When I hear the word “environmentalism,” I think of the mainstream (white, male-dominated) narrative that is associated with visiting National Parks and “the great outdoors,” and signing the World Wildlife Fund's petitions to save rare species on the planet. Images from an REI commercial come to my mind, and eloquent John Muir quotes fill my ears. At the same time, I can't help but think about the fact that John Muir was actually a racist (1), and that the conservation-centered environmentalism narrative ignores the deliberate poisoning of low-income, minority communities by nearby fuel companies and other industrial facilities. I also know that the trendy thrift-shopping and mason-jar-carrying movement of sustainability today largely ignores the lifestyle that marginalized people and people of color have been practicing out of necessity for generations. The now-trendy process of fermentation to make things like craft beer and kombucha has actually been in use by humans for thousands of years (anaerobic oxidation actually predates human existence) (2). But it also has a powerful cultural significance in the culinary traditions of indigenous populations around the world, which are frequently left unacknowledged by these fashionable foodie trends.

Fortunately, we've come a long way since the Sierra Club's founding in 1892. In 2015, the Sierra Club's national board of directors voted to rename the Le Conte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite after the recent discovery and subsequent public outcry that Joseph Le Conte, a founding member of the Club, was actually a loud and proud white supremacist (3). In addition, the organization now has numerous justice-centered programs that include environmental justice, equity and inclusion, gender equity, labor and economic justice, as well as responsible trade. However, these waves of change within the mainstream environmental narrative did not just show up with the changing times; they were undoubtedly made possible by the work that grassroots organizers, womxn, and people of color have done to bring attention to the pervasive issues of environmental injustice and racism in this country.

At the level of the University of California, we've gradually come to address the need for representation and perspectives of people of color within the environmental narrative. There are ethnic studies departments, and classes offered that address environmental racism—but this curriculum is not ubiquitous, nor is it enough to address pervasive systematic inequalities of environmental injustice.  

Furthermore, UCLA does not have a student space dedicated to environmentalists of color. Through my research and network as a Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow, I have learned about the accomplishments of students at schools such as UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley that now have well-established organizations on campus dedicated to providing space for students of color to engage in conversations about environmental racism, justice, and reexamining the definition of sustainability.

I was motivated by the work being done on other campuses, and by the rich conversations I have had with UCLA peers and CNI/GFI colleagues about this issue, so I set out to create something along this thread at UCLA. Given my position as a student engagement fellow for the UC-wide Carbon Neutrality Initiative, I wanted to use my resources to re-center and reframe the conversation around sustainability within UCLA's campus community and create a platform for environmental advocacy that doesn't revolve around trendy “green” practices. 

It's now nearing the end of Winter quarter, and I am thrilled to say that I have gathered an incredible group of like-minded students over the past quarter or so that is coming together as the UCLA Environmentalists of Color Collective. Our joint mission is to promote and co-create a space for marginalized identities to unpack, discuss, and organize for diversity and inclusivity within the mainstream environmentalism movement. We are currently organizing a Climate Justice Forum, open to the entire Los Angeles community, that will be held at the end of April this year. By hosting a Climate Justice Forum, the UCLA Environmentalists of Color Collective hopes to accomplish three things:

1. Raise awareness about the contributions that people of color have made to the environmental sustainability movement,

2. Reframe the definition and values of mainstream environmentalism to be more inclusive of all underrepresented communities, and

3. Stimulate critical dialogue about environmental racism and justice issues at UCLA and beyond.

We are also creating a short documentary that will highlight the ways in which different communities practice and define environmental sustainability. The filmed interviews will be released as a short video series of “teaser trailers” for our upcoming Climate Justice Forum focused on amplifying the environmental narratives of BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) identities.

Behind the scenes: filming for the video series.

From these efforts, I hope to inspire UCLA students to form a more permanent conversation on campus surrounding these issues—be it an annual climate justice forum, a student collective, a campus resource center, or in our daily conversations and class curriculum. Our UC-wide journey to carbon neutrality must encompass the efforts and narratives of diverse communities so that we can ensure a more inclusive sustainability movement for all.

The author would like to graciously thank Valeree Catangay, UCLA CNI Fellow, for her comments, suggestions, and edits to this post. I couldn't have done it without you!

