Sara ‘Perl’ Egendorf, PhD
Movements for Environmental Justice (EJ) have been calling attention to the disproportionate burdens of toxicant exposure borne by people of color and people from low-income backgrounds for decades. These efforts are increasingly being celebrated, including within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. In this talk, Dr. Egendorf will begin by addressing some issues in STEM and other academic disciplines, namely 1) the ways in which EJ is referred to without recognizing environmental racism, a result of structural issues of racial capitalism and settler colonialism, and 2) inadequate conceptions of justice that rely on finding intent to cause harm and imposing punitive measures, yet do not address the underlying systemic issues at play. How, then, can researchers engage with structural issues pertaining to environmental injustices? Dr. Egendorf will share a framework for understanding existing systems and experimenting with systemic changes, illustrated by the case of soil lead (Pb) – a widespread yet underrecognized EJ issue. After tracing systemic interactions and interventions between people and soil Pb at micro-, meso-, and macro- scales, she will conclude with examples of applied experiments being co-created with researchers and impacted communities to further environmental and climate justice.
The NSS lecture series is made possible by generous contributions from Con Edison.