People over Plastic is a media platform for multicultural changemakers to hear powerful, intergenerational, and solutions-oriented conversations that center the intersection between environmental and racial justice.
On this page, you’ll discover some helpful resources that will help you as an educator introduce the power of storytelling to a new generation of social advocates. These classroom resources provide learners with valuable information and a deeper understanding of how to amplify voices in ways that serve community goals effectively and respectfully.
Our list of recommended reading aims to fill the knowledge gap many people have about the meaning of environmental justice, especially within the context of broader racial justice topics. It provides a list of foundational readings that aim to educate, engage, and instigate curiosity in students who are considering a career in environmental justice advocacy.
We also include specific articles about the importance of storytelling and first-person narratives. Environmental studies, law and critical race studies curriculums often fail to expose students to the utility and art of storytelling. Yet, first person narratives are vital, yet often overlooked sources of information, especially in the law and legal systems.
The plastics industry is the fastest-growing source of industrial greenhouse gases in the world. The UN Environment Programme estimates that the greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, use and disposal could account for 15 percent of the total global carbon budget by 2050, making it hard to meet global targets without cutting emissions elsewhere.
This brief mentions the most important facts about the link between plastic and planetary warming, and is recommended reading for any climate change activist.
Environmental Justice is a term we often see in the headlines these days whether it’s connected to a groundbreaking lawsuit here in the U.S., or a group of nations struggling to confront the devastating impacts of the climate crisis. Environmental Justice is such a pressing matter in our modern society that even the Biden administration recently announced it’s creating an entirely new office fully dedicated to Environmental Justice issues.
The reality is, while it may seem like a buzzword today, Environmental Justice goes back generations. But what exactly does it mean and who does it affect?
