2020 Faculty Grants Update, Part 1 of 4: “Whole Earth Curriculum”

In Fall ‘19, faculty grants were awarded to support four projects related to the Tishman Center’s mission. One of those projects, “Developing Milano’s ‘Whole Earth’ Curriculum” was led by Leonardo E. Figueroa Helland (Milano/EPSM Faculty), and Mindy Fullillove (Milano/Urban Policy Faculty). As part of the project, a task force was created to investigate how the New School can reexamine its curriculum with a focus on climate justice, as well as to evaluate the school’s contribution to climate justice and its role in the greater community.

EJ, Earth Week Blogs, Events, Faculty, Faculty Grant, Teach-inTishman CenterMarch 29, 2021Environmental Justice, CurriculumComment

How does Biden’s recent executive order measure up to his campaign’s Environmental Justice Plan?

As Biden enters his presidency in the middle of a pandemic, many of his actions in the first two weeks have addressed COVID-19 and the economy. However, this has not stopped Biden from tackling the climate crisis. On his first day as President, Biden set a clear environmental priority by rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and cancelling the Keystone XL Pipeline. Moreover, he is prioritizing science in the political process and assembling a “Climate Cabinet”.

Most importantly, Biden recognizes that environmental justice is a vital part of the climate crisis. On his campaign trail, Biden proposed a 4-part Environmental Justice Plan. A week into his presidency, Biden released an Executive Order regarding the climate crisis, which included orders regarding environmental justice. When comparing the executive order against the plan, we found that Biden took action in each part of his environmental justice plan. The article compares how his actions have stacked up to his campaign promises so far.

News, EJTishman CenterFebruary 9, 2021Environmental Justice, 40% campaign, policy, BidenComment

Environmental Justice Leadership is Non-Negotiable

We are in a pivotal moment where things once unimaginable are now undeniable. We can't continue to rely on technocratic approaches that have proven ineffective or that only make superficial change. To build a just world, we need people-centered strategies that challenge the political, social, and economic leaders and systems that produced decades of environmental racism and inaction on climate change. Environmental Justice Movement leaders, specifically the people who are closest to the dangers of climate change, should lead us in identifying solutions.

Toxic Air Pollution is a Public Health Crisis

The Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School has compiled state-specific reports for Florida, New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, the 5 states with the highest numbers of municipal solid waste incinerators. These waste incinerators have been known to emit mercury, lead, particulate matter 2.5 and 10, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and carbon monoxide, all of which pose significant dangers to public health. Eighty-one percent of these trash incinerators are located within environmental justice communities.

NewsTishman CenterDecember 18, 2020research, Environmental Justice, EJ Communities Comment

Radical Reimaginations Recap

Imagine a world where climate justice is no longer a debated concept, but rather a lived, achieved reality for all. How did we get there?

That was the question the Tishman Environment and Design Center, in collaboration with the Social Movements + Innovation Lab, explored over the course of the five-part Radical Reimaginations for Climate Justice series.

Tishman CenterOctober 27, 2020Environmental Justice, Climate Justice, Just Transition, Social Justice

Video Interview Series 04: Interview with Dr. Nicky Sheats

For the fourth part of the Tishman Center’s video interview series, we spoke to Dr. Nicky Sheats, director of the Center for the Urban Environment of the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State University and a key member of the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance (NJEJA). He is also a lawyer and longtime advocate for environmental justice.

EJ, Video Interview SeriesTishman CenterOctober 1, 2020Environmental Justice, covid-19, cumulative impacts, ICC

Climate Week 2020 Recap

Much like our Earth Week programming, we have had to shift our Climate Week 2020 events to all online; however, we got a great response and had around 500 plus people register to watch or participate in our events. We would like to thank everyone we worked with and that attended and hope to continue interacting with and working together with you all going forward. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us and see below for recaps and videos of all of our Climate Week events

EJ, Webinar, Workshops, EventsTishman CenterSeptember 28, 2020climate week, Environmental Justice, GIS, facultyComment

Video Interview Series 02: Maria Lopez-Nuñez on Lessons from COVID-19 for the Climate Crisis and Environmental Justice

For the second part of the Tishman Center’s video interview series, we would like to highlight Maria Lopez-Nuñez. As the Deputy Director of Organizing and Advocacy at the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) in Newark, NJ, Maria is an environmental justice activist deeply rooted in the Ironbound community.

