George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
In the first of a new four-part learning series on sustainability, George Brown Polytechnic recently welcomed acclaimed author, advocate and researcher Dr. Ingrid Waldron to Limberlost Place for an inspiring fireside chat and viewing of a documentary based on her book, There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous & Black Communities.
The event, attended by members of the George Brown community and the public, was thought-provoking about how environmental pollution disproportionally affects Indigenous, racialized, and marginalized communities across Canada and what can be done to organize positive and equitable change.
The inequality of environmental racism
There’s Something in the Water, directed by Elliot Page and Ian Daniel, was inspired by Dr. Waldron’s book of the same name. Each highlight Black or Indigenous communities in Canada that are affected by pollution and hazards from waste, industrial, and gas facilities moving into their areas and how community members have been fighting for their rights and protection of the environment.
“In Canada, your postal code determines your health,” Dr. Waldron said in the documentary. “So we know that certain communities are less healthy because of where they live.”
Through the film and the chat with Dr. Waldron and George Brown professor Natalie Wood, attendees were shown how environmental racism intersects with so many other issues, whether it be class, geography, gender, climate change, or urban planning, to name a few.
“What is happening in our places and spaces is often imbued with a sense of inequality,” she said. “Industry owners and government are now in communities that don’t necessarily want them to be there for the purposes of exploitation, profit, and capital,” Dr. Waldron said.
Dr. Waldron, who is currently the HOPE Chair in Peace and Health at McMaster University, is also the founder and director of the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities and Community Health Project (ENRICH Project). The project also inspired the federal private members bill, National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice, which was given Royal Assent as Bill C-226 in Canadian Parliament in 2024, making it the first environmental justice law in the country.
“I hope this national environmental justice strategy has real impacts. I feel it’s my responsibility to be a bit of a watchdog and see what’s happening.”
Crucial conversations
In her introduction of the new Sustainability Learning Series, Nerys Rau, Executive Director of Facilities and Sustainability at George Brown, emphasized how the institution is dedicated to addressing climate change at a local level while promoting equity, reconciliation and belonging.
“Together we aim to forge pathways for our students to discover how they can be powerful agents of change contributing to meaningful climate solutions in their chosen career paths,” she said.
The Sustainability department has also recently launched a new student volunteer Sustainability Ambassador program, offering opportunities for students to take a substantial and meaningful role in sustainability initiatives.
Ambassador Jaylynn Egerton-Brooks, who is in her final year of the interaction design program, said in her introduction to the event, “By shining a light on these issues, we can empower the next generation of leaders in the sustainability movement.”
When asked for any advice to students, Dr. Waldron emphasized the importance of listening to communities. “Never stop. Every time you wake up, there’s a chance, there’s hope.”
Want to get involved? Contact sustainability@georgebrown.ca to learn how.
