Michigan Solutions for All: Profile Series

What drove you to get involved in environmental and climate justice work in Michigan?

The intersection of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educational programs directed particularly at middle through high school students and having a post-secondary educational background in science while also having experience in graduate research. Both of those aforementioned areas of STEM and research are reference markers for me, naturally presenting environmental and climate justice work as areas of impact that had relevant meaning and importance for impact for the majority of my adult life that I’ve spent in Michigan. Having a somewhat broadly clear understanding of some of the technical/science aspects related to climate from a global to local systems perspective from academic studies in geoscience has contributed meaningfully to my drift to this work. Collaborating with various individuals and organizations that have been concerned with specific issues (water affordability, recycling, place-based learning, urban farming, etc.,) or challenging friction points on the ground through neighborhood community scale engagement has facilitated that transition of working in the environmental climate justice nexus here in Michigan. Overwhelmingly, there are many intertwined and woven aspects that drove me to participate in different ways.  The range of environmental and climate justice issues in Michigan are diverse where my brief but interesting experience has offered valuable opportunities to stay aware of the lack of a public health or well-being centered critical scientific lens that is absent and not applied by overly influential private sectors and governmental decision makers that have been particularly injurious to residents in past and present in Michigan.  

Can you share a recent win or project that your organization has led that you’re especially proud of?

Some of the more recent work with organization Feed Your Neighborhood and GROW House Project has brought me to work with partners that are looking to positively influence the food insecurity distribution waste challenge through renewable resilience, home electrification/decarbonization, and the environmental impacts of indoor air quality awareness being included as part of education of energy efficiency.One of the valuable aspects that has emerged from the working with high school students to take issue, challenge , or novel problem that is interdisciplinary like food insecurity, mobility, resilience, and renewable energy being applied to interesting solution of a off-grid refrigerator kiosk. I have especially enjoyed working with other youth centered place-based educational programs like Birwood House Community Lens that provide an immersive yet holistic experience for the students to consider the often challenging thinking aspects associated with deep thought work and foundational elements of leadership through self-development.

What challenges are you or your community facing — and how are you responding?

There is a growing challenge of how food systems and energy resilience has emerged that was always present but with continued pressure on economic stability brings into attention how the various distribution nodes where distribution of  food to the community while addressing food insecurity are also points of requiring “hardening” so that those sites are able to store or provide long duration food storage for perishable and/or non-perishables that may come from other neighborhood sites (urban farms, restaurants, stores or individuals). The ability to store overflow or other food resources distributed year around at various smaller sites that allow households to access on that doesn’t require personnel or being grid-tied is an useful endeavor so that the larger distribution sites are not the only locations that can store and provide real-time unscheduled food access within neighborhoods. Small scale food refrigeration and storage sites powered by renewable energy and battery storage can offer unique loci of connections with other stakeholders in the community while offering opportunities for other services for residents like battery charging, EMobility, WiFi hubs, emergency items etc., Another challenge that is surfacing and will continue to emerge in many forms is the lack of adjustments and pivots absent in current educational landscape to pipeline more young people into not only the building trades but also other skilled technical career paths that will support the climate, environmental, food, and energy emergencies that we will face over the next 1-2 decades.

What does a healthy and just future look like in your community, and what will it take to get there?

A re-balancing is required that provides more of the tools + resources for communities to develop more intelligent and spatial relevant decision-making that builds collaboration and communities with more dynamic solutions in-situ or community-sourced from the range of expertise of various groups and/or individuals that live in a neighborhood. The healthy and just future has decentralized community resources like renewable energy and battery community shared micro-grids that provide tri-directional benefits – grid, residential, and commercial actors. The adaptive reuse of legacy buildings that are symbolic of benign and neglect policies would be converted to public (community) private partner enterprises where the economic value is based on a clearly defined scope of distributed economics principles that facilitate financial resources that directly flow to those localized communities to further develop and improve intra-community resiliency and/or economic stability. More importantly, the role of the municipality is a facilitator and less of a central actor in the solution-solving for people.  In essence, an inside-out approach to community benefits that shifts the friction away from community vs private enterprise to a community + private vs policy + government inertia to yield the most viable and long-term mutually beneficial systems-based solution outcomes. Infrastructure, land-use, and energy needs are addressed holistically where community solar + battery energy storage systems (BESS) are part of a hybrid community municipal resource methodology where shares of ownership are shared between the relevant circuit level neighborhoods and the municipality. Smart and affordable housing development is based on attributes that incorporate and requiring certain fundamental technologies are included like solar PV, green storm water infrastructure, and micro-grid ready utility connections. New housing developments and associated municipal benefits are structured to prioritize developers that are local residents. Housing that prioritizes the unique characteristics of existing neighborhood needs as well as preserving and utilizing existing green spaces that development enhances based on the direct feedback of residents.

What advice or message would you share with others fighting for their communities across the country?

