Sustainably Sadie Podcast Episode 3: Cultural Sustainability

Sustainably Sadie · 3 - CulturalSustainability

Some quick notes about this episode:

1. We recorded it in early May (before the murder of George Floyd)
2. The episode may have some audio issues
3. We are obviously recording this from home and we have no childcare for our son, so you may hear him screaming in the background at some point

Episode Intro: Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in for another episode of Sustainably Sadie. I’m here to talk about anything and everything that has to do with sustainability and how humans fit into the solutions of some of the biggest issues of our time. My goal is to create a community and an ongoing conversation about social change, the climate crisis, plastic pollution, and everything else that seems to be wrong in the 21st century. My guest today is Melanie. She is the outgoing Cultural Sustainability Taskforce Coordinator for the Student Sustainability Center at Portland State University. We discuss cultural and social diversity at PSU, social injustice, environmental racism, dealing with climate anxiety, and so much more. We cover a lot of topics in this episode, so let’s get started!

It has been a while since I released an episode or did a post. I don't have to tell any of you how stressful even the daily tasks in our lives have now become. Life is definitely happening and I just didn't have the time, energy, or capacity to keep up with this side project. Also, as a white creator, I felt like I needed to be silent for a while. Not silent against injustice, but silent when it came to putting out my own content that surrounds sensitive topics such as the idea of sustainability, environmental racism, and the climate crisis. I needed to take the time to listen, learn, and grow from BIPOC individuals around me both on and offline. With that being said, I wanted to address something that I have been thinking about for a while, but haven't directly spoken about on this blog. I have learned so much my first year at Portland State University. I am majoring in Public Health with a minor in Community Development and so far all the classes I have taken have discussed topics such as racism (systemic racism such as redlining), racial health disparities (that are solely based on race even if you take class into consideration), environmental racism (BIPOC individuals and families are the most heavily burdened by pollution, for example, being most likely to live near a waste facility), and so much more. In addition to what I've learned in my classes, I have immersed myself in social media accounts that center BIPOC voices, such as CultureStrike, Phenomenal, No White Saviors, and many others. These accounts and my classes have really made me confront my white privilege. Not only how I have a certain degree of unearned privilege just for the color of my skin, but how this society has truly been built on white supremacy that touches every sector of our lives (healthcare, housing, food, the justice system, and so on). White privilege directly relates to the topic that my blog and podcast is about. The idea and practice of "sustainability" has been white washed  over the years. Meaning, white people think its the next trendy thing to do and do it because they choose to, not because they are forced to due to inter-generational poverty (that disproportionately affects BIPOC individuals) or because their culture already centers sustainable practices (like Hispanic and Indigenous culture). White people have taken sustainability, but have not recognized others who have been doing it since the beginning because they may have not had any other choice. For example, Black individuals and families have ALWAYS had community gardens either because that was the only way they could have access to food (geographical and financials reasons) or for sovereignty. They wanted to be independent and self-sufficient and have control over the food they put in their bodies (think slavery and colonialism). Not only are white people white washing sustainability, but it has gotten to the point now where sustainable cities to live in (like Portland) are only affordable to those more wealthy (which tends to be white people/families). BIPOC individuals and families are being forced out of neighborhoods and cities that they have been in their whole life because community gardens/farmers markets, renewable energy projects, and mass transit (all things that make an area more sustainable) have "green gentrified" the area and only those who are wealthy can reap the benefits of it. 

If we want to effectively address the climate crisis we must also effectively address racial inequalities. Social injustice and environmental injustice are so intimately connected. We cannot curb climate change unless the world is sustainable for everyone on it. We need to care about the planet and all the people (and creatures) that are on it. 

Now to get more to the point I was trying to make... I hope it has not come across that I'm doing this blog and podcast because it's "trendy" at the moment. That's truly not my intention. I acknowledge that I am bringing white privilege into the area of sustainability and climate justice. I acknowledge that for BIPOC individuals and families, this is not a "trend" or a lifestyle choice, but a means of survival or simply living by cultural values that centers the earth and its people. I acknowledge that BIPOC individuals feel climate anxiety and grief much more deeply than white people do. I know how intense my climate grief is, so I cannot begin to imagine what it must feel like for people of color. 

I understand that I will never understand. 

I really want this to be a safe place where anyone can come and be apart of the conversation and the solutions. To defeat climate change we need everyone, from every walk of life, and from every perspective. We need everyone's lived experiences to create meaningful solutions. 

We need to sustainability to be sustainable for everyone. 

With all of that being said, please feel free to comment if you would like to add something to the conversation, or add something I may have missed, or to educate me surrounding racism and white supremacy in America. I understand I still have so much to learn (and un-learn), I have so much more growing to do, and there is still so much more that needs to be done. 

I hope you all enjoy this next episode. 

~Sadie~