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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: January 23, 2017
Summary Sentence:
Join SLS, and our campus and community partners, throughout the semester, as we continue to explore the theme of Environmental Justice.
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SLS Environmental JusticeJoin SLS, and our campus and community partners, throughout the semester, as we continue to explore the theme of Environmental Justice. What is "Environmental Justice?" Definitions and Resources
Please note the "special opportunities" sections under some events, specifically for students, faculty, and staff that are part of our affiliated courses and projects. Keep checking back for updated information!
Attend THREE SLS events and get TWO FREE tickets to the Center for Civil and Human Rights!
Provide Input into City of Atlanta's Resilience Plan from an Environmental Justice Lens
Wednesday, Jan 25th; 8:30am - 10:00am; Old City Council Chambers, Atlanta City Hall, 68 Mitchell Street entrance
The Integrated Network for Social Sustainability-GT invites you to participate in a 100 Resilient Cities Stakeholder Engagement Work Session with the City of Atlanta's new Chief Resilience Officer, Stephanie Stuckey-Benfield. At the Work Session, the city would like to get your input on what you see as Atlanta's resilience opportunities and challenges, in order to inform the development and implementation of Atlanta's Resilience Strategy. RSVP Required.
Directions to City Hall can be found here. A map of the area can be found here.
Teaching Justice at Tech: A Conversation with Faculty
Thursday, Jan 26th; 11:00am - 12:00pm; Clough Lounge (205Q)
Join professors Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy (Civil & Environmental Engineering), Dan Amsterdam (History & Sociology), and Joe Brown (Civil & Environmental Engineering) for a conversation about the opportunities and challenges of teaching courses that integrate environmental and social justice issues into classroom learning at a technological institute.
A Screening of Ava DuVernay's 13th: Re-imagining a Restorative Justice System
Thursday, Feb 2nd; 6:00pm - 9:00pm; Student Center Theater
Join us, along with our partners AASU, the Counseling Center, and Student Diversity Programs, for a screening of Ava DuVernay's 13th, and exploration of the history of the U.S. criminal justice system. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion that will explore environmental justice, creative writing, and technology to imagine sustainable, community-centered alternatives to prison injustice.
Native Nations and Environmental Justice: The Dakota Access Pipeline Challenge
February 8th; 6:00pm - 9:00pm, Clary Theater, Student Success Center
The Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain is excited to welcome Dr. Joe Kalt, Co-Director of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, for a guest lecture examining the challenges that contemporary Native American tribes and nations face as they endeavor to rebuild their communities, strengthen their cultures, and support their citizens. This guest lecture will be followed by a facilitated panel discussion focused on the Dakota Access Pipeline project and the questions about political sovereignty, land/water rights, religious freedom, and health/social welfare that it raises. This event is sponsored in partnership with the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business.
Forecasting Climate Change's Impact on Energy, Sustainability, and Equity: Film Screeening of Leonardo DiCaprio's Before the Flood & Expert Discussion
Thursday, Feb 9th; 4:00pm - 6:45pm; Clary Theater, Student Success Center
Join us for a screening of Leonardo DiCaprio's Before the Flood, followed by an interactive discussion on the effects of climate change on the domestic and global landscape. The event will be followed by a networking reception with panelists, industry representatives, and other attendees of the 4th Annual Energy Expo. This event is part of the Energy Expo and registration is required. Sponsored in partnership with Georgia Tech's Energy Club and the Strategic Energy Institute.
Arts@Tech Presents an Evening with Natasha Tsakos, creator of Billion Billions
Saturday, Feb 11th; 8:00pm - 10:00pm; Ferst Center for the Arts
Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the work of resident art and technology innovator Natasha Tsakos, creator of Billion Billions. As part of this audience, you will participate in the front end of the design process of Billion Billions, an immersive theatrical experience that bridges big data, science, and community engagement for good. Participants will explore how the arts can serve as a bridge between understanding the issues of environmental justice and actually taking part in solutions that effect change. Presented with the Interactive Media Technology Center and GVU.
Faculty Talk: The Economics of Slavery, and Its Consequences by Juan Moreno-Cruz, Economics
Tuesday, Feb 21st; 11:00am - 12:00pm; Clough Lounge (205Q)
Slavery is one of the most tragic institutions in human history. It has caused intense pain to people and societies around the world. What are the origins of this institution? Why has it happened where it happened? Economic history has taken a new causal approach to these questions trying to understand the fundamental forces that govern this institution. This causal understanding allows economists to understand the effects of slavery in today's socio-economic outcomes. In this lecture, Dr. Juan Moreno-Cruz presents some of the new insights developed in the last 10 years and highlights areas of future research.
