Our Work Needs To Be About "Justainability"

Fri, 05/14/2010 - 11:46am

Kalila Barnett, the Director of Alternatives for Community and  Environment (ACE), and Tufts University professor Penn Loh, put out an essay last month called  "Towards “Justainability”: A Colored Perspective on the Green Economy," which explores the nature of the "Green Justice" model that we're developing and implementing here at at the Green Justice Coalition in Massachusetts.

A central finding of this GJC project has been that sustainability and justice go hand in hand; they simply cannot be won without each other. Barnett and Loh ask, "Can sustainability efforts truly succeed without addressing racial and economic injustice? Can the climate be stabilized without a fundamental transformation of the global economy?" They conclude, as we have, that sustainability and justice must go hand in  hand.

This synthesis of ideals, which the authors call "justainability," leads naturally into coordination between partner organizations that have not traditionally worked in sync. Rebuilding the American economy within a 'green' framework is a recurring theme, but the authors stress that in order to achieve the justice component of the work,  traditionally marginalized communities must be involved at the forefront of these efforts. Among other methods, they envision the development of community or worker-owned businesses, as a way to share the new 'green wealth' created by guiding the economy in a sustainable direction.

So, what does Justainability mean for our movement in Massachusetts? We can address longstanding social and economic inequities through a cooperative strategy between groups with diverse interests. Each stands to gain more through the Green Justice model than by working alone, and the result is an advancement of both economic justice and policies that promote environmental sustainability.