Mayor’s Youth Climate Council. Applications are now open. Deadline to apply is Thursday, January 30, 4 pm.

Climate change is the single biggest threat to our future, and young people all over the world, including in Seattle, are leading the response. To honor that leadership, the Mayor Durkan is creating an opportunity for young leaders to continue building their own capacity as advocates, shape new ideas for policies and programs to stem the climate crisis, and offer feedback on existing City policies and programs.

The Council will actively collaborate with other City Committees, Boards, and Commissions that are advancing environmental justice and will serve as a model for partnership between young leaders and climate mayors throughout the country. 

Participants will be selected through an application and interview process and will meet 8 times per calendar year. Expected time commitment is approximately 5 hours per month. Members will serve 2-year terms unless they cease to reside within Seattle city limits. Meetings will consist of student-led discussions and speakers on important topics.

More information about the requirements and expectations are detailed in the application form.

The application is online, but you can download a PDF to review the questions beforehand. We can only accept online applications for these positions. For questions, please contact Paul Quinonez-Figueroa, 206.256.6199

Seattle awards $250,000 for environmental justice projects

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The Environmental Justice Fund will support seven projects in 2020

Contact:  Ximena Fonseca-Morales, Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment, 206.386.1130

The Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment, through the Environmental Justice Fund, awarded $250,000 to seven community-based projects to improve environmental conditions and respond to impacts of climate change. Funding of up to $40,000 was awarded to projects that will be led by and benefit those most impacted by environmental and climate issues, including communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and Indigenous people.

“Seattle will continue to be a national leader in fighting climate change, and we must ensure true opportunity for communities that have disproportionally shouldered the weight of environmental injustice,” said Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “The communities hit the hardest by climate change are most often our historically underserved communities of color, and as we develop and implement new policies, we must continue to evaluate the race and social justice impacts. The City’s Environmental Justice Fund is an incredible example of giving community the tools they need to create lasting, impactful change.”

The Seattle Environmental Justice Fund was launched in 2018 as one of the key strategies to advancing the goals of Seattle’s Equity & Environment Agenda. Like the Equity & Environment Agenda, the Environmental Justice Fund was created with the understanding that the most effective environmental and climate solutions come from the community itself.

“Seattle’s frontline communities have been—and continue to be—disproportionately impacted by environmental and climate injustice,” said Jessica Finn Coven, Director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment. “I’m inspired the by resiliency of these communities and pleased that the City can support critical community priorities like capacity building and education with these funds.”

Project proposals were reviewed by a team of five community members, some of whom also serve on Seattle’s Environmental Justice Committee. 

“These grants are powerful levers for change,” said Victoria Santos, Co-Executive Director of Young Women Empowered (Y-WE). “We were awarded funding last year and our Y-WE Nature Connections program has engaged youth and adults in environmental justice and healthy food activities that grow community while supporting young women’s leadership. I’m very happy to see grassroots community groups continue to benefit from this vital resource.”

Proposed projects represent a wide spectrum of ideas and activities, including arts, community education, food access, green jobs, mitigation, multi-generational activities, youth leadership and more.

The organizations receiving funding and their projects are:

Black Farmers Collective – $40,000
Through this project, community members from ethnic communities in Seattle will be educated about urban (food-garden) soil contamination and engaged in finding solutions to address it. Community members’ recommendations will be used to heal the soil at Yes Farm.

Delridge Neighborhood Development Association – $25,626
This community engagement and awareness project focuses on Delridge Wetland Park. The project will include community workshops and volunteer habitat restoration events. Community engagement efforts will focus on neighborhood youth.

Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition – $40,000
Through a series of community workshops, the Coalition will teach skills in embodied art and storytelling to build resiliency and place-based preservation in the Duwamish Valley. The project aims to engage neighbors of South Park, Georgetown, Beacon Hill and White Center with a special focus on service workers, teachers, nurses, gardeners, seniors, and the Duwamish people. The project will culminate in the creation of a community archive of stories to be used for anti-displacement organizing.

El Centro de la Raza – $35,624
As part of a two-year partnership, El Centro de la Raza and the United States Environmental Protection Agency co-developed the Beacon Hill Air & Noise Pollution Community Action Plan (CAP). Funding from the Environmental Justice Fund will enable further implementation of the CAP and facilitate additional community response in addressing the ongoing negative environmental and health impacts affecting Beacon Hill residents.

InterIm CDA – $40,000
Youth from InterIm’s WILD Project will visually document the personal histories of lower-income residents and their physical and social environments within the context of social justice, community development and sustainability. The product of this work will be showcased at public venues.

