A promotional poster for the documentary film, "The Price of Sugar"

Student organizations often team up to host events at the School of Law. In Fall 2009, the International Human Rights Law Society and the Environmental Law Society co-hosted Environmental Justice Week, which included a series of lectures and film screenings.

Tamara Sager, a third-year law student and member of the International Human Rights Law Society, says they wanted to bring awareness and exposure to environmental issues.

The impetus for the event was a trip to Nicaragua in spring 2009, during which members of the IHR met with sugarcane plantation workers who were exposed to internationally banned pesticides. During their trip, Sager says the students observed that that poor and minority neighborhoods are disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards.

The same often holds true in the U.S., where many polluting facilities are located in poor neighborhoods. The issue, Sager says, "doesn't get the spotlight it deserves."

"Climate Change and Environmental Justice"
The weeklong event kicked off with the lecture, "Climate Change and Environmental Justice," by Nicky Sheats, an attorney, professor and director of the Center for Urban Environment at the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy of Thomas Edison State College.

As a member of the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, Sheats works on a range of environmental issues, including particulate matter air pollution, climate change, cumulative risk and impacts, the siting of schools on contaminated land and developing environmental justice legal strategies.

"Environmental Justice in New York City"
The event continued with a lecture by Anhthu Hoang, director of Environmental Health / General Counsel, WE ACT Coalition for Environmental Justice (West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc.), who discussed "Environmental Justice in New York City."

Hoang is WE ACT's Director of Environmental Health/General Counsel. She uses public health and legal research to develop legislative and policy strategies aimed at achieving a safe, healthy and sustainable environment for low-income communities of color, especially those in Northern Manhattan. In addition, she collaborates with WE ACT's organizing team to host workshops, trainings, and public meetings informing community members about the legal and political factors that influence land use and economic development in their area.

"The Price of Sugar"
A screening of the documentary film, "The Price of Sugar," was shown. Narrated by Paul Newman, the film is a critical examination of the working conditions on sugar plantations in the Dominican Republic. It follows Father Christopher Hartley, a charismatic Spanish priest, as he organizes some of the region's poorest people to fight for their basic human rights. This film raises key questions about where the products we consume originate and at what human cost they are produced.

"International Environmental Justice"
Environmental Justice Week wrapped up with a talk by Kristin Genovese, staff attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). Genovese discussed "International Environmental Justice: Perspectives of an International Environmental Lawyer."

Prior to joining CIEL in 2007, Genovese was International Counsel at Defenders of Wildlife, where she focused on the implementation and enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In particular, she lobbied CITES parties to address the illegal and unsustainable logging of mahogany in Peru.

Learn more about student organizations at the School of Law