Day 8: Environmental Justice (No. 2)

Today, we spent an educational day at the base house where we discussed multiple topics pertaining to environmental justice. We had breakfast at 7:30 am and we were served french toast, eggs, and a variety of fruits. Next, we proceeded with our mental warm-up and engaged in discussions about questions and quotes that relate to the ability of community members to make a difference in the environment.

From 9 am – 12 pm, we completed our CAP Seminar # 2, where we shared different perspectives on the negative effects of sacrifice zones as an environmental justice issue. The leaders organized an activity for us called Four Corners where they asked us questions such as “Have we been affected by sacrifice zones?” and “Do we believe there is balance between fun and work?” The activity made us aware of the various backgrounds and experiences of each Glimpser. Overall, we realized that, despite our shared home of San Francisco-Bay Area, California, we still live different lives.

For lunch, most of us devoured delicious pork chops with grilled potatoes, and those with dietary restrictions enjoyed “el pollo” or steamed vegetables. During down-time (break), a few of us enjoyed a short nap, others played pool, and my fellow co-leader and I took part in a game called “Mafia”. Mafia is an energetic, exciting, and fun game that challenged our minds as we tried to guess who the Mafia were. After our break, we had a guest speaker named, Andres “Fofo” Zuñiga. He came to speak to us about environmental justice. He is an expert in Environmental Management and Ecotourism. He gave an informative presentation explaining social, economical, and ecological integrity, which are all important in implementing a sustainable structure or project. To illustrate this, one group role-played as local community members in Costa Rica protecting a wetland and another group acted as investors proposing to build a hotel near the wetlands The rest of the group played the government officials and were tasked to listen to both sides to make a decision. Mia and I felt that all of us were highly engaged during this activity, with everyone demonstrating their debate skills and expressing their ideals about sustainability. The activity also encouraged us to step out of our comfort zones and speak up to express our roles within it. As someone aspiring to pursue a career in Environmental Policy, I, Shreya, found it highly engaging and inspiring to hear from and interact with an active environmental activist.

After the seminar, a few of us cooled off in the pool and played an adventurous game of Marco Polo. Around 6 pm, we enjoyed chicken lasagna or vegetable lasagna with a side of “ensalada.”

As Lideres Del Día, we enjoyed leading our fellow Glimpsers during an engaging and educational day!