Atypical Ep #1: Racial Justice Statement, Favorite Sustainability Articles, Listener Voicemails

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Racial Justice Statement

The killing of George Floyd and the protests across the United States have shined a light on a system that continues to explicitly and implicitly disadvantage people of color. The world is demanding change. Jay and I have been doing a lot of thinking since the onset of these events. We’ve been thinking about how we grew up, who we associate with and listen to, how we’ve run this podcast over the last four years, and, crucially, how we’ve benefited from this system. The reality is that we’re part of the problem, because while we may not consciously take actions against people of color, we also have not been conscious of the racist system we are operating in, nor have we taken action against it. Exhibit A of that is that if you look back at our 51 episodes, not one has been with a black person. Frankly, our lack of self-awareness and anti-racism is embarrassing.

So how did we get to this point? We think, as is likely with many white people, we simply didn’t think about the issues of race that much. The people we associate with, the people we see on TV, the people running our government are mostly all white. And the prevailing, often unspoken thinking was, as long as we don’t act like or amplify the voices of white supremacists who say black people are inferior, then we’re good. But we’re not good. We need to be aware of and actively fight against the segregation in our cities that leads to people like us growing up with few people of color in our schools, fight against popular entertainment that perpetuates racial stereotypes, and fight against the institutions that do not take active steps to have their leadership reflect the rich tapestry of our nation.

It’s increasingly obvious that social justice and environmental justice are inextricably linked. Jay and I recently read an article in The Washington Post by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson entitled “I’m a Black Climate Expert. Racism Derails Our Efforts To Save The Planet.” She explains that racism, injustice, and police brutality are also pernicious because of the brain power and creative hours that they steal from black people. She wanted to be writing her policy memo to members of Congress on accelerating offshore wind energy development in U.S. waters, the introduction to her book on climate solutions, and other sustainability projects… but instead she feels compelled to write this article. She says, “I think of one black friend of mine who wanted to be an astronomer, but gave up that dream because organizing for social justice was more pressing. Consider the discoveries not made, the books not written, the ecosystems not protected, the art not created, the gardens not tended.” She makes a good point. Jay and I have not had our brain power taken up too much with the issues of race. It’s probably part of how we were able to start this podcast and also how we would say “we really need to have a black person on the show,” but then have our minds wander to other efforts.

So what are we going to do about it? Most immediately, a couple of things. One is that on our website we have put a bunch of articles on environmental racism, the intersection of climate change and racism, environmental justice, and other areas where sustainability and racism intersect. We are reading these articles in preparation for an October episode that will focus on racism and sustainability. During that episode, we will discuss several organizations working on this issue and any advertising dollars that we receive for that October episode will be distributed among those organizations. We are also going to be more thoughtful about who we bring on to the show for interviews. We want engaging, informed guests, but also ones that reflect diverse perspectives, especially those that do not typically have the opportunity to come on a show like this. Beyond interviewee selection, we also need to be mindful of the outlines we create for the interviews themselves. We need to recognize that the conversations we outline are the products of two white men with similar backgrounds and ensure that we don’t miss important elements that may not occur to us immediately.

The same goes for our intro notes. Sometimes this may involve Jay and I taking the time to reflect on if we’re missing anything or seeing if there are any articles we can read with different perspectives to inform our substance. Other times it may involve asking someone from a different background to read over our planned content or to give us their opinion on a topic. Up to this point, Sustainability Defined has been a labor of love for two white, privileged men who didn’t think nearly enough about ensuring diversity in the content or the interviewees. We promise to be better in our approach to try to offset the inherent deficiencies that come with two hosts of a similar background.

