Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

ENVS 0401 A Community Engaged Environmental Studies Practicum Presentations: Building for the Future While Navigating Uncertainty

As we find ourselves in a time of great uncertainty due to a rapidly changing federal and global landscape, how can, and will local community organizations continue their work toward equitable, resilient, and just communities in Vermont? Through this overarching lens, this section of the Community-Engaged Practicum explored one of Vermont’s most challenging and cross-cutting issues—safe, clean, and affordable housing. Our community partners represent organizations working at the nexus of energy and climate considerations, legislative frameworks around new housing development, affordability and lowering energy burdens, and cultivating access for all. Students used an environmental justice framework to examine with their partners how housing security, energy affordability, and climate resilience intersect with broader patterns of social and environmental inequities, ensuring that strategies for a just transition prioritize historically marginalized and frontline communities.