Key Tech Labs – $36,625
The Farmbot Greenhouse project brings youth leaders, community members and local businesses together to build and upgrade community gardens to become automated gardens that can seed, water and weed themselves. Project activities include sessions teaching community members – with an emphasis on youth – how to build an agricultural robot, how to construct smart greenhouses and how to maintain the gardens.

Somali Family Safety Task Force – $32,125
Participants in Somali Family Safety Task Force’s Girls Guide youth development program will be educated about environmental justice issues – with a focus on asthma-related air quality issues – and trained to engage their families and elders.

To learn more about the Environmental Justice Fund, contact Ximena Fonseca-Morales, Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment, 206-386-1130.

City of Seattle and King Conservation District Announce Funding for Environmental Justice and Food Access Projects

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Seven organizations to receive a total of $483,000 through the King Conservation District-Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program

The City of Seattle and King Conservation District are proud to announce funding for projects advancing environmental justice, food access, and natural resource monitoring work around Seattle. With grants ranging from $58,844 to $75,000, seven community organizations were awarded grants for projects slated to launch in 2020. A total amount of $483,000 was awarded this year!

Since 1995, King Conservation District and the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment have worked together to fund projects supporting environmental health within our city limits. To reflect Seattle’s commitment to environmental justice, all project proposals are also required to address the goals of the Seattle Equity & Environment Agenda alongside natural resource priorities. This year, many projects awarded funding are focused on specific areas of food access in different Seattle regions. Each of the below projects is notable for taking an intersectional approach to environmental wellness and healthy food access.

Here are the seven organizations receiving funding, and a brief introduction to their proposed projects:

YouthCare: YouthGrow Garden Program

This program engages homeless youth by providing them a space to learn employment skills and earn science credits, while increasing healthy food access and building support for a more sustainable food system.

EarthCorps: Yes Farm Manager

Funding will allow EarthCorps to hire a farm manager for the Yes Farm, a community redevelopment project in Yesler Terrace, increasing food access for low-income residents and environmental career exposure for youth of color.

Rainier Beach Action Coalition: Food Justice Fellowship

A new youth leadership program, this fellowship is aimed at preparing young professionals of color to enter the Food Justice movement by providing youth leaders with professional development and leadership opportunities.

Food Empowerment Education Sustainability Team (FEEST): Youth-led Healthy Food in Seattle Schools

FEEST works to increase access to fresh local foods in Seattle Public Schools by building leadership skills in youth of color, who will learn food education and advocacy through community dinners and an intensive development program.

Duwamish Tribal Services: “Duwamish Ridge to River” Linked Trail System with Associated Water Quality Monitoring (Puget Creek)

This project will involve the development of a remediation study and mitigation strategy to clean up and improve a contaminated section of hiking trails in Puget Creek, connecting the area’s creek, wetland, and ravine systems.

InterIm Community Development Association: Youth Development Support for Environmental Justice

InterIm’s WILD Program uses experiential environmental justice education to serve Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant and refugee youth, who will develop green career and land stewardship skills by participating in activities like trail restoration, environmental advocacy, parks visits, and developing their own natural resource improvement projects.

Young Women Empowered: Y-WE Nature Connections

Y-WE is developing a healthy food initiative aimed at serving communities of color in South Seattle, providing community-focused training and supporting healthy food production, sustainability career skills, and amplifying cultural narratives.

These projects will begin development in 2020. Stay tuned for the next application round! Questions? Contact Jessica Saavedra with King Conservation District at jessica.saavedra@kingcd.org.

Seattle’s Fresh Bucks Program Finds Sweet South Park Partnership in Frutería Sandoval

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While the Trump Administration is rolling back food benefits for millions, Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program, aimed at improving access to healthy food for families with lower incomes, is tripling in the coming year, and has added its first South Park location to its list of partners. Frutería Sandoval, a family-owned business in South Park, is now accepting Fresh Bucks Vouchers, which can be used like cash to purchase fruits and vegetables at participating retailers around the Seattle area. Increasing access to healthy, affordable food while supporting the local economy was a key commitment included in the City’s Duwamish Valley Action Plan released in June 2018.

“I am extremely proud and glad that Frutería Sandoval is working with the City to help South Park residents access affordable, healthy food. In just two weeks, the response and interest from the community has been incredible! Our community members are delighted to know that they can use their Fresh Bucks vouchers at our store to buy culturally-connected food this holiday season. We are looking forward to continuing working with the City and hope future collaborations like this one take shape around Seattle.”