How can you help? Tell us when we have failed to live up to these ideals. We recently had a listener email us to say I loved your career episode, but what if the person listening is from a disadvantaged background and can’t do the kind of in-person networking you mention? And what if the person is a minority; what should they be aware of as they go about trying to find a career in sustainability? Those questions hadn’t crossed our minds. We admittedly gave our best advice from our personal experience, which is one of many resources, and one of being in the majority, both in U.S. society and this profession. We’ve gone back and added resources related to these questions to our website page for the careers in sustainability episode. Feedback like this is incredibly helpful. You can also send us topics we should cover, people we should interview, or articles we can read that will open us and our listeners up to needed, underrepresented perspectives. As always, you can reach us at hosts@sustainabilitydefined.com with these points and any other suggestions or feedback.

Our plan is to keep listening and reading, to be more conscious of how we run our podcast and of the broader system in which we operate, and to act so our podcast, and honestly our lives more generally, reflect and advance a more diverse, aware understanding. We hope you’ll stick with us. We want your help and want to grow along with you. Thanks for listening.

Jay’s Favorite Sustainability Articles

“6 takeaways from the House Democrats' climate blueprint” Axios. June 30, 2020.

• Democrats in the US House of Representatives unveiled a 547-page document that details their overarching climate agenda with direct ties to racial justice.The Axios article does a good job of distilling the body of the document into something you can actually read in a few minutes. We encourage you to read the full article, but our two favorite takeaways are:

  • Emphasizing the nexus between pollution and racial inequalities

  • Highlighting climate-friendly energy investments as a part of the response to the coronavirus economic fallout

• For those of you bookworms who want to read the full report from the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, check out climatecrisis.house.gov.

“Is sustainability undergoing a pandemic pause?” GreenBiz. June 1, 2020.

• Joel Makower, the mustache-adorned Chairman of GreenBiz (and SD guest on episode 30) investigates whether or not the sustainability field has been able to withstand the economic volatility during the coronavirus. The short answer: despite many headlines suggesting the contrary, sustainability is actually “alive and well”. 

• As Joel describes, “For the first time, corporate sustainability professionals are on the bus instead of being thrown under it.” Which is to say that sustainability has become so ingrained in company strategy and operations that it’s not going anywhere. 

• He goes on to highlight some of his favorite headlines from major companies over the past two months to drive this point home. Here are our favorites:

  • Microsoft committed to protect more land than it operates on globally by 2025

  • Citigroup to halt all financing for thermal coal mining by 2030

  • Google to stop making AI tools for oil and gas extraction

• And lastly, Joel summarizes the five reasons why sustainability is still going strong within the private sector amid this terrifying time. We won’t spoil it for you here - give the article a read!

And next, not articles, but some videos for you. Remember how awesome it was to get to watch videos in class or for homework? Well, you’re welcome. Well, these tie back to the beginning of this episode on racial justice.

• First, if you didn’t catch Trevor Noah’s unscripted breakdown of the killing of George Floyd, the protests in Minneapolis, the dominos of racial injustice and police brutality, and how the contract between society and black Americans has been broken time and time again, definitely give the video a watch. As we discussed at the top of the show, sustainability and racial justice are inextricably linked. Trevor has an amazing way of connecting the dots that many of us (myself included) have missed. Find it on the Daily Show’s YouTube and Instagram Channels from May 29, 2020.

• On a similar note, I highly recommend Emmanuel Acho’s new web series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. It’s exactly what it sounds like - a much needed series of intentionally awkward dialogues to lay bare the racist foundations that our society is based upon. One of my favorite episodes involved Matthew McConaughey asking Emmanuel thought-provoking questions without Matthew feeling the need to respond at length. Oftentimes Matthew simply says “heard” in response to Emmanuel, acknowledging and simply listening to Emmanuel’s answers that are so crucial for us to hear. Find it on YouTube or Instagram (and probably elsewhere around social media) - search Emmanuel Acho or simply Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.

Scott’s Favorite Sustainability Articles

“Michigan dam disaster an example of what could happen in other communities.” Washington Post. May 22, 2020. In Midland, Michigan, 11,000 residents had to evacuate when a dam broke. Lots of property damage. This is the latest dam break in a series that is likely to continue given the state of dams in the U.S. and as we see more extreme weather events due to climate change. 

