Chanelle Crosby: Zero Waste as a Solution to Environmental Injustices

How does our consumption drive our trash production? Why is it that the communities who may produce the least amount of the trash are stuck with the burden of living near incinerators? Minority communities breathe compromised air each day, while those who have higher trash production aren’t being affected. How come minority communities are the ones located in food deserts? Who is fighting for their right to access safe and clean food? While many have yet to draw the connection between Zero Waste and Environmental Justice, Chanelle Crosby has found that the disconnect between the two may be preventing both movements from reaching their full potential. Chanelle has tied the two together, stating that, “Zero Waste is a solution to environmental injustices.” Through utilizing the mindset and framework of Zero Waste, Chanelle is hopeful that environmental justice violations can be minimized.

On April 13th, 2018 I had the fortunate opportunity to interview Chanelle at Empire Coffee in Minneapolis. The main goal of the interview was to have a conversation with someone who is currently working in the environmental field in order to gain a stronger understanding of how young activists, like myself can tie together the knowledge we have of environmental justice and apply it to our communities to make a difference. I am hopeful that Chanelle’s experience and knowledge can be learned by others who have an interest in similar future work. It is valuable to hear the story of someone whose work has influenced both the Zero Waste and environmental justice movement. Chanelle’s framework of environmental justice and Zero Waste gives a critical, yet needed perspective on how we can put an end to environmental injustices by approaching our lifestyle in a new way.

Her Story

Chanelle Crosby’s work focuses mainly on educating and advocating Zero Waste throughout the Twin Cities communities. She was the Zero Waste Programs Manager at Eureka Recycling, a non-profit recycling program in Minneapolis that focuses on reuse, recycling, composting, waste reduction, and producer responsibility. Its mission is to demonstrate that waste is preventable, not inevitable (Eureka Recycling: Mission, n.d.). As the Zero Waste Programs Manager, she organized events all across the metro area relating to Zero Waste. At these events, there are volunteers who learn and demonstrate Zero Waste living. Afterwards, the volunteers have an increased competence on the subject and are more likely to conduct the sustainable actions in their personal life. Through hearing other Zero Waste stories and experiences, these volunteers feel empowered and take the knowledge they gained back home or to the workplace and in doing so, they spread awareness and encourage others to join in.

In addition to working at Eureka, Chanelle was a board member for the organization Be Zero. Be Zero, now disbanded, was a grassroots non-profit with ambassadors all over the world doing local advocacy work regarding Zero Waste. It was based out of Boulder, Colorado and is where Chanelle had her first exposure to the concept of Zero Waste. Be Zero’s work included teaching accessible methods for reducing trash, sharing resources and tools for reducing overconsumption, and inspiring individuals to adapt low-waste friendly lifestyles. Being a part of this organization has taught Chanelle how to live in a simple, supportive, sustainable way both as person and consumer.

As of July 2020, Chanelle is working as a Botanic Specialist with the Portland Community Gardens program in Portland, Oregon. She continues to use an intersectional framework to advocate for and embody regenerative practices for positive impacts on our lives, and ecosystems. Her work is still rooted in food security, the environment, health, and liberation.

Prior to moving to Minnesota to work at Eureka Recycling, Chanelle lived in Colorado and did freelance work. During this transition from Colorado to Minnesota, Chanelle’s interest in Zero Waste grew exponentially. As she moved halfway across the country, she realized she was trying to move too many possessions and instead should reevaluate the amount of things she owned. As she pulled things out, categorized, and downsized her belongings, she thought about how she was consuming. She had a realization that not only was she over consuming, but she was participating in “fast fashion.” Fast fashion is when people buy more clothes than they need in order to keep up with the “trends” as they go in and out of style. Because of fast fashion, the life of textiles has been cut drastically short. This causes many negative environmental impacts such as water pollution, the use of toxic chemicals, and increasing levels of textile waste (Perry, 2018). Overall she found herself conducting unsustainable purchasing habits and knew something had to change, and that change was to focus on Zero Waste.

Zero Waste is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. It is more than just eliminating waste through recycling and reuse, rather it focuses on restructuring production in order to reduce waste (Platt, 2018). A major component of the Zero Waste model is the cradle to cradle approach. This tactic re-defines problems by focusing on design (The National Recycling Coalition, 2016). For example, we must design products in a way so that materials flow in closed loop cycles and waste is minimized. Recycling is only the first step towards a Zero Waste future; to further the movement we must also build awareness and education. In addition, Zero Waste can be used in many different contexts as demonstrated by Bea Johnson in her book Zero Waste Home which applies Zero Waste to the individual and their lifestyle. After reading this book, Chanelle realized that she was already modeling her lifestyle off of Johnson’s tactics. The book reminds us that the Zero Waste lifestyle can be unique and individualized for each person. It is not about producing solely “no waste” but instead how each person can implement more sustainable practices into their lifestyle.

According to Chanelle, environmental justice quite literally means justice for our environment, but she also has an innovative vision for the movement.During our conversation she recalls a memoir from the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer where the author, who is a teacher, asked her students “do you love and care about the environment?” We need to give to Earth in order for Earth to continue giving to us. We must make a change in how we treat Earth, starting with minimizing environmental justice violations.and all of the students immediately raised their hands. But when asked “do you think the environment loves you back?” nobody raised their hands. This prompted a conversation where the students questioned why would Earth love us after everything we have put it through like pollution, deforestation, and more? It is important to recognize that even after all of the damage we have caused, Earth keeps on providing for us, showing that if Earth did not love us back, it would not keep on giving. The link between us and the Earth shows the mutual relationship between giving and receiving. We need to give to Earth in order for Earth to continue giving to us. We must make a change in how we treat Earth, starting with minimizing environmental justice violations.

Environmental Justice Issues

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental justice is defined as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” Environmental justice violations have been and continue to be an issue, but it was not until the early 1980’s when people finally realized it. It all began in 1982 in Warren County, North Carolina when the State of North Carolina deemed its location a safe place to build a landfill and deposit contaminated soil. The community in Warren County is 75% African American and considered low income. Not surprisingly, residents feared their water would be contaminated by PCB, a hazardous chemical, and conducted a sit-in in hopes to stop the construction of the landfill. Although the protest was unsuccessful, this event is understood to be the catalyst for the environmental justice movement that would change the future of environmental injustices (Environmental Justice, 2018).

Historically, it is clear that environmental justice has not been held, and as a result, many minority and indigenous populations have taken a brutal beating due to the lack of equality regarding environmental issues. Even today, pipelines, incinerators, and landfills tend to be located in minority communities, adversely affecting black communities and indigenous populations. Here in Minnesota, the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, hereinafter referred to as HERC, is a facility that burns garbage to create energy, resulting in pollution and poor air quality in the surrounding neighborhoods. Let us take a moment to think where HERC is located. It is not located in upper class white neighborhoods, but instead in downtown Minneapolis which inhabits many minority communities. According to a justice map, the neighborhoods just north of HERC, Near North, Hawthorne, and Jordan, household income is between $20-30k per year and over 80% are non-white residents (Justice Map – Visualize race and income data for your community, n.d.). One of the worst aspects of HERC is that the energy does not even power the communities who have to endure the pollution; instead most of the energy is used to power Target Field. This trend is seen not only in our community, but