Student Perspectives
Hear from ENST majors what’s happening each semester on campus and in the ENST community.
Shanti Balam, Fall 2019
About these zines' curator: Shanti Balam is, among many self-identifiers, a student of life, an artist, a witch, and a radical imagination enthusiast. She thrives in the sweet spot of shaping change while being shaped by change. This zine series is constantly emerging and evolving, and will most definitely continue once Shanti graduates.
Paige Williams, Spring 2016
One of the reasons why I love GIS and cartography is use of visual art. I have recently been able to use cartographic design as a creative outlet, while learning new skills like coding. With my passion in environmental justice, I can use these skills to not only improve my general wellbeing but others' well being as well. Having this creative outlet also allows me to be mentally stable, while I continue my work against such large systems.
Noemi Pacheco, Spring 2016
As a Latina who aims to be of service to my community, I've really come to be more straightforward about the work I want to do and understand that my identity is directly connected with our natural environment.
Rachelle Howard, Spring 2016
The Environmental Studies program at Humboldt is a transformative learning experience. Because it is an interdisciplinary program, there are many opportunities to take advantage of. Check out this semester’s events, workshops, volunteer opportunities, presentations, and clubs. Many events tie straight into our ENST coursework!
Last semester, we had the opportunity to see our program chair, Dr. Sarah Ray, give a talk on Can a Green University Serve Underrepresented Students?: Reconciling Sustainability and Diversity at Humboldt as part of the Sustainable Future Speaker Series. The speaker series occurs every semester, and we look forward to the Spring 2016 lineup.
Fall 2015 was filled with ENST club meetings, social gatherings, and CCAT activities. Many of us attended the ENST Club's presentation on Spatializing Environmental Racism during GIS Day, which explored the importance of mapping environmental racism. We also had the opportunity to watch Naomi Klein’s documentary, This Changes Everything, which had an amazing turnout and great discussion afterword.
Spring 2016 is jam-packed with things to do. Get your tickets ASAP to see Van Jones talk on April 24! ENST Club is taking a group of students to Eugene to attend the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference March 3-6. Maybe you want to attend the International Cultural Festival (Feb 21), which helps appreciate each other's differences and embrace our similarities at the same time. Attend Humboldt Food Summit to talk about food security on campus February 27, and see the summit’s keynote, Anna Lappe, author of Diet for a Warming Planet, speak on the 26th. Attend the International Latino Film Festival Seminar (March 1-3) to view and discuss three extraordinary films. Don’t forget about the Social Justice Summit (March 4 & 5) which will focus on: From the Frontlines: Theory to Action. Students are invited to be involved in the Social Justice Summit by enrolling in the class, presenting a workshop, volunteering, or registering to participate in the Summit. Another event sure to make waves is California Big Time & Social Gathering (April 2) which helps strengthen and reinforce Indigenous tribal identity among students, youth, and our communities. Author-activist Dr. Mei Mei Evans (Oil & Water and The Environmental Justice Reader) will also be coming to Humboldt March 8-10!
Maybe you want to get your hands dirty? CCAT is always looking for volunteers! Our fellow ENST major, Ivan Soto, is Co-director of CCAT, so if you are ever interested in volunteering – go talk to him! Ivan is also teaching Environmental Studies 123, a Green Building course. If you are interested, this course would count toward the ENST Program's new Appropriate Technology emphasis (by the way, the new emphasis areas, which will be in the 2016-17 catalogue, are Media Production, Community Organizing, and Appropriate Technology!).
You should also join ENST Club, which has many opportunities for community involvement and leadership positions. They’re starting up a film series and a book group, among other plans.
Come join me and my friends as we host a Critical Animal Studies event this semester! This week-long event (April 24-29) is an interdisciplinary collaboration of Humboldt students, faculty, and community members seeking to create new spaces for the discussion of non-human animals and society. This event will explore intersections of oppression such as racism, sexism, ableism, classism, and speciesism. Get involved by volunteering for this event or propose a workshop! The CAS event will include ecofeminist Carol J. Adams, who will be presenting on The Sexual Politics of Meat, Dr. Aime Breeze Harper, founder of the Sistah Vegan Project, AND a few of our very own ENST majors will be presenting! For me, the Environmental Studies program has been the single, greatest catalyst to help me develop the courage and reassurance to pursue my interests in Critical Animal Studies. So whatever your interests may be, this program gives you the ability to make a difference. The Environmental Studies major gives you the best and always finds the best in you!
And a big CONGRATULATIONS to the second class ever of Humboldt ENST majors who are graduating in May!
Hannah Zovolich, Fall 2015
Fall 2015 has kicked off to a great start as an Environmental Studies major here at Humboldt. Having an interdisciplinary major means that we have many opportunities to participate in events on and off campus that truly align with our education and activism.
One such event that I recently attended was the True North convergence in Hoopa. This event brought activists and community organizers together in amazing and inspiring ways. If you’re interested in learning more about community organizing in local activist groups, I definitely suggest looking further into groups like True North.
The book of the year was also performed in an empowering play last week called Salmon is Everything. This production not only displayed how incredibly talented our students and community members are, but it also brought back much-required local discussions about issues that still affect our area.
We also had a needed convergence of our major when CCAT hosted a “Welcome Back Bash” for all ENST (and prospective) majors. This truly seems like a group of passionate, driven people and I am so excited to take part and observe.
If you are unsure of where your involvement in this major will take you…read on.
Being an ENST major does not just mean attending the Sustainable Speaker Series (which you should attend anyway because Carolyn Finney's talk changed my life last year) or simply going to sustainable classes at CCAT (which you should also do because there is so much to learn FOR FREE and I’m going to be giving an interactive series of gardening workshops) and definitely not limited to involvement in the Fruit Tree Alliance (these people are planting fruit trees on our campus, that’s pretty darn awesome) or being directly involved with food justice on and off campus (the Food Pantry will be handing out FREE produce every Wednesday!)… or wait that sounds like a lot of really cool stuff…
Did I mention Food Not Bombs or the Anarchist Bookfair? Did I mention that every fall the campus holds a Campus Dialogue on Race? Have you checked out the Women’s Resource Center yet? Or the informational meeting about the Westside logging project at Karuk Department of Natural Resources? Did anyone tell you about the intercultural skill share gathering in October? Did you know that Transition Humboldt is meeting at CCAT in September to talk about building tiny houses for people who want homes? Have you checked out the student club F.R.E.E. yet? What are you still doing looking at this post?? If you’re able and you find some time among all the other parts of the day, go check out these amazing opportunities! Movement is happening all around you; all you need to do is look.
