Sustainability and Equity

What is sustainability?

The Oxford dictionary defines sustainability as “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.” From the UN World Commission on Environment and Development’s perspective, sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. Other definitions get at the heart of the same idea: there are finite resources and there needs to be practices that promise stability and well-being for future generations, especially regarding the environment.

Central Sustainability (CS) believes sustainability means striving for and building a better, more equitable world - starting at Central Michigan University and its surrounding communities. Sustainability should be a tool for tackling global issues and a solution that ensures a just and environmentally sound planet.

The most pressing issues faced today are incredibly complex and deeply interconnected; environmental issues have societal impacts and vice versa. The lack of proper action can fuel social inequalities, economic disparities and environmental degradation. When groups of people are targeted, environmental and social destruction increases. These are the faults of a system that undermines the value of life and permits unsustainable practices, creating a vicious cycle of exploitation, cruelty and violence.

It is not a coincidence that Central Sustainability began as part of the Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, because sustainability cannot be achieved without greater social awareness and cultural understanding. It is necessary to support and develop resilient local efforts, inclusive institutions and services and effective reforms that connect everyone in meaningful ways to people from different backgrounds and perspectives.

In addition to implementing policies that benefit the holistic environment, it is imperative to advocate for actions that empower disenfranchised communities and ensure justice for all. This diversity in experience and interaction makes all of CS’s efforts more sustainable, even CS’s efforts toward sustainability.

Indigenous Peoples

Sustainability and equity cannot be discussed without acknowledging the presence of indigenous peoples and their important role in sustainability and conservation. Throughout the world, there are approximately 370 million indigenous peoples who represent as many as 5,000 different indigenous cultures. 

At least a quarter of the world's land area is owned, managed, used or occupied by indigenous peoples and local communities. Although nature degradation is slower in these areas, the effects of climate and ecosystem change have a direct impact on local livelihoods and cultural preservation. Lack of self-determination and autonomy, land rights in law but not in reality, extractive industries and the implementation gap all pose challenges to indigenous communities and simultaneously exacerbate the threats of climate change, perpetuating environmental stressors, extreme poverty and social inequalities.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals address global challenges, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. All 17 SDGs are set to be achieved by 2030 but cannot be accomplished without the inclusion and empowerment of indigenous peoples. Likewise, the Green Climate Fund adopted an Indigenous Peoples Policy to ensure that indigenous people are included in climate change mitigation decision-making and that GCF activities are implemented in a way that fosters the respect, promotion and safeguarding of indigenous peoples.

CMU regularly partners with its neighbors, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, including on a project involving composting at the Andahwod Elder Care Center on the reservation. Beyond specific projects, an aerial photo of Isabella County shows that the greenest and most preserved land can be found on the reservation. In order to enhance restorative agriculture, incorporate wind power and develop sustainable practices locally, it is essential to continue to partner with indigenous people that have intimately known the region for longer than any other community present today.

Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice

According to Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, environmental racism is the “disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color” as a result of institutional neglect and/or lack of institutional power among communities.

Environmental racism refers to “institutional rules, regulations, policies or government and/or corporate decisions that deliberately target certain communities for locally undesirable land uses and lax enforcement of zoning and environmental laws, resulting in communities being disproportionately exposed to toxic and hazardous waste based upon race.”

Environmental Justice is a movement that recognizes the link between economic, environmental and health issues. It promotes sustainability, making sure that communities and their natural environments are clean and safe without the presence of environmental inequities. Environmental Justice is supported by “decent paying and secure jobs; quality schools and recreation; decent housing and adequate health care; democratic decision-making; and finally, personal empowerment.”

If you are interested in learning about environmental racism and Environmental Justice, you can read more below:

• Environmental Justice & Environmental Racism – Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice.
• Dr. Robert Bullard – Father of Environmental Justice.
• 'They chose us because we were rural and poor': when environmental racism and climate change collide.
• Environmental racism is the new Jim Crow - The Atlantic.
• A New EPA Report Shows That Environmental Racism is Real.
• Environmental Racism Has Left Black Communities Especially Vulnerable to COVID-19.