FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Diane Zucker, office of college relations, (914) 437-7404, [email protected]
SUMMARY: Vassar College professor calls for an earth science-literate public to address environmental injustice
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (October 21, 1998) -- America can ill-afford to have a substantial segment of its population alienated from earth science, and science in general, according to Vassar College Associate Professor of Geology Jill S. Schneiderman.
Schneiderman will address the Geological Society of America Wednesday, October 27, in Toronto, Canada. She will call for interdisciplinary, introductory-level courses in geology which can rally larger numbers of students from diverse backgrounds to learn about the functioning of the earth system and empower them to fight for environmental justice.
"My presentation will show how geology can be used to deal with issues of environmental injustice," Schneiderman says. "Throughout the United States, people of color endure environmental problems as a result of the siting of undesirable land uses, such as landfills, in their communities. If the general public can learn basic geologic principles concerning sedimentary strata and ground and surface water flow, they will be able to protect themselves and their communities from this type of potential harm."
According to Schneiderman, people of color often view environmental issues as marginal to the problems of their daily existence. This perception is slowly changing, she says, as a result of the recognition of environmental injustices across this country and indeed all over the globe. "In the coming century on our globalized and growing planet, these future physicians, lawyers, public officials, writers, laborers, service workers, and business people will need constantly to weigh the environmental ramifications of their and others' personal and public actions," she says.
At Vassar, Schneiderman teaches "Earth Science and Environmental Justice," a course that explores the roles that race, gender, and class play in contemporary environmental issues, and the geology that underlies them. The class examines the power of governments, corporations, and science to influence the physical and human environment. Schneiderman developed the course curriculum with a two-year grant from National Science Foundation and involved Vassar students in its creation.
Environmental justice, the principle that all humans are entitled access to clean air, water, and soil, has come to be seen by some as a civil rights issue. It flows clearly from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights written 50 years ago under the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt.
For additional information, call the Office of College Relations at (914) 437-7404.
Vassar College, founded in 1861, is a residential, coeducational, liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., located in the scenic Hudson River Valley. Vassar was recently named the Time Magazine/Princeton Review 1998 College of the Year. ###
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