The Joy Report - Intersectional Environmentalist Intersectional Environmentalist

How exactly do PFAs impact people + planet? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAs for short, are harmful forever chemicals found in consumer, commercial, and industrial products. In this episode, we’ll explore what PFAs are + what scientists, environmentalists + retailers are doing to remove them from our environment. And we’ll learn from Maine Farmland Trust - a nonprofit supporting Maine farms impacted by PFAS and advocating for agricultural policy & research to address the PFAS challenge nationwide.

Welcome back to the Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. In this upcoming season, we’ll be exploring a wide range of topics— from conscious consumption and microplastics to funding for climate justice— while featuring success stories that can help us turn our feelings of climate doom and despair into climate optimism.

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing books and the ongoing fight for truth and inclusion in education, publishing, and storytelling.



























 


Episode Transcript“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. The goal of this podcast is to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”
Episode Agenda:
In this special episode, we’re talking all about books and the ongoing fight for truth and inclusion in education, publishing, and storytelling.
Topic Background Info
Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov once said, “any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” So why have more than two thousand five hundred book bans been enacted from July 2021 to June 2022 in 138 school districts throughout 32 states? During this short timeframe more than sixteen hundred titles have been removed from school libraries and one clear theme and rationale has arisen: these books are predominantly written by and about the lives and experiences of diverse, but particularly historically marginalized, people. In fact, 4 out of 10 banned books analyzed by PEN America had LGBTQ+ characters or themes, and 4 out of 10 had protagonists or characters of color.
Unfortunately, this wave of limiting students’ ability to think critically, freely, and with a heart open to difference is not new. Book banning is the most widespread form of censorship in the United States, and the practice began in the 17th century.
Children’s literature is often the primary target of censorship, prompted by the fear that young people’s impressionable minds will be improperly influenced by a book’s contents. Today, many people opposing book bans believe that teaching a more inclusive history actually harms students.
Lately, much of the controversy has centered on a framework called Critical Race Theory, coined by the prolific legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, who also coined and popularized the term Intersectionality. Critical Race Theory has been used as a catch-all for wokeness, political correctness, and leftist-indoctrination. Some other prominent reasons for challenges and bans across the country include non-traditional values, LGBTQIA+ content, indoctrinating kids, anti-police sentiments, promoting a homosexual lifestyle, white privilege, and more.
So how does book banning actually work? Generally, a book must be challenged before it is considered for banning. The initiator of the challenge must read the whole book, fill out a challenge form and explain why, how, and where in the book the offensive material takes place, and finally present a case in a hearing. From there a decision will be made on what action should be taken, with options ranging from complete removal from the library, thus completely restricting access from students, or diminished access to a book through relocation of the book to a different section of the library or the requirement of a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian before a student can check a book out from the library.
However, many book challenges come from individuals who have never actually read the books they want to be removed. Often excerpts from these texts are taken out of context to villainize the authors who wrote them and the teachers and librarians w

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing ecosystem restoration and its importance in protecting and providing for people + balancing the earth’s natural resource cycles. Centuries of irresponsible human actions have caused massive-scale environmental degradation and biodiversity loss that is contributing to current environmental harm experienced by people and the planet. Ecosystem restoration work not only has the power to protect people and preserve our planet, but it has the potential to mend cultural and historical relationships with nature.
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guayaki Yerba Mate.



























 


Episode Transcript“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”
Episode AgendaIn this episode, we’re discussing ecosystem restoration and it’s role in protecting and providing for people and planet.
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guayaki Yerba Mate – yes the one in the yellow can & bottle! Guayaki is more than just a yerba mate brand - they're focused on personal, social, ecological and cultural regeneration through their commitment to regenerative practices, such as partnerships with Indigenous South American communities to grow yerba mate and steward rainforests. Yerba mate is a naturally caffeinated drink that comes in a variety of formats from loose leaf to cans to bottles. Guayaki’s mate is all organic, non-GMO and sure to make you come to life with all the goodness packed inside. Visit their website linked in this episode's show notes to learn more and find it near you.
Topic Background InfoThere has never been a more crucial time to restore our ecosystems. Centuries of irresponsible human actions have caused massive-scale environmental degradation and biodiversity loss that is contributing to current environmental harm experienced by people and the planet. We are seeing this first hand all over the world, and those who have contributed least to the degradation— namely BIPOC, low-income, and other marginalized communities— are experiencing the impacts first and worst.
Ecologists in the early 20th century believed that ecological harm could be reversed if harmful practices ended. However, by the 1960s, ecologists were beginning to write about the idea that an ecosystem can be so damaged that it loses the ability to repair itself. Decades later, the news and IPCC reports are making it very clear that we are very close to reaching that point, and with recent discoveries that rainwater is now unsafe to drink due to forever chemicals like PFAS, some might argue that we’re already there. That’s why we must prioritize the preservation and restoration of ecosystems that have been destroyed and can no longer regenerate themselves.
So what is ecosystem restoration?
Ecosystem restoration is the act of giving nature the ability to replenish the Earth. Our planet has the ability to heal itself and restore balance through the water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles which distribute and balance essential nutrients to all living organisms. These complex, yet perfectly working cycles create the well-balanced ecosystems we live and thrive in. Native pla

On this episode of The Joy Report, we’re discussing what energy justice is + why energy ownership must be re-imagined to overcome the current priority of profit over maintenance, affordability, and human health. A true just transition will create opportunities for people who have been excluded from the start of the renewable energy movement to become recipients of intentional investments, benefactors of job training in the renewable energy sector, and key thought leaders in this space.



























