EARTH
EARTH is for All
Our goal in this challenge is to ensure that our community is cared for within the EARTH element. This means that your community has access to nutritious food, that the soil is healthy, and that trees are being cared for.
By working to create solutions that help those around you, you are centering HEART into your project by uplifting justice, equity, empathy, and hope!
Is Everyone Included?
Clean air, clean water, and healthy soil are all important environmental functions that support healthy human communities. But not everyone breathes clean air, has access to safe and clean water, or can grow food in healthy soils. Often, the groups of people who do NOT have access to these important natural resources are communities that have less money, less power, and have historically been discriminated against. We call this marginalization.
When it comes to the environment, if you look at decisions about where polluting factories are built, where waste is dumped, and where water and sanitation systems are failing, they are often near these marginalized communities.
While these communities are often targeted as shown in the above example, they can also become overlooked by others in the community who are unaware of the issues marginalized members are facing. While you create your EARTH solution, be sure to check and see if your solution helps everyone in the community, not just the groups you immediately think of.
EARTH in the News
In this Challenge, we are focusing specifically on EARTH, where we have seen examples of environmental injustice and racism in the news both in the US and internationally. There are many examples of where deforestation and food shortages have disproportionately impacted some communities over others. Below are just four examples of EARTH injustice in the US that have been in the news over the years.
Food
Forests
Soil
How do we work for EARTH-Focused change?
