ESAL chatted with Cindy Hua, board member of Downwinders at Risk and chair of the Particulate Matter Education Committee, about her work on empowering residents to engage with the civic process and her journey into local activism.

Developmental psychology PhD candidate Nanxi Xu recalls her experience with writing an impactful science note through the Missouri Local Science Engagement Network and how it contributed to increased awareness of education and mental health considerations across the state of Missouri.

ESAL spoke with biologist, environmental and social justice advocate, and founder Monica Unseld about her experiences with environmental justice and how they have shaped her efforts in empowering communities to hold large corporations responsible for adequate public health.

Earlier this year, ESAL’s Steering Committee met to discuss how well we are addressing matters of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in our work as well as in our organization.

The BLOCK Project is a grassroots program confronting the challenge of skyrocketing rent and property values. The project builds detached accessory dwelling units in backyards to house people. To date, the project has built 10 homes, with another 5 anticipated within the next year.