-Frutería Sandoval Owner, Victor Sandoval

Fresh Bucks originally operated through local farmers markets to provide fresh produce to customers with low incomes, and expanded to offer greater accessibility by partnering with grocery stores in Seattle. Since farmers market hours don’t always align with customer needs, the program added Seattle Safeway locations to its partnerships, alongside smaller neighborhood grocery stores. Frutería Sandoval, being a local grocer offering culturally relevant produce to the South Park area, was an ideal candidate for partnering with Fresh Bucks.

Frutería Sandoval is also notable for its proximity to the Villa Comunitaria, previously known as South Park Information & Resource Center, a community organization that enrolls clients to receive monthly Fresh Bucks vouchers. With this collaboration in place, Villa Comunitaria hopes to connect even more South Park residents to fresh produce accessibility. Fresh Bucks’ community partnerships will continue to grow throughout 2020; stay tuned!

“South Park needs better access to healthy and affordable food. Before Frutería Sandoval, there wasn’t any grocery store that was culturally appropriate and affordable in South Park. Having a local retailer that can accept Fresh Bucks Vouchers such as Frutería Sandoval in the neighborhood is really important and it is going to make a great impact on the lifestyle of many South Park residents, breaching the gap to access healthy and affordable food,”

Gladis Clemente, Adult Education and PR Coordinator at Villa Comunitaria

Fresh Bucks Vouchers has established a public lottery application which will be available March 2-March 31, 2020. Seattle residents can apply online or over the phone, and the application will be available in 14 languages.

For more information on Fresh Bucks, including a complete list of all participating locations, visit www.freshbuckseattle.org.

As Trump Administration Slashes Food Security Programs, Mayor Durkan Triples Seattle’s Fresh Bucks Program to Serve More Families in Need

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Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced that Fresh Bucks, the City’s healthy food program focused on getting more fruits and vegetables into the hands of families with low incomes, is tripling the number of customers enrolled in the coming year. With $2 million in funding in the 2020 budget that was approved by Council, Fresh Bucks will enroll over 6,000 Seattle residents in 2020, up from 2,000 in 2019. Customers enrolled in Fresh Bucks Vouchers receive $40 a month in benefits that can be used like cash to buy fruits and vegetables at participating retailers.

The Mayor’s decision to triple the number of people Fresh Bucks serves comes as the Trump administration issues a final rule which would result in 3.7 million fewer people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits each month, including nearly 1 million students who would lose access to free or reduced lunches. In Seattle, SNAP helps nearly 77,000 residents, or 11% of the city’s population, and SNAP helps 929,000 Washington residents, or 13% of the state population put food on their tables. In April 2020, Mayor Durkan submitted a public comment in opposition to the administration’s changes to SNAP.

“As the federal government refuses to help our most vulnerable communities, Seattle is stepping up to ensure our working families can access the healthy, affordable food they need,” said Mayor Durkan. “Food insecurity disproportionately impacts communities of color and immigrants and refugees, and the Trump administration’s work to dismantle SNAP will undoubtedly exacerbate existing inequities in our country. Tripling the size of Fresh Bucks is an important step, but ultimately, we need the federal government to abandon their arbitrary and cruel changes to SNAP, and actually help working families put food on the table.”

Read more about the announcement, and to learn more about Fresh Bucks visit www.freshbucksseattle.org.

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Abdullahi Jama

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Abdullahi Jama is a current member of the EJC with a long history of advocacy and community building, in both his South Seattle East African community and in his home country of Somalia, where he previously taught Human Rights Law at the Somali National University. Abdullahi was a member of the Community Partner Steering Committee that led to the creation of the Equity & Environment Agenda.

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?

In the past, I worked with the City Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, where I organized safe community conversations, and then I worked with other local nonprofit organizations. I jumped into the related field of environmental justice because I would like to represent the East African community here in South Seattle. I would like to help educate our youth, and encourage them to become environmental ambassadors, passing the torch on to them.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?

Environmental leadership means having a vision for what the healthy environment can be like in the future, and how to get there; that vision can then be applied to community work in a practical manner. An environmental leader must have the breadth of experience to work with a diverse group of people, and often this takes shape in the form of being a mentor, consultant, or policy advocate, to name a few, and especially in terms of EJC members.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within EJC?

I’ve been doing local advocacy work for the past 20 years, so I recognize my community’s need for environmental justice. I come from a country where environmental concerns present themselves differently; here in South Seattle, we see air pollution leading to asthma, and other health disparities associated with income levels. I see the effects of gentrification increasingly in my community, with people here being pushed out to South King County. If they can stay in this area, vulnerable populations like recent immigrants may find themselves agreeing to live in unhealthy conditions due to a lack of alternatives. What often happens is people end up in older, subpar housing that may be contaminated with mold or pests, and their possible lack of understanding their rights as renters may lead to being taken advantage of by their landlords. I see cases like this often and help people in these situations navigate City departments to find the resources they need. With a group of people who may have a harder time communicating their needs, those needs often go ignored and unmet, and in my work, I hope to change that.

