Resources:
Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice
Transcription:
Lee Van Roth: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is On the Ground Ypsi. As extreme heat, wildfire smoke and other climate-related emergencies become more common in Washtenaw County, local organizations are looking at what it means to build resilience before the next emergency happens. Today, Desirae Simmons, the director of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, is here to talk about climate justice, community resilience and how local organizations can help Ypsilanti residents prepare for and respond to climate-related challenges. Des, thank you so much for being here today!
Desirae Simmons: Thanks for having me, Lee!
Lee Van Roth: So, to start, ICPJ, you guys have worked on environmental stewardship for as long as ICPJ has been around, with a very specific emphasis and focus on both racial and economic justice as a part of that too. What does climate justice really mean to ICPJ with that lens? And why is it important to consider equity when we're looking at things like wildfire smoke, extreme heat, all these really fun and exciting things we kind of dealt with this summer?
Desirae Simmons: Yeah. So, I would say that, in the past, I wouldn't say that necessarily all of our work has always focused on climate justice or environmental justice, but this has been something. But environmentalism, stewarding the natural resources in our natural environment, has definitely been a passion and work that folks have done and looking at policies at the municipal level. But I would say, definitely in 2020, that this became something that we couldn't ignore at all. And so we really started to engage with folks across the state around environmental justice, climate justice and thinking about how we needed to shift and/or add to some of our work. And so I would say, in earnest, for sure, that we've been doing that deeply since then. And a big part of this is to understand who is most affected by these outcomes, who's most affected, and to understand that it's not just individual changes that are necessary in order for us to have a place that is safe for all of us to live into the future, that we have to turn our attention to corporate doers and that we do recognize the systems that are creating these changes that we aren't ready for. And so it's both in terms of thinking about the policy changes we need to do and the ways we need take power back from corporate interests that don't care about us. That is what has been shown over and over again, that we the people and community care for us. And so, both how do we impact those policies, but then also how do build the community that we need to have in order to be more resilient, in order to take care of one another in the face of all of these climate catastrophes and things that come out of that.
Lee Van Roth: Thinking about this summer, folks that maybe didn't have power or didn't have access to A/C or face masks for poor air quality days, how do we bring in more of our neighbors in order to help out folks that maybe don't have access to certain resources during those kinds of emergencies?
Desirae Simmons: Yeah. I think it's really important for us to always recognize that those who are most proximate to an issue are the best situated to solve it. And so, when we think about when there is an emergency, our neighbors are the first ones that we would turn to, or that might be there. We have folks that are doing things like community gardening and sharing food that they're growing within their gardens with their neighbors. During some of these hot days in the summer, one of the partners that we had with our resiliency hub pilot work with the MESS House, they pulled together a solar fridge to offer cold water because that was scarce. And when we don't have water fountains around, people need access to water. And so they were able to provide that for neighbors in a place-based way.
Lee Van Roth: This is On the Ground Ypsi on 89.1 WEMU. I'm talking with Desirae Simmons about ICPJ's work to build community resilience and advance climate justice in Ypsi. Des, so looking at climate resilience in this broader way, I feel like maybe there is a tendency to maybe lean toward, well, how do we deal with the emergency as it's happening, as opposed to how to prepare for the event of an emergency? And you had mentioned the policy change aspect of this and how that could ultimately help folks feel and be more prepared in the event of an emergency. Is there anything in specific that you're hoping to tackle, or at least bring to light, as far as what are some things that our neighbors and community members can do and fight for?
Desirae Simmons: I mean, there's so many things, Lee. I would say, here in Ypsilanti, just to name a couple of like the specific threats that we're under. So, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has an EJ screen, which is looking at communities that have high threat or exposure to environmental hazards. And we have specifically six block groups here in the city. You know, this is four square miles we're talking about. We have things that we have to understand around how different issues intersect, and that's what environmental justice is about, right, is that we're looking at issues, such as unaffordability, housing, food and accessibility, lack of affordable energy amid rising rates and a lack of economic opportunity and job stagnation. And so those are just a few things that we're seeing here in the city of Ypsilanti and understanding how that then impacts people. If people don't have access to housing, then they are fully in danger of what's happening outside. And so that's why we have things like warming centers and cooling centers. When we're thinking about food availability, we have to understand what are some things that are either helping people to have that garden and to compost and to share food with other people. Thinking about stormwater management, flooding is a huge issue, and it's only growing. And so how do we both think about what that looks like at the municipal level, but also what if people are doing some of that retention again at the location of where they live and how that can help. And then, also building. How do we use natural materials? How do we have different opportunities for folks to build housing or different shelter spaces that can respond to different needs? Over in Ann Arbor, they actually have an opportunity to try to push against DTE for public power. And this is something that is really important because the costs keep going up. The power keeps going out. I know people lose hundreds of dollars of food each time there's a power outage.
Lee Van Roth: And medication as well. That's a problem when it comes to that.
Desirae Simmons: Yes! It's so huge! It's such a big issue! And to me, when it's like, we keep trying to mitigate, like, "Oh, maybe we can get them to do what they need to do." That has not happened. People have been trying. And so, we have to start coming up with alternatives. How do people take the power back to serve our collective needs?
Lee Van Roth: What are some ways folks can help out their neighbors or maybe even work alongside ICPJ to continue this kind of effort, as far as making sure everyone is safe and healthy in the community that they live in and love?
Desirae Simmons: Yes. So, there's so many ways. I mean, one is just when we see folks out and about, like, let's like make eye contact and smile again. I know that seems easy and simple, but honestly, I think that the more that we're doing that, the more we're able to notice. Definitely support the warming centers that are around. Volunteer. Definitely donate as possible. We're in a partnership to build a space right on Michigan Ave, a third space, that will be able to serve some of this resiliency hub role. And that will be built in the spring. And so we'll be asking people to come help out to do some community builds for that. I think that we'll also be continuing to connect with community about what does this look like, what do we need, what kind of resources do we share around some of that? And how do we have more food available? So, something else that we're working on is really around food waste diversion too. And so wanting to find ways to have a community fridge where we can divert waste from some of the local businesses, so that people can have access to healthful food as well. So that's something that we'll be working on, and hopefully there'll be ways that people can tap into that even in the winter.
Lee Van Roth: Well, Des, I want to thank you so much for joining me today and for talking with us about this very hot button kind of topic as well, especially looking at the way the weather has fluctuated so excitingly this past year. It's great to hear about some of the work coming down the pipeline from ICPJ!
Desirae Simmons: Thank you for having me!
Lee Van Roth: For more on today's conversation and a link to the full article, visit our website at WEMU.org. On the Ground Ypsi is brought to you in partnership with Concentrate Media. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU, Ypsilanti.
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