• The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gives the U.S.'s 95,000 dams a D. Their average age is 56. These old dams were designed to generate energy but now are past their life spans and were not built to withstand the intensity of today's rain events. There are 2,000 dams designated as "high hazard" because of the potential for their failure to result in loss of life.

• Here’s a wrinkle. 75% of dams in the U.S. are privately owned. If these dams lose their federal licensing, there is no power revenue and no clear mechanism to pay for needed repairs.

• So what can we do? American Rivers says about 1,700 dams have been removed because they are no longer useful and to help with habitat restoration.  But that’s a fraction of the 95,000 total. FEMA has given $10 million over the past two years to help U.S. states with dam removal, which is a fraction of the billions needed for repairs and removal.

• Not covered in this Washington Post article but important to note is that dams have been disastrous for many indigenous peoples. Worldwide, reservoirs created by dams are estimated to have a combined storage capacity of 10,000 cubic kilometers, equal to five times the volume of water in all the rivers in the world. More than 400,000 square kilometers -- an area equivalent to the size of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and Pennsylvania -- have been inundated by reservoirs worldwide. This is a lot of former land now covered with water and it also disrupts fisheries and other ecosystem services that people had depended on for hundreds of years. A conservative estimate of the number of people displaced by dams in the past fifty years is 50-60 million people, the vast majority of whom have been poor and politically powerless.

“Wipe out.” 99% Invisible. April 7, 2020. 70% of the world doesn't use toilet paper and yet Americans use 28 pounds (141 rolls) of TP a year per person, which is why Americans are 4% of global population and account for 20% of TP consumption.

• Toilet paper is a relatively new thing. For most of human existence, people used other items--rocks, shells, moss, and, water. The Romans had a sponge on a stick that sat in a pail of water within the communal bathrooms. The earliest recording of paper for cleaning your rear is about 500 or so. It didn’t really take off for use with a toilet until the later part of the 19th century. 

• Sadly, TP is often sourced in non-sustainable ways. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published a report last year titled “Issue with Tissue” showing leading brands incorporate no recycled content and often rely on ancient trees from Canada's boreal forest.

“New Jersey To Teach Climate Change to Its 1.4 Million Students.” Our Daily Planet. June 9, 2020. If you can believe it, New Jersey is the first state to incorporate climate change in its K-12 curriculum.

• This is largely thanks to a push from New Jersey’s first lady Tammy Murphy. The hope is that other states will follow. 

• Last year, a NPR/Ipsos poll found 80% of parents think climate change should be taught in the classroom but many teachers don't have the resources to teach it and/or are afraid to tackle a (sadly) politically sensitive subject.

• Hopefully this curriculum in New Jersey includes discussing not only the cause of climate change but its potential effects, as well as how those effects are expected to disproportionately affect people of color.

“Dumped milk, smashed eggs, plowed vegetables: food waste of the pandemic.” The New York Times. April 11, 2020. With the coronavirus upending what and where we buy our food, the result has been a significant amount of food loss at the farm level.

• When this article was written in April, one Idaho farmer was burying a million pounds of onions, a single chicken processor was smashing 750,000 unhatched eggs each week, and the Dairy Farmers of America, the nation’s largest dairy cooperative, said farmers were dumping 3.7 million gallons of milk each day.

• Why the waste? There were only so many volunteers to pick up the harvest from farms to donate it, there’s only so much fridge space available, and many farms are equipped to serve commercial outlets and not package their product for sale at the consumer retail level. 

• This is particularly distressing as people lose their jobs and need food. We hear of long lines at food pantries.

• What’s happened lately? USDA has made several billion dollars available to pay for this surplus product and get it to those in need. Grassroots efforts like FarmLink have popped up to pay for excess product and then get it to food banks that can distribute it.