Can you share a highlight from your work with the EJC in the past couple years?

We worked together to develop the Equity and Environment Agenda (EE Agenda), which gives the City an interdepartmental tool for building policy frameworks, connecting multiple groups within the city in their relationship to environmental concerns. We meet every month to come up with a plan or contributions toward the Office of Sustainability & Environment, to think about how we move forward. I’m excited that we’ve brought many other people of color into environmental work, as that has not always been the case. Last year, I was doing a lot of work here in Rainier Beach, where we’re trying to develop Rose Triangle with the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities. We can see it being a community park area in the future.

What are you looking forward to in your next year’s work outside of the EJC?

In the next year, we hope that the EJC will accomplish its EE Agenda, and that it will be implemented fully. Some benefits would include improved transportation, housing, and health conditions in our communities. That is a big part of our mission, and all are related to policy work.

This article is part of the series: “EJC Spotlight”- highlighting the backgrounds and work of current and former Environmental Justice Committee (EJC) members. Since 2017, the EJC has strived to uplift those most impacted by environmental inequities and center community needs in the City’s environmental efforts while building partnerships between community organizations and local government. This interview series is being conducted by Karen Bosshart, a UW Program on the Environment student and current intern at OSE.

Tune-Up Accelerator Program Recognized for Leadership in Energy Efficiency

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The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) recently recognized the winners of the 2019 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards.

These awards recognize individuals and teams for their outstanding collaboration, innovative solutions and significant contributions to advancing energy efficiency in the Northwest. A panel of Northwest energy and utility leaders selected the winners from more than 30 nominations submitted by the regional energy efficiency community:

The Seattle Tune-Up Accelerator Program was recognized with the Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award for Innovation. This program is a new model to help existing buildings achieve energy savings and cost-effectively meet state and city climate and energy policies. Additional local partners included the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Smart Buildings Center. 

The City of Seattle Office of Sustainability team led by Nicole Ballinger and Sandra Mallory, the Seattle City Light team led by Joe Fernandi, Ted Brown and Rose Palomo, along with technical support from the University of Washington Integrated Design Lab team led by Chris Meek, as well as The Smart Buildings Center and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, envisioned and implemented the Tune-up Accelerator program.

More information on the other award winners can be found here.

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Paulina López

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Paulina López has lived and worked in the South Seattle region for over a decade, engaging her community on the grassroots level through volunteer work in South Park, where she promotes action on local social and environmental justice issues, such as the Superfund clean-up of the Duwamish River. A key force in the Community Partners Steering Committee that created the Equity and Environment Agenda and alumni of the Environmental Justice Committee, she currently serves as the Executive Director of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?

We have a very robust youth program here, and every time I see the youth I feel motivated; we have been very late in making changes to the screwed-up world we are leaving them, but that motivates me, to make sure that at least their voices won’t be silent when it’s time to be making a decision. The time is right now for our youth to be voicing their concerns. They have a lot of wisdom and experience themselves that we can learn from, and I wish our politicians would always take the time to hear from them and make decisions based on their experiences.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?

Leadership should be represented by those who are directly impacted by environmental issues. This is everyone! I think traditionally, people have thought of the environment as this outside entity, like, “green” people trying to recycle, or “save the orcas;” but “environment” goes way beyond that, encompassing health and its social determinants. When I say that, I mean the people who have specifically been impacted by environmental injustice. Unfortunately, traditionally we haven’t seen that representation in leadership. Most nonprofits have not been representative of the communities they’re supposed to be serving, and their leadership development and structures haven’t always benefited impacted groups. Ideally, environmental leadership must represent people impacted, people of color, people who will be leaving a legacy for generations to come.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within EJC?

I think my educational background studying human rights helped me see the intersection between basic rights and the environment, like clean air and water access. Through experiencing the neighborhood where I live, the Duwamish Valley, for years we have been trying to improve our community’s living conditions, given there’s such a big disparity in health and life expectancy compared to other areas in Seattle. I prepared for environmental leadership through my own experience, and it’s brought me some good perspective. I was able to bring it to the table working with the EJC, making sure our discussions reflected back into the reality of the community, and consequently bringing EJC perspectives back into the community.

Can you share a highlight from your work with EJC in the past couple years?