Works Cited:

(1) Purdy, J. (2015, August 13). Environmentalism's Racist History. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/environmentalisms-racist-history

(2) Cannarella, G. (2016, April 20). Behind Fermentation, a Trend Without Borders. Fine Dining Lovers. Retrieved from https://www.finedininglovers.com/stories/types-of-fermentation/

(3) Brune, M. & Mair, A. (2015). "Re: Request to Re-Name Le Conte Memorial Lodge, Yosemite National Park." The Sierra Club. Retrieved from https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/program/documents/LeConte%20Letter.pdf

Over the summer of 2017, a collaboration between SunPower and UC Riverside resulted in 9,600 new solar panels to cover the largest parking lots on campus. With the installation of these solar panels, UCR is now creating more on-site renewable energy than any other UC campus, except for UC Davis.

Image from Press Enterprise

To highlight this achievement, Ben Sommerkorn and Ella Deyett of the UCR Graduate Sustainability Network worked with UCR's Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) and School of Public Policy to hold a public panel about our campus renewable energy portfolio.  The panel featured Sean Mantucca from SunPower Corporation, Jeff Kaplan from UCR Capital Asset Strategies, and Dr. Sadrul Ula, UCR Director of Infrastructure and Energy management.  The hour-long event informed the audience of the future prospects for UCR renewable energy and the upcoming projects that aim to lower our carbon footprint. This event drew a substantial crowd of students, staff, faculty and even members of the Riverside community.

Many of UCR's sustainability initiatives are done behind the scenes, and the public (both on and off campus) is often unaware of these efforts. As a CNI fellow, it is my goal to bridge this information gap in hopes of creating a more visible culture of sustainability and carbon neutrality at UCR. The next lecture series will be held on April 19, and will feature Sustainable Agriculture with professional panelist from UCR faculty, graduate researchers, and industry personnel.

From left to right: Elizabeth Deyett, Dr. Sadrul Ula, Sean Mantucca, Jeff Kaplan, Ben Sommerkorn

Food insecurity is defined as “the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways” [1]. Food insecurity is pervasive in the United States, with almost 1/6 of U.S. households suffering from food insecurity per the USDA. For HIV-infected individuals, food insecurity is an even more important concern, with approximately half suffering from food insecurity [2]. Women may also be especially vulnerable: more women-headed households compared to male-headed households are food insecure [2]. Women may have constrained choices for partners in the context of food insecurity, which may increase susceptibility to HIV [3].

Little is known about the impact of food insecurity on HIV-infected women. The only prior national study of food insecurity in HIV-infected adults, completed within the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs, was composed of 97% men [4]. Prior longitudinal studies completed throughout North American cities were composed predominantly of men [5-9]. As a Global Food Initiative (GFI) fellow, I studied the impact of food insecurity using data from the Women's interagency HIV Study, a national longitudinal study of U.S. HIV-infected Women. We started by completing a cross-sectional analysis on initial data. In our preliminary research, food insecurity is associated with higher HIV viral loads and lower CD4 counts. This is a concerning finding: viral load and CD4 count are markers that predict HIV progression for HIV-infected individuals. Our group plans to study the effect of food insecurity over time to better understand the mechanisms through which food insecurity causes poor health outcomes in HIV-infected women.

As HIV treatment has advanced, more and more attention has focused on what has been termed the “HIV care cascade,” depicted in the bar graph below [10].

Number and percentage of HIV-infected persons engaged in selected stages of the continuum of HIV care — United States

Despite availability of effective HIV treatments, our healthcare system is still fractured at the level of linkage and retention in care and delivery of HIV treatment. Food insecurity may be one of many factors that could negatively impact retention in HIV care and overall health. There are several ways that food insecurity may affect HIV-infected women's health. HIV-infected women may not be able to visit the doctor due to prioritizing obtaining food for their families over their healthcare [11]. Food insecurity may also be a factor contributing to substance use, mental health, and physical health, as well as interfering with the ability of HIV-infected patients to access and effectively utilize HIV care [11]. We hope that by studying the mechanisms through which food insecurity may influence the health of HIV-infected patients, we can help design interventions to address food insecurity and health in HIV-infected women.

References

1. Bickel G, Nord M, et al. Guide to Measuring Household Food Security, Revised 2000. Alexandria, VA, US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. 2000.
2. Weiser SD, Yuan C, Guzman D, Frongillo EA, Riley ED, Bangsberg DR, et al. Food insecurity and HIV clinical outcomes in a longitudinal study of urban homeless and marginally housed HIV-infected individuals. AIDS. 2013;27(18):2953-8.
3. Robinson J. Transactional Sex as a Response to Risk in Western Kenya. Am Econ J Appl Econ. 2011;3(1):35-64.
4. Wang EA, McGinnis KA, Fiellin DA, Goulet JL, Bryant K, Gibert CL, et al. Food insecurity is associated with poor virologic response among HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral medications. J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26(9):1012-8.
5. Feldman MB, Alexy ER, Thomas JA, Gambone GF, Irvine MK. The Association Between Food Insufficiency and HIV Treatment Outcomes in a Longitudinal Analysis of HIV-Infected Individuals in New York City. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2015;69(3):329-37.
6. Kalichman SC, Cherry C, Amaral C, White D, Kalichman MO, Pope H, et al. Health and treatment implications of food insufficiency among people living with HIV/AIDS, Atlanta, Georgia. J Urban Health. 2010;87(4):631-41.
7. Kapulsky L, Tang AM, Forrester JE. Food insecurity, depression, and social support in HIV-infected Hispanic individuals. J Immigr Minor Health. 2015;17(2):408-13.
8. Surratt HL, O'Grady CL, Levi-Minzi MA, Kurtz SP. Medication adherence challenges among HIV positive substance abusers: the role of food and housing insecurity. AIDS Care. 2015;27(3):307-14.
9. Weiser SD, Yuan C, Guzman D, Frongillo EA, Riley ED, Bangsberg DR, et al. Food insecurity and HIV clinical outcomes in a longitudinal study of urban homeless and marginally housed HIV-infected individuals. AIDS. 2013;27(18):2953-8.
10. MMWR. December 2, 2011 / 60(47);1618-1623
11. Weiser SD, Young SL, Cohen CR, Kushel MB, Tsai AC, Tien PC, et al. Conceptual framework for understanding the bidirectional links between food insecurity and HIV/AIDS. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(6):1729S-39S.

Greetings from the UC-wide Global Food Initiative (GFI) and Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI) student fellows! Welcome to our blog, where we hope to share the amazing work of GFI and CNI fellows, past and present, undergraduate and graduate, and SoCal to NorCal.

But first, here's a little history:

Launched in 2013 by UC President Janet Napolitano, the Carbon Neutrality Initiative commits the University system to emitting net zero greenhouse gases from its buildings and vehicle fleet by 2025, something no other major university system has done. The Initiative has fostered the creation of the Global Climate Leadership Council and innovative sustainability projects on every campus, with much of the action and momentum beginning at the student level.

The following year, Napolitano launched a sister program, the Global Food Initiative. GFI is motivated by addressing one of the critical issues of our time: how to sustainably and nutritiously feed a growing population. In addition to the stellar global food security research happening across all 10 UC campuses, GFI also looks inward to address basic needs insecurity amongst UC students. You can check out all of the GFI multicampus working groups here!

Wherever you are in the UC, there's probably a GFI or CNI fellow nearby! Here's 5 ways that you can get involved in these initiatives on on your campus!

1. Attend an event, like cooking demos, zero-waste workshops, research symposia, farmer's markets, and more. There are countless GFI and CNI happenings on every UC campus!

2. Volunteer! Lots of food and climate sustainability efforts rely on the power of volunteers in the UC community. Check out your campus garden or farm for their volunteer hours, or join an organization like UCLA's Food Forward or UC Berkeley's ReUse!

   

3. Participate in a working group or committee. Multi-campus groups meet regularly to discuss issues ranging from zero-waste dining to energy efficiency to healthy vending machine options. These groups all benefit from and value student perspectives and participation.

4. Get in touch. There are students, faculty, and staff on all ten UC campuses (plus Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Agriculture & Natural Resources) involved in GFI and CNI. Browse the initiative webpages for their contact  information, or reach out to the student ambassadors from your campus.

5. Become a 2018-19 student fellow! Applications for next year's fellows will be available in April, so now is the perfect time to start planning your own GFI or CNI project and identify a project mentor on your campus. You can browse all of the current fellowship projects at:

GFI Student Involvement: 2017 Fellows

CNI Student Involvement: 2017 Fellows