Christian Rodriguez: Planting Possibility in the Ironbound
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Provided by: Project Drawdown|Published on: January 8, 2024
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This interview and its related materials focus on Christian Rodriguez, an urban farmer and community leader in the fence-line community of Ironbound in Newark, New Jersey.
- Christian explains their role in educating the community's youth and affecting change, their inspiration for starting this work, and their experience fighting for the space to be themselves.
- Christian's story and the story of their community include elements of environmental racism, hazardous conditions, and a lack of representation.
Subjects: Biology, Civics, Career Skills
Authors: Project Drawdown
Region: North America, USA - Northeast, United States, North Jersey, New Jersey
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The interviewee shares a powerful message about being yourself that will resonate with many students.
- The urban farm is a beautiful example of how people in communities can help bring about the change they want to see.
Additional Prerequisites
- Before watching the video, students should understand how industrial practices affect neighboring communities.
- It may benefit students to know the term regenerative economy.
- The speaker talks about their experience growing up as a queer person of color. Prepare students to listen respectfully and maturely.
Differentiation
- The speaker mentions composting, reducing the use of fossil fuels, and reducing over-consumption as some topics they teach to the community. Students can brainstorm ways to align their daily lives with these ideas.
- Students can learn about the urban heat island effect and discuss how green spaces like Christian's keep the community cool.
- Students can research other case studies where marginalized groups are disproportionately impacted by industrial pollution, contaminated water, and other environmental hazards. Students can then discuss solutions to the pattern of environmental racism in the United States.
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About the Partner Provider
Project Drawdown
Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “drawdown”—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Cities, universities, corporations, philanthropies, policymakers, communities, educators, activists, and more turn to Project Drawdown as they look to advance effective climate action. Project Drawdown resources for educators include the database of Drawdown Solutions, educational video series Climate Solutions 101, the Drawdown Stories initiative, and more.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