It’s been a great opportunity to meet other likeminded people who are at the forefront, doing the work. What they’re doing can sometimes be exhausting, but I think I witnessed a lot of synergy among us and different organizations that are already led by people of color, and the EJC was a great way to bring these forces together and have a direct impact on policy.  Through the EJC, we’ve been able to advance the Equity and Environment Agenda, which has been the base for many of the projects that are coming through right now. When I look at that agenda, I remember the process of discussion and work that went into the product, and it can take awhile to see the results, but they are finally coming into fruition. It’s great that people are learning what it means for community to have ownership in policy decisions, and I think City programs are now understanding that. We don’t need “a seat at the table,” we need to be in the kitchen, making the menu.

What do you hope to see EJC accomplish in the next year?

I see so much potential in the EJC, and I would love for the Committee to be even more involved in the policy decision-making process. An advisory board is being put together for the Seattle Green New Deal, so I think there is a way we can fully utilize the knowledge, wisdom, and experience of our team and bring these two things together.

This article is part of the series: “EJC Spotlight”- highlighting the backgrounds and work of current and former Environmental Justice Committee members. Since 2017, the EJC has strived to uplift those most impacted by environmental inequities and center community needs in the City’s environmental efforts while building partnerships between community organizations and local government. This interview series is being conducted by Karen Bosshart, a UW Program on the Environment student and current intern at OSE.

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Debolina Banerjee

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Bringing with her an extensive background in environmentally sustainable city planning and grassroots activism, Debolina Banerjee joined the EJC committed to amplifying community voices in the fight for just, equitable development. She currently works as a Climate Policy Analyst for Puget Sound Sage, where she delivers research-based analysis of climate policies and provides support to climate justice campaigns and coalitions around Seattle.

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?

One thing my mom used to tell me is that “there are enough good people on this Earth to keep the world going,” and I hold onto that optimism. I’m also inspired by the resilience I see in the face of disaster and adversity, environmental or otherwise. There’s a quote by Mahatma Gandhi that I love: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” and I believe in living my life this way. I have seen this spirit in action among so many people in my community, especially young people. I feel very hopeful about our youth today, because if the harms of the past can be remedied, it will be by new generations; if they are prepared and motivated, which I have found to be the case, I believe they can make it happen.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?

Oftentimes we conflate leadership with someone who is the “face” of an organization, but to me that is not the only way to define leadership. I feel that in any justice-based issues—social justice, economic justice, or environmental justice—leadership looks different for different people. It’s about having the courage to question the status quo, to question whether policies in place are truly benefitting the people they’re supposed to serve. That courage can manifest itself in many ways: writing, advocacy, giving speeches. Asking these questions, of yourself first, then community and broader society, is what leadership means to me.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within EJC?

Multiple phases of my life have prepared me for this work, not just in the EJC but in climate and environmental justice overall. One of the most important aspects of environmental justice work is understanding intersectionality in social justice work, and how that plays out in the issues we see in our communities. My personal background has helped ground me in that understanding of social-justice issues. I was born and raised in India, so I grew up seeing the effects of discrimination in society due to class, caste, and the refugee crisis. My parents have been extremely supportive of my work aiding these communities, and as I grew up, I felt my academic interests steering me toward building a better society, whether it be my education in architecture and its relation to crisis housing or my work in urban planning. At the same time, the lived experience of being in a country with tremendous geopolitical and environmental challenges also informed my future trajectory.

Can you share a highlight from your work with EJC in the past couple years?

There are several projects that I feel very proud of having worked with the team on, one of which was the EJ Fund Pilot Project, so much work went into that, so it felt great to see it come together. There was our work making recommendations to the City on how to implement equity in public spaces design. I’m also proud of our work on the Drive Clean Seattle Program, keeping eyes on deliverables and who the program would benefit. It’s been great to see our efforts be considered in City decision making.

What do you hope to see EJC accomplish in the next year?

I’m very excited! This past year, we convened on a bit of an ad hoc basis; we weighed in on many issues, but the process was less formal. Now we have a wonderful program manager and program coordinator, and with the new members will come new perspectives, while we will begin the transfer of knowledge from existing members. These processes need a cycle of unlearning and relearning, and I think that inspires new growth in the Committee. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next!

This article is part of the series: “EJC Spotlight”- highlighting the backgrounds and work of current and former Environmental Justice Committee members. Since 2017, the EJC has strived to uplift those most impacted by environmental inequities and center community needs in the City’s environmental efforts while building partnerships between community organizations and local government. This interview series is being conducted by Karen Bosshart, a UW Program on the Environment student and current intern at OSE.