 


Episode Transcript“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”
Episode AgendaIn this episode, we’re discussing energy justice + working towards more decentralized energy systems.
Topic BackgroundIt shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that our current energy system is in need of a major overhaul. Our current, fossil fuel-dependent grid is owned by a small sliver of the population who have prioritized profit over people, and caused significant harm to people and the planet. But before we dive into this concept, let’s take a step back and explain what the grid is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fwh86X-G04 [1:28-2:07]
To sum it up, electric system, which includes electricity generation, transmission, and distribution, is owned by a mix of entities, including private, public, and government. Currently, about 72% of U.S. electricity customers get their energy from less than 200 companies. About 3/4 of utility consumers get their electricity from investor-owned utilities. This ownership model issues stocks owned by shareholders, and accounts for nearly 40% of energy generation, 80% of transmission, and 50% of the distribution. Unsurprisingly energy disparities arise since investor-owned utilities are always looking for opportunities to increase profits.
The current grid creates inequities in the amount people pay for their electricity, who can access cleaner, more renewable energy sources, and who experiences the health risks associated with garnering electricity from fossil fuels. The environmental impacts of electricity generation, extraction, production, and transportation can contribute to large-scale regional environmental concerns, as well as localized concerns that affect the area directly surrounding the source.
Disparities within the current grid give rise to sacrifice zones, which are areas where a small segment of the population disproportionately bears the burden of living near an industry. Although everyone benefits from these industries, mostly low-income and BIPOC communities experience the environmental consequences
One example is the 85-mile corridor in Louisiana called Cancer Alley, where nearly 150 refineries, plastic plants, and chemical facilities heavily pollute the air and harm those who live there. In fact, yet another plastic factory that is set to be built in Cancer Alley which will discharge toxic chemicals into the already heavily polluted air and water. This is part of the fossil fuel industry’s push to turn an oversupply of fracked natural gas into more plastic, causing further harm to the people living in this area and the planet.
In the energy context, as Michele Morrone and Geoffery L. Buck

This episode covers regenerative agriculture through an intersectional lens. While many agricultural practices have had detrimental impacts on the land, especially coupled with the impacts of climate change, there ARE practices that support a more beneficial way to grow food, repair soil, and restore landscapes.
Regenerative agriculture covers a variety of practices— from agroforestry to ecological grazing, permaculture, and others— but the main function is to replicate how natural ecosystems work.



























 


Episode Transcript“Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in to hear updates on all things climate, social, and environmental justice explained in a succinct and accessible way by me, Arielle King, an environmental justice advocate and attorney passionate about environmental education. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.”
Episode AgendaIn this episode, we’re exploring regenerative agriculture: what it means, where it comes from, and what its role in decolonizing agricultural systems is.
Topic Background InfoNature has the ability to heal itself if we let it. While many agricultural practices past and present have had detrimental impacts on the land, especially coupled with the impacts of climate change, like droughts and excessive heat, there are practices that support a more beneficial way to grow food and sustain landscapes. Regenerative agriculture covers a variety of practices— from agroforestry to ecological grazing, permaculture, and others— but the main function is to regenerate how the landscape works.
Regenerative agriculture consists of practices and systems that nurture the land and the people who work on it. This holistic land-stewarding practice helps increase soil quality and biodiversity in farmland while producing nourishing products. Doing so avoids harm from pesticides and exploitative techniques to the landscape and those working on it.
Dr. Lauren Baker of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food explains that, “to address accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, rising food insecurity and growing inequality we need to repair the relationship between people and nature. Agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways are a direct response and counterpoint to the dominant, industrial food system. The industrial food system, defined by chemicals, concentrated livestock, monoculture, and ultra-processed foods, comes with a cost we can no longer afford.”
Historically, food has been used as a way to colonize the body, mind, and physical landscape. As such, while there is no single way to be a responsible and conscious consumer, there are ways we can all work to disrupt systems that cause and perpetuate harm to people and planet. The food system is a powerful place to start.
When we have the option to do so, we should all be striving to support groups and engage in practices that care for people and the planet. Fortunately, we are witnessing an emergence of mutually beneficial agricultural practices that are deeply connected to decolonization in the mainstream agricultural system that are helping create indigenous sovereignty, and preserve our planet. Traditional, pre-colonial food systems were sustainable and regenerative. Indigenous communities worldwide have been farming regeneratively for millennia, and we’re continuing to learn and benefit from those practices.
But as Robin Wall Kimmerer explains in her book Br