In reading about the solutions projects for the introductory environmental studies class, I am particularly intrigued by Eva, Sierra, and Marlene‘s foray into the whitewashed world of the western environmental movement. This project focuses on how the environmental movement is dominated by white people with considerable economic status. Thus, the solutions posed by these groups entail things like buying “better” green groceries and appliances, biking instead of driving, and other actions that usually require extra money, time, or resources that not all people have. This project explores injustice, but not the typical pollution proximity urban environmental justice that is the common narrative. The diversity of a movement is not so easy to draw a circle around on a map. The demographics and exclusivity of the environmental movement is a social and economic phenomenon that (of course!) is connected to space, race, and history.
In a recent post for my Environmental Theory class, I explored the white history of Oregon in the context of utopia. While Oregon and the Pacific Northwest are colloquially famous for being progressive and trendy, “a mecca for environmentally conscious hippies” as Marlene describes, this (mis)conception ties into the history of imagined and perceived (eco)utopias ever present in Oregon’s history. This history is very much visible in the landscape of Portland. Two important components of this history are the racist founding laws of Oregon and the long-standing history and myth of the Pacific Northwest as a bastion of environmentalism (see Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach). Are these two components inherent to one another? Perhaps. Regardless, I see great potential in delving into Portland race and landscape histories as a way to contextualize this issue of white upper class environmentalism.
Regarding “the environmental movement,” I wonder if this topic could get more specific. For instance, perhaps bike transport or the plastic bag ban or the proliferation of organic grocery stores and farmers’ markets could be a case study that represents the environmental movement more broadly. With each of these, you could get into the specific barriers for certain populations to participate in these types of environmental actions. Another way to focus would be to examine one particular organization or movement. With the idea of ethnography as a potential solution, it would be interesting to have a comparative approach where you examine a more mainstream environmental group that might seem whitewashed or entrenched in green capitalist actions in contrast to another group that is fighting for environmental justice outside the mainstream. One possibility that comes to mind is if there is any anti-gentrification organizations or groups advocating for better air quality in the neighborhoods of Northeast Portland. As well, I think that comparing the western environmental movement with other movements of the global south is a fantastic way to envision how an environmental movement can be different from how we often understand them.
One last thing: when discussing topics of race, whiteness, privilege, and justice in an academic setting, it is vital to recognize our own biases and privileges. We get to study topics such as these in a utopic bubble of self-proclaimed “sustainable” academia. We must tread carefully, be self-aware in our inquiry, and maintain an academic ethic of compassion.