Community Science for Environmental Justice

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Environmental injustices affect communities globally and nationally in the US. Sometimes
people living in the affected communities may not even be aware that the issues exist or affect them. Leadership in sustainability was demonstrated by Lizette through her research and creation of a participatory science (also known as community or citizen science) activity for Climate Resolve which highlights environmental injustices faced by communities through data and community participation. Lizette researched methods of previous participatory science activities, attended trainings, and used class knowledge to develop the protocols of the activity. Lizette’s activity consisted of a one mile walk with members of the community using instruments to measure sound, air quality, and thermal and surface temperatures. The activity also included a debrief which encouraged participants to dive further into environmental issues and analyze the results of their findings. The first activity was done in September 2022 and the second activity took place October 2022. Climate Resolve will be using this participatory science activity for ongoing climate resilience work with other communities around Los Angeles County.
IMPORTANCE:
The sustainability components that were emphasized through this activity are equity and the
environment people live in. The goal of the activity was to expand the available networks of environmental data, teach communities about environmental topics and data collection, and equip communities to be their own advocates on environmental issues.
IMPACT AND REACH:
A total of 25 community members participated in both activities. Community members included adults in Boyle Heights and a youth group in Pacoima. Outcomes of the activity included increased interest around environmental topics and ongoing plans for future activities. In the activity with Promesa Boyle Heights, results showed improvements in air quality near parks and near less vehicle traffic. Lack of shade and vehicle traffic created susceptibilities for higher sound levels and warmer thermal and surface temperatures.
COLLABORATIONS:
Lizette collaborated with leaders and members of the local non-profits, Promesa Boyle Heights and Pacoima Beautiful, and was assisted by supervisors in her internship at Climate Resolve. Both non-profits mentioned are based out of environmental justice communities and their goals include increasing local green space and reducing pollution sources nearby respectively.
ROLE:
Lizette’s work in designing, piloting and refining the activity led to the creation of general templates in English and Spanish that will allow different communities to tailor the activity to their own needs. Along with customizable templates, Lizette also created training materials. Lizette went above and beyond by creating a post survey to gather feedback that could reflect learning outcomes and be shown to stakeholders interested in participating in the activity.