“The time calls for enhanced partnerships with the full range of advocates and allies that can leverage more collective resources, expertise, and resource pools for collaborative solution-making. The challenges that are faced by communities are multifaceted, multi-sectorial, and interdisciplinary in nature. Any approaches or strategies in the fight will require respecting and appreciating the unique areas of specialities that different individuals and/ or organizations can bring to bear to develop a strategic layered strategy of resistance or “fight plan”. In some cases, the primary challenge of trust among the various parties must acknowledge that economics carries different levels of significance for different individuals and the ability to scale solutions that brings some form of resilience to the fight requires acknowledging that different partners require different needs and those needs can change over time but robust systems that are designed with cooperative principles or attributes can foster long-term effectiveness. Capital takes shape in many forms and the challenging creative work to respectfully honor those varied inputs required to build resilient solutions hinges on open dialogue that is not a remix of the same approaches or mindsets only dressed to hide individualistic money driven motives. The most innovative solutions most likely will reflect a room of individuals and those with backgrounds that are as diverse as the many species on this planet. It should be no surprise that if nature has achieved success in this unconventional matter with scale then one should not be surprised that solutions that arise from our human willingness to understand that all the variables can’t be controlled but if the connections within a system of resistant solutions are strongly bonded on mutual values and principles, outcomes and tools can arise from those origins of diverse actors that have contributed to one of the infinite possible outcomes.“

What drove you to get involved in environmental and climate justice work in Michigan?

Growing up in Detroit, I saw the devastating impacts of environmental racism and social injustice in my community. I recall the 2014 flood that occurred in Detroit, the largest flood at the time, which flooded hundreds of basements, caused millions of dollars in property damage, and completely covered local freeways. They looked like large swimming pools. People were trapped inside their homes because water came up to their porches. I remember thinking, “These people will get compensated for their losses, right?” This was a natural disaster, and we had never seen rain like that before. Unfortunately, people applied to FEMA for relief and many were denied for various reasons: because they weren’t home owners, they were behind on their taxes, they couldn’t properly estimate their losses, etc. Some people just gave up.  Seeing this helped me understand how systemic environmental justice issues are.

After undergrad, I worked in my first environmental role, working with community-based organizations (CBOs) to support clean water advocacy. I knew after working in this role, I wanted a long-term career doing EJ and climate justice work. I knew there was a potential to have a career working and helping communities to advance social justice work through an environmental lens. I later completed my Master’s of Environment and Sustainability with a focus on Environmental Justice at the University of Michigan. Since graduating, I’ve joined the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, helping to lead the Justice 40 Accelerator: a statewide technical assistance program managed by the Department of Great Lakes, Energy, Environment (EGLE) and administered by Elevate Energy. I provide CBOs with guidance and connection to resources to support their efforts in carrying out climate justice and environmental justice priorities in their communities. 

Can you share a recent win or project that your organization has led that you’re especially proud of?

The Justice 40 Accelerator is a really great project that I have been fortunate to lead on behalf of MEJC. For the first time in the history of EGLE as an agency, the J40 Accelerator was created to help communities across the state with capacity-building and to meet the demand of historic federal funding opportunities that had come through the Inflation Reduction Act. While the political landscape has since shifted away from funding environmental justice as a priority, the impact that myself, along with the rest of the J40 team, have been able to accomplish is admirable. Despite hardships, we have retained full participation in the Accelerator, all 25 cohort members have received technical assistance in some form, and nearly all organizations have applied to funding with many receiving or waiting to hear back on awards. While the rescinding funds from organizations across the country have gotten most of the attention, and rightly so, I do believe the success of the J40 Accelerator makes evident that climate justice should not only be a priority, but fully funded and supported by local, state, and federal governments.

What challenges are you or your community facing — and how are you responding?

Right now, there are challenges where everyday people can’t access affordable energy and other critical utilities. DTE’s request for another price hike, despite receiving one earlier in the year and also having unreliable service,  is the perfect example of corporate greed with a cherry on top. Energy bills in Michigan are increasingly getting higher, yet if it ever rains too hard, power outages are not far behind. MEJC is providing community-level resources to help DTE customers with ratepayer clinics, community education on customer rights, and how to access legal assistance.

What does a healthy and just future look like in your community, and what will it take to get there?

A healthy and just future looks like increased employment opportunities for neighborhoods and communities, where a circular economy can be built and systems can be created by the very people harmed by environmental injustice. This includes more investment in youth working on climate resilience,  hiring locally, requiring contractors that win city bids to hire and prioritize Detroiters first, improving public transportation, and providing affordable housing. We need true community solar and access to renewable energy to help combat unaffordable energy, and a permanent water affordability plan to prevent shutoff. These are not ideas, but some of the solutions needed to move us towards an equitable society.

What advice or message would you share with others fighting for their communities across the country?

“We are truly living in times that require us in the fight for justice to stay strong. In the words of John Lewis, we need to stay in good trouble. Even in fear and disarray, we can choose to fight the good fight, because our communities deserve nothing less.  While there is uncertainty in the future, we must clarify our hearts, where we stand, and continue the work done before us. We will be okay.”

Gloria J. Lowe is the Founder and Acting Executive Director of We Want Green, Too.

We Want Green, Too is a frontline and community-led organization dedicated to creating an inclusive, safe, sustainable, and energy-efficient community space to serve veterans and Detroit’s East Side. Gloria became involved in climate and environmental work in 2001 when she realized how crucial re-educating and community outreach are in fighting systemic racism. Facing gentrification, economic divestment, and environmental devastation, the Detroit community desires the same quality of health, safety, and economic development shared by communities that are self-sufficient and self-determined. In a time of electoral upheaval, We Want Green, Too has won a $1M HUD award and is part of an $8M agreement with DTE Energy.

What advice or message would you share with others fighting for their communities across the country?

“Be patient, be resilient and keep fighting for what you want create it your way and let spirit be your guide.“