MARCH 2022

In March, following the sudden and disturbing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, members of campus communities across the country are attempting to understand the causes of the crisis and the implications for the world. The through-lines between the invasion and climate change are impossible to ignore. Nations are considering how to secure the future of their energy production and advocates for renewable energy are making the case that solar and wind power can bolster national security. Divestment activists, too, are now pushing to sever ties with Russian entities, particularly in the energy sector.

In this issue of the Rachel Carson Council Campus Dispatch, you’ll find stories about the climate connections of the Ukraine invasion and how activists are responding. You’ll uncover stories of new sustainability initiatives on campuses across the country, new developments and strategies in divestment, and how the growing success of campus divestment advocates has drawn attacks from the likes of right-wing oil billionaire Charles Koch.

Our March issue also offers opportunities to connect further with the RCC. We are currently accepting applications for the Rachel Carson Council Fellowship Program and have announced two new full-time job openings ideal for starting an environmental career. Look for details in this issue, along with highlights from our current 2021-2022 RCC Fellows, the latest Bob Musil review of a surprising book about 1950s radical activists that includes Rachel Carson, resources you can use in or out of the classroom, and more.

Divestment campaigns continue to build momentum on campuses across the country. Activists are calling on institutions to sever ties with Russian companies, particularly those focused on fossil fuels. Elsewhere, organizers at five major universities are employing a novel legal strategy to compel their universities to divest.

Living Without Nature: Interviews from Chicago’s South and West Sides

(First in a series)

It wasn’t until college that I learned about Nature Deficit Disorder. It’s not a medical condition, but more a syndrome from the withdrawal of nature. It suggests that there is a correlation between a lack of greenery and obesity, attention difficulties, and emotional and physical illnesses. This is especially prevalent in lower-income communities, which typically do not have access to the same forms of natural resources like parks or woods as wealthier ones. Take where I grew up.

The south and west sides are predominantly black and brown areas (African-American and Mexican-American) of Chicago. I grew up between these areas where, instead of green space, there are abandoned buildings and lots, riddled with weeds and trash. It’s not the type of place to go and contemplate nature. Even if there were some natural area, say a park, it is not often utilized. Growing up, I was lucky to live near a playground, but my mother never let me visit it because it was known that gang members congregated there. Such restrictions like this were common where I grew up in Little Village; sometimes, I wasn’t allowed at certain ends of the block because of the danger. It wasn’t as if my parents could simply take us to a safer area either; they both worked 12-hour days, coming home tired with little time or money to spare for family trips. So, how is anyone in this environment meant to get some time in green spaces? And is there even awareness that a lack of natural areas is a potential health hazard? Read more

Climate Change is Not a Problem

My family cares about the climate problem. We buy local vegetables and try to keep lights off whenever they are not needed. Recently, I was speaking with someone about climate change and expressing my frustrations over inaction, and this was their first response. I was left a bit unsettled to learn that they believed by doing small actions like these, our environmental issues would be solved. If only more people recycled. If only more people had solar.

Climate change is not a climate problem. To be more accurate, one could say climate change is not “the problem”, but rather “a symptom” of a much larger issue that must be addressed if we are to change the ultimate course of the disease. There is no doubt — addressing the root cause will require changes in our ways of living, but at a level switching to solar or eating local will not achieve. While many of us probably believe that climate change and mitigation are more nuanced, my friend’s views are still widely held. For instance, more people favor individual, consumer-based environmental action over actions that require larger social change. This is no surprise — we have a considerable issue in the way we frame, or talk about, climate change and mitigation. When I search “climate change solutions” on my browser, the first result is the United Nations Act Now ten “impactful” actions. The top three include reducing energy consumption in the home, walking and biking, and eating more vegetables. The only one that remotely hinted to collective action was “Speak up”, which came last, right behind “Choose Eco-friendly Products”. Read more

Where Does the Power of Fossil Fuels Come From?

Although the United Nations Climate Change Conference of 2021 (COP 26) ended in November 2021, it is still critical to address the troubling demonstration of power that the fossil fuel industry has in dictating the future of our species on this planet both at international negotiations and at home.

At COP 26, there were 503 lobbyists representing around 100 oil, gas, and coal companies, including Shell and BP – a delegation even larger than any country. Even more disturbing is that fossil fuel delegates outnumbered the combined representatives of the eight countries and territories most affected by the climate crisis (Myanmar, Haiti, the Philippines, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Puerto Rico, and Pakistan). At COP26, participating nations agreed to the “phase-down” fossil fuel usage and subsidies, but even that conclusion resulted in prolonged debate. While this agreement may be a good first step, many analysts argue that COP26 did not go far enough. Given the overwhelming number of fossil fuel representatives roaming the corridors, it should come as no surprise that it would be awfully difficult to reach a more effective outcome for climate justice. It is easy to be outraged at the huge representation and power the fossil fuel industry has at treaty negotiations, but we need to acknowledge its influence close to home. Even my own campus, the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, supports the power of the fossil fuel industry through its endowment investments. Read more

RCC Fellow Gabriela Duncan is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies: Environmental Justice with a minor in Geography.

BOOK REVIEW

Was the Fifties All “I Love Lucy”?

James R. Gaines, The Fifties: An Underground History (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2022)

The Fifties is a riveting, wonderfully written book about brave and bold progressive movements and leaders at the height of the Cold War and McCarthyism. It can and should change your view of recent American history, how social change happens, how culture shifts. It is a cliché that the great reform movements of our time began in the Sixties, often with dramatic moments captured on camera – dogs and fire hoses in Birmingham, John Lewis beaten on the Pettus Bridge. For the environment, Rachel Carson testifying to Congress, the huge demonstrations of Earth Day.

The 1950s are seen as an era of conformity and compliance, with little to signal our forthcoming tumultuous social movements. James Gaines’ book properly puts such “Father Knows Best” and “Ozzie and Harriet” notions quickly to bed. The Fifties opens with its most powerful and harrowing chapter, “Gay Rights.” It describes just how awful things were for homosexuals while I was watching “I Love Lucy” and how brave, almost reckless, the founder of the gay rights Mattachine Society, Harry Hay, was in 1950. His call to create a gay rights group that became the Mattachine Society went forth as the Korean War broke out and Joe McCarthy launched what turned out to be a crusade against homosexuals, as well as supposed communists. When State Department officials were grilled before the Senate subcommittee formed following McCarthy’s “revelations,” it was determined that 90 of 91 persons discharged from State as security risks were homosexuals. The New York Times put it less subtly: “PERVERTS CALLED GOVERNMENT PERIL: GOP CHIEF SAYS THEY ARE AS DANGEROUS AS REDS.” Read more

Advancing Sustainable Solutions

Learn how to make lives better and more sustainable—and have some fun along the way!

Explore our monthly online U-M-student-developed games, which range in format and difficulty. At the beginning of each month from now until Earth Day in April 2022, we’ll release new games that test your skills and knowledge of sustainability issues. Read more

New Report Provides Insight on
Consumer Food Spending, Satisfaction, Sustainability

The Consumer Food Insights Report, a new monthly report identifying trends and changes in consumer food purchases and preferences, has been released.

The survey-based report out of  Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability assesses food security and spending, consumer satisfaction and values, support of agricultural and food policies and trust in information sources.

Purdue experts conducted and evaluated the first survey, which included 1,200 consumers across the U.S., in January.

Key results include:

• 25% of respondents were unable to find a specific food product at the grocery store.
• 32% of respondents are waiting for their next paycheck to buy groceries.
• 16% of respondents face food insecurity.
• 51% of respondents blame COVID-related shutdowns for the rise in meat prices.
• A Sustainable Food Purchasing (SFP) Index of 67/100.

“We are taking the pulse of consumers to help guide farmers and retailers along the food supply chain as we all adapt to changing circumstances,” said Jayson Lusk, the head and Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics at Purdue, who leads the center. “Consumers significantly influence the direction of food and agricultural systems, and we need a timely way to track trends in what people are buying and eating, and how this is affected by events like inflation, climate change and COVID-19.” Read more