Honors Course: Investigating Environmental Justice Through Lived Experience

Left: Dr. Victor Thasiah; Right: Mia Deck '24 (Photo Credit: Taryn Gaulke '23)

Honors Course: Investigating Environmental Justice Through Lived Experience

By Gbemi Abon

Fast fashion has become an important topic lately in conversations about environmental sustainability. Mia Deck ‘24 had the opportunity to research fast fashion in her honors class “Environmental Justice” with Dr. Victor Thasiah last Fall. 

The first class at CLU dedicated entirely to environmental justice, this course focuses on critically examining primary sources on environmental justice activism, including Indigenous sources that are sometimes excluded from these conversations. The course also highlights topics covered through environmental justice case studies that include civil and human rights, sacred sites, public health, occupational safety, natural communities, and both physical and built environments. 

Deck chose to focus her final project on fast fashion as an avid shopper who often finds that many companies are unsustainable. “They preach things that they don’t actually practice through hidden costs,” she tells Pluriverse. “We live in an economy and society that promotes being trendy. Thus, we make decisions that aren’t effective or sustainable which not only affect the limited resources we have, but also marginalized communities,” she says. 

Dr. Thasiah believes that Deck’s topic of fast fashion connects well with students. “Mia did a great job of presenting a map of the world and the factories that collapse overseas. She showed the unjust labor conditions, drew connections between the labels we wear and the global travel of getting those clothing items to us, talked about environmental fallout and waste of clothing and the impact of fossil fuels on the environment from the things made just for us, and how the low prices of clothing do not reflect this,” he says.

In addition to this, Deck learned a great deal about the business cycle and different products used in the fast fashion industry, including the dyes and textiles that affect the environment, causing contaminated water and drought.

Deck believes that examining the consequences of fast fashion to the environment and marginalized communities has made her more aware of her actions. “I probably won’t be going vegan anytime soon but [I am] changing my consuming habits and shopping patterns,” she says. 

Dr. Thasiah explains that one of the novel things about his course is the focus on “non-academic” sources that are often overlooked by the academic community. 

“Taking bits of film, music, pop culture, and photography and having students explore and use them was very interesting and exciting,” Dr. Thasiah says. He hopes that this diversity of sources allows for better inclusion of those with lived experiences of environmental injustice in conversations affecting their communities. In the course, students learn how to determine which sources are credible and how to balance academic and non-academic sources. 

Dr. Thasiah believes that this course will only become more critical as climate change increasingly disrupts social and political relations in our world. This is an important time for all Cal Lutheran students, not just those in honors, to explore these topics, he says. Currently, environmental studies is offered only as a minor; however, next year, it will be expanded to a major, with this environmental justice course as an upper division requirement. The course will also be open to non-majors.