EJ, Video Interview SeriesTishman CenterSeptember 2, 2020Environmental Justice, covid-19, cumulative impacts, ICC

Video Interview Series 01: Leslie Velasquez on Inequity, Covid-19 and EJ

We want to highlight the work of those looking to create positive change in the environmental and climate justice spaces and to share how we can support and elevate them; therefore we will be sharing their stories in the form of short interviews. Our first featured interview is with Leslie Velasquez, the Environmental Justice Program Coordinator at El Puente, a Brooklyn-based social justice and arts non-profit.

Apply for the Arnold and Sheila Aronson Fellowship

The Tishman Center is excited to announce the Arnold and Sheila Aronson Fellowship. The fellowship is designed to support student learning and practice at the Tishman Center. The Aronson Fellowship seeks to provide financial support to students who are, through their studies, research, or practice, finding solutions to the most pressing sustainability challenges facing the world today. Fellows will advance the mission of the Tishman Center and delve deeply into design, policy and environmental justice approaches intended to address the climate and equity crises.

OpportunitiesTishman CenterJuly 20, 2020Fellowship, Students, Environmental Justice, Climate Justice

Tishman Center Contributes to Report to Address EJ & Urban Heat

Before we start, I want you to do a thought experiment. Think about the images you see on news coverage when there is a heat wave in a city (when it is about 95 F/ 35 C for a few days). What immediately comes to mind? Who do you picture?

Staff Work, EJ, NewsTishman CenterJune 22, 2020Environmental Justice, Urban design, urban heatComment

There Was Never A New York "Pause" For The South Bronx

Here are some of the things you can't find during a pandemic: toilet paper, hand sanitizer, N95 masks, Nintendo Switches. As a kid growing up in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx in the late '80s and early '90s, fresh air was a commodity we couldn't find either. No pandemic required.

Students, EJTishman CenterJune 18, 2020Environmental Justice, #COVID19, Students Comment

The Impacts of COVID-19 on Environmental Justice Communities

Earlier this month, Ana Baptista, Director of the Tishman Center and Chair of Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management program, gave a Congressional briefing in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on environmental justice communities.

Tishman Center Student Award for Environmental Justice and Equity

In light of all the tumult happening this semester, the Tishman Center felt a need to support environmental justice and equity work of students across the university. We put out a call for applications in April of 2020 and are proud to present the fourteen projects that we decided to support below. These projects represent almost all of the colleges across The New School and embody the transdisciplinary approach that both the university and the Tishman Center embarace as the best way to solve the issues of our time.

NYC Climate Justice Agenda 2020

On April 21st, the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance released their latest report, NYC Climate Justice Agenda 2020: A Critical Decade for Climate, Equity and Health which outlines urgent recommended strategies to enact a Just Transition, including specific timelines and concrete financial and legislative commitments to create healthy and resilient neighborhoods; tackle emissions in an equitable way; support climate adaptation for frontline communities; and generate good, green jobs in the process.

NewsTishman CenterMay 13, 2020climate justice, Environmental Justice, Just Transition

"There is Nothing ‘New’ About the Green New Deal"

The Green New Deal (GND) has rapidly become a prevailing topic in popular discourse. As we continue to face climate crisis, the GND platform is praised for promising a new way to imagine our future. A few weeks ago during The Tishman Center’s “Green New Deal and Environmental Justice” event during the The New School’s centennial celebration, we heard from a variety of activists and grassroots organizers