Environmental Racism and Work in a Warming World Workshop
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Patricia Chong (Asian Canadian Labour Alliance) and Chris Wilson (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists) co-delivered a 2-hour module of the Environmental Racism Workshop at the Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference organized by the Toronto and York Region Labour Council on June 1st, 2019.

 

 

 

 

2-Hour Workshop for Large Groups

Environmental Racism and Work in a Warming World Workshop: Facilitator Notes

By The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists & Adapting Canadian Work & Workplaces

Workshop Learning Objectives

By the end of the 2-hour workshop, participants should be able to do the following:

1) Explain what environmental racism is and how it impacts Racialized and Indigenous communities in Canada;

2) Describe the connection between environmental racism and the workplace;

3) Explain how Racialized and Indigenous workers have been marginalized by the Green Jobs Revolution;

NOTE:

• These are suggested workshop facilitation notes. Users are encouraged to adapt the workshop to fit their needs
• This 2-hour workshop is a shortened version of an 8 hour (full-day) workshop. For the full-length version of the facilitator notes, the participant companion guide, additional resources, please visit: https://adaptingcanadianwork.ca/environmental-racism-acw-workshop-companion-guide-facilitators-notes/
• Bibliographic information is provided in the workshop companion guide

 

Download Workshop Guide (PDF)

 

Download additional notes (PDF)

 

Download the Presentation (PDF)

 

 

 

Green Transitions in the Built Environment: Europe
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Presentation by Linda Clarke, Melahat Sahin-Dikmen, Colin Gleeson, ProBE (Centre for the Study of the Production of the Built Environment), University of Westminster, at ACW All-Team Meeting’s Researcher Presentations.

November 2018

 

View the Presentation (PDF)

 

Environmental Racism-ACW Workshop Companion Guide and Facilitator’s Notes
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Environmental Racism & Work in a Warming World:
Workshop Companion Guide and Facilitator’s Notes

Green is not White
Art by Favianna Rodriguez

Research Partnership: ACW & CBTU

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) was invited to become a partner organization with Adapting Canadian and Workplaces (ACW) given the organizations unique mandate to provide a voice for workers of African-descent along with CBTU’s engagement within the environmental justice movement. The research uses an approach (participatory action research) to research in communities that emphasizes participation and action. It seeks to understand the world by trying to change it, collaboratively and following reflection.

The workshop was based on this research partnership.

 

As the pressure of global warming upends jobs, education, health and our communities, the impact of environmental racism exposes the destructive suppression of Racialized and Indigenous dreams and aspirations for economy equality. At the same time, Climate Change can serve as a social catalyst through the creation of new economic opportunities for Canada’s Racialized and Indigenous communities but if we are not active the transition to a green economy will not be just and we will again be on the margins.

The workshop explores the following research framework themes:

1. The impact of environmental racism exposes the destructive suppression of Racialized and Indigenous dreams and aspirations for economy equality.
2. At the same time, Climate Change can serve as a social catalyst through the creation of new economic opportunities for Canada’s Racialized and Indigenous communities. It presents us with an opportunity to change.
3. If Canada’s Racialized and Indigenous communities are not engaged in the struggle, the transition to a green economy will not be just. There can be no change without a struggle.

This workshop companion guide:

• Contains all participant materials
• Provides information about workshop origins and research framework
• Provides more in-depth information and resources of issues and concepts addressed in the workshop
• Lists relevant research
• Lists community, environmental, and labour organizations
• Lists ways for participants to take action

 

Download Companion Guide (PDF)

 

Environmental Racism and Work in a Warming World Workshop

FACILITATOR NOTES
By The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists & Adapting Canadian Work & Workplaces

 

Download Facilitator's Notes (PDF)

 

CBTU Leads Environmental Racism Workshop for Teachers
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Jawara Gairey
Jawara Gairey of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists facilitated the workshop on environmental racism for Elementary Teachers of Toronto

Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) invited Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) to come speak to their Environment Committee around the issue of Environmental Racism and Work on the morning of Federation Day (December 1st, 2017). The workshop was slotted to be from 9:00am to 10:30am followed by a 10:30am to 12:00pm presentation by LeRoi Newbold of #BLMTO on addressing systematic anti-black racism in our schools and communities. It was held at SH Armstrong Community Centre at 56 Woodfield Rd. (Queen E. and Greenwood).

Jawara Gairey facilitated the workshop, which ran for about 1.5 hours. The workshop focused on how climate change exposes structural racial inequality and the opportunity that this exposure provides racialized communities to strategize towards a just transition. Jawara presented a PowerPoint to a group of around 40 ETT activists. The workshop also included interactive participant activities to add their knowledge to the discussion. The feedback received from ETT activists included how to implement strategies within their respective schools and communities to engage students and adults on the topic. ETT activists also submitted a variety of ideas from creating intentional action such as teaching children to create food gardens at school and promote local consumption practices, free cycling hubs for children to commute to school, and developing strategies around the skills required for racialized students to be prepared for the Green Economy from the K-8 grades.

ETT Executive Member Joy Lachica spoke with members about sharing these ideas with the executive in order to get some traction within ETFO and have deliberations with the Government on the need to promote these initiatives for structural change in the education curriculum. Joy Lachica captured members’ experiences:

“It was such an amazing workshop; activists and curious members were there because they chose to be over many other offerings. Thus, the group conversations were rich and insightful. I felt that the passionate hearts for these issues who ventured to the east end, found resources, support and new vision for this work at their sites.”

The next steps following the workshop included the contribution to research from the participant’s feedback, sharing of the research initiative on social media, connecting with ETT for initiatives linking to our research.

Dark Politics: Climate Change and Labour Transitions in an Unstable World
by | posted in: Events, Posts, Presentations | 0

International Panel

Nov 26, 2016
Vancouver, BC

An Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces Outreach Event

 

 

Download the brochure (PDF)

 

Chair
Jim Chorostecki, Executive Director of the BC Federation of Labour

Panelists
Bela Galgoczi, Senior Researcher at the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), speaks on “The Rise of Dark Politics in the EU” Starts 4:24 | Slides

Linda Clark, Professor of European Industrial Relations at the University of Westminster, speaks on “Does Brexit blur a low-carbon future?” Starts 27:30 | Slides

Dimitris Stevis, Professor of Politics at Colorado State University, speaks on “Island of Green in a Dark Sea? Climate Politics in Trump’s USA” Starts 45:49| Slides

Larry Brown, President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), speaks on “What’s Wrong with Globalization?” Starts 59:26

Discussant
John Calvert, political scientist specializing in public policy. Starts 1:17:35

Evaluating Government Plans and Actions to Reduce GHG Emissions in Canada: The State of Play in 2016
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Presentation by Bruce Campbell, CCPA & University of Ottawa, and Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, at ACW All Team Meeting Researcher’s Workshop.

 

Vancouver, November 2016

 

Download the presentation (PDF)