Addressing energy-related environmental injustice
Teams of three students will conduct background reading on environmental justice and energy technologies. They will use this knowledge to identify a specific example of energy-related environmental injustice and possible solutions. Their analysis will be targeted toward a particular audience ranging from their local university officials to federal and international institutions.
Context for Use
Description and Teaching Materials
Read articles from the series "Unwelcome neighbors: How the poor bear the burdens of America's pollution" from New Orleans Times-Picayune and "Drilling down" from the New York Times.
Each three-person team is going to produce two things during the clas period. They will be emailed to the professor at the end of class, and some groups will be asked to present their elevator speech.
1. A one-page, single-spaced memo to the entity selected below.
2. A 45-second "elevator speech" with highlights from your memo.
Entity to be addressed (choose one of the following)
1. President Barack Obama
2. Governor Andrew Cuomo
3. Secretary Steven Chu, Dept. of Energy
4. Administrator Lisa Jackson, EPA
5. UNEP Director Achim Steiner
6. University President
7. A journalist from the local paper
8. The freshmen class, at orientation
9. The senior class, at graduation
10. An exchange student from (country of your choice)
11. Your parents (generically)
12. A typical fifth-grader
Issues to address:
1. A definition of environmental justice.
2. One or two examples of energy-related environmental injustice in the community influenced by your audience. In other words, if your focus is someone at our university, then the issue should be within the greater Rochester community; if you are choosing someone from the federal government, it can be an issue occurring anywhere within the United States.
3. A proposed solution for reversing or ameliorating the injustice.
4. Anticipated challenges in implementing the solution.
Teaching Notes and Tips
- Response to #1: clearly stated, demonstrates understanding, 5 pts
- Response to #2: thoughtful, demonstrates understanding, 5 pts
o Quality of discussion (everyone participating, staying on topic), 5 pts
o Practical ideas for addressing justice challenges, 10 pts
- Overall flow and mechanical quality 5 pts
- Elevator speech 5 pts