The following project was conducted in partnership with University of Detroit Mercy and Ford Community Corps. Multiple non-profits were approached to make this project possible such as; ERACCE, Detroit Audubon, Detroit International Wild-Life Refuge, Belle Isle. The non-profit ERACCE has provided the criteria of analyzing power in the organizations that are at risk of environmental violations or have had environmental violations. Furthermore, the non-profit has asked for a comparison of power between non-profits working within the sector, such as Detroit Audubon, Detroit International Wild Life Refuge and Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice and the business sector. Hence, this is where ERACCE believes the gap in power to be and hence, environmental injustice and satisfying the proposals need to impact the community. To this end they have provided a sampling of questions that the interview/research should answer. The project has also been written to enhance Michigan’s competitive advantage in; conservation, environmental stewardship, civil rights, industrial innovation, and entrepreneurship as put forth by the Environmental Justice Workgroup in 2018. Furthermore, the rationale that has been provided is the increase in both the private sector and public sector awareness towards sustainability and push towards higher levels of sustainability by CEO’s. Two Nobel Laureates have been awarded a joint Nobel Peace Prize in integrating technological and environmental advances into economic theory. His Holiness Pope Francis wrote an encyclical towards integrating environmental ethics into religious faith followed by an effort with Notre Dame and Oxford to establish a center to focus on matters of ecology. UN Sustainable goals have been established and work has been done to map out the frontier of sustainable technologies. Furthermore, during the course of the year long projection March 19th the state of Michigan entered into a lock-down due to the pandemic termed Covid-19 and the project and scope were modified to reflect this change. The research confirms the hypothesis that there is an imbalance of power between the business community and the community involved in the work of environmental injustice issues.
Chair: Craig Davis, [email protected]
Discussant: Bradley Brooks, [email protected]
Discussant: Michael Stellern, [email protected]
Scribe: Virginie Khare, [email protected]
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Beginner
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