"Can a Green University Serve Underrepresented Students?" - A Talk at Humboldt State

In November 2015, I gave a talk at Humboldt State University called "Can a Green University Serve Underrepresented Students? Reconciling Sustainability and Diversity at HSU," based on my observations of the institution in the three years I had been working there as a professor and program leader of the Environmental Studies bachelors of arts degree.

HSU is notoriously "green"-- it has an incredible sustainability profile, and students come here precisely for its proximity to beautiful nature, the redwoods, the gorgeous beaches and surfing, the cleanest air, and the isolation.  Meanwhile, HSU struggles to retain, much less serve and help to thrive, the increasingly diverse student body also attracted to HSU's outdoorsy and green appeal.  In this talk, I argue that because traditional environmental values are invested in privilege and whiteness, the institution has the opportunity to redefine its green identity in more social-justice and intersectional ways to reflect the environmental interests and values of its changing student body.

The Humboldt Journal of Social Relations published the talk in a fabulous issue on Social Justice and Diversity, which you can find here.

Watch the talk here.

The talk was part of HSU's Sustainable Future Speaker Series, sponsored by HSU's Environment and Community Master's program and the Schatz Energy Lab.