SOLAR FOR ALL: Opportunities for Equity & Expansion in Georgia
Thursday, Mar 2nd; 6:30pm - 8:30pm; Commerce Club Foundation of Atlanta (191 Peachtree Street, 49F)
Do you ever wonder what tools are available to make solar installations accessible to everyone? Join us for this discussion amongst industry professionals, business leaders, and community representatives that will dive into the world of solar power access. We will assess the success of solarize programs around the state of Georgia and look towards finding solutions for the metro Atlanta area that will open up opportunities for as many markets and demographics as possible. Presented in partnership with the US Green Building Council - GA, the Integrated Network for Social Sustainability - ATL (INSS-ATL), Environment Georgia, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, the Commerce Club Foundation of Atlanta, and Georgia Tech's Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business. RSVP Required.
The ReGenesis Project: Moving Spartanburg, SC from Surviving to Thriving
Friday, Mar 3rd; 11:30am - 1:00pm; Clough 102
Rep. Harold Mitchell will share his experience being exposed to environmental contamination and bringing people together to work collaboratively to envision and implement broad solutions towards creating visible change. in 1997, he founded ReGenesis to help make sense of what he was discovering and to tackle what officials once called and "impossible task" of turning around neighborhoods impacted by numerous environmental concerns, blight, and hopelessness. Sponsored in partnership with Spelman College and the U.S. EPA.
Environmental Cleanup/Community Involvement ASB Trip on Florida's Gulf Coast
Mar 19th - 22nd (Spring Break); 7:30am (19th) - 9:00pm (22nd);
The Office of International Education is excited to announce an Alternative Spring Break Service Project. Open to all GT students, this trip will provide an opportunity to take part in Environmental Cleanup of oyster beds in Florida, engage with other students, and meet local members of the community in which the project is based. Sign up information and details will be available soon at oie.gatech.edu/springbreak.
Information Infrastructures for Environmental Justice: Guest Lecture by GT Alum Gwen Ottinger; Drexel University
Tuesday, Mar 28th; 4:00pm - 6:00pm; Clary Theater, Student Success Center
Putting information in the hands of low-income and minority communities heavily burdened by environmental hazards has become a popular goal of grassroots, non-profit, and governmental initiatives alike. Theories of environmental justice suggest that to be truly empowering, information infrastructures must do more than provide data; they need to offer community groups resources for making meaning of the data, and facilitate use of the data in collective action. Existing, government-maintained platforms are limited in their ability to empower communities, but these limitations are being partially overcome by new platforms for data collection and reporting designed by researchers in collaboration with community groups. These participatory design projects both suggest how government data infrastructures should be redesigned to foster EJ, and reveal inherent challenges in making meaning of complex information that social justice advocates of all sorts will have to grapple with in the era of "big data". Sponsored in partnership with the Center for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology and the School of Literature, Media, and Communication. Reception to follow, in the Hall of Success, Student Success Center.
Is Environmental Justice a Human Right?
Thursday, Apr 13th; 1:30pm - 4:00pm; Center for Civil and Human Rights (100 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd, NW)
The Center for Civil & Human Rights is just a 10-minute walk from Tech! If you haven't visited yet, this is your chance. If you have visited, this is your opportunity to go through the exhibit with a whole new lens. Meet SLS representatives at the Center's door for free tickets, then use self-guided tours created by students in two GT English courses to examine what the exhibits can teach us about environmental justice as a human right. At 3:00pm, join us in the auditorium for a special talk featuring the students and the Center's Education Director.
Music for Social Justice and the Human Condition: Concert Featuring GT Choral Ensembles with Musician Jane Sapp
Saturday, Apr 22nd; 2:00pm - 4:00pm; Center for Civil and Human Rights & Sunday, Apr 23rd; 3:00pm - 5:00pm, Ferst Center for the Arts
The Georgia Tech choirs and guest artist Jane Sapp will present a concert titled Music for Humanity on Saturday, April 22nd, at the Center for Civil and Human Rights at 2pm; and Sunday, April 23rd, at the Robert Ferst Center for the Arts at 3pm. Artist-in-Residence Jane Sapp, a nationally known cultural worker, artist, and educator, who is a pioneer in music that integrates social justice and peace building, will join the choirs for this celebration of "Music for Social and Environmental Justice." Sponsored in partnership with the Georgia Tech School of Music.
