PBHA Hosts Environmental Justice Events

Throughout the University’s weeklong sustainability celebration, the Phillip Brooks House Association sought to bring global environmental problems down to the local level, with a series of events focused on environmental justice.

The sustainability celebration coincided with PBHA’s decision to give keynote speaker Al Gore ’69 the “Robert Coles Call of Service” award and continued with panels and speeches over the weekend.

James S. Hoyte ’65, professor of environmental science and public policy and assistant to University President Drew G. Faust, traced the history of environmental justice in a lecture last Saturday for a group of PBHA alumni and students.

Hoyte said it was essential for the mainstream environmental movement, which traditionally focused on conservation in rural and suburban areas, to connect with low-income, minority, and urban communities, which are often the most affected by environmental issues such as pollution, fuel costs, and hazardous waste disposal.

“If you’re going to have a real culture of environmentalism and sustainability, it needs to be made relevant to all communities,” Hoyte said.

That was the sentiment echoed at a panel Thursday night in Kirkland House, where activists from the Boston area spoke on how their organizations are drawing connections to environmentalism. Aaron K. Tanaka ’04, who works with a group called the Boston Workers’ Association, described his organization’s efforts to give unemployed workers training in “green” jobs, such as weatherizing houses and installing solar panels.

Tanaka and John Bolduc, an environmental planner for the city, outlined projects like the Cambridge Energy Alliance, which gives loans to low-income homeowners to help them make their houses more energy efficient, as well as “green leases,” which provide incentives for landlords who would otherwise pass on higher energy costs to their tenants.

The panelists also stressed the importance of community involvement and self-determination. Doug M. Brugge, a professor of public health at Tufts, shared stories of community organizing in Boston’s Chinatown, where residents have long battled the city over the impact of transportation projects like the Mass Pike and the Big Dig.

“The public transportation developments in Chinatown seem great from a global climate change perspective, a greenhouse gas perspective,” said Brugge, who has received three degrees from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “But they created major consequences for the low-income, minority communities in the area. They had no voice in the process.”

L. Gracie Brown ’11 said that while her interest in environmentalism drew her to the events, the connection to social issues was rewarding.

“It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the global picture and forget that the effects are local,” she said.

But Gene A. Corbin, PBHA’s executive director and a graduate of the Kennedy School, expressed disappointment at the low turnout for the events, which also included a panel on career opportunities in environmental justice.

“Thousands of people show up to hear Al Gore, but then only 25 or 30 show up to hear what they can do to actually get involved,” he said. “It’s frustrating.”

—Staff writer Cora K. Currier can be reached at ccurrier@fas.harvard.edu.