With the mid-term elections just around the corner, students, staff, and faculty came together for a discussion about social justice issues surrounding the environment, and the impact that voting can have on those issues and, in turn, on society as a whole.
Hosted by Associate Professor and the C. Wright Mills Chair in Sociology sal johnston, “Breaking Badly: the dismantling of environmental regulation, the election and your future” was the first event in a three part social justice speaker series open to the campus community.
Led by johnston and Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies Rebecca Overmyer-Velasquez, the discussion focused on the importance of thinking ecologically and voting in the next election to protect and restore the environment.
The speakers talked about the effects of pollution; the legislative history of state and federal environmental protections; the dismantling of environmental protections under the Trump administration; and the importance of engaging in eco-friendly activity on a local level. Most importantly, they encouraged students to vote in November—and to vote informedly for candidates that will help build a better future for the environment.
The speaker series is inspired by the late Professor of Sociology Les Howard ’62 and his vision to shed light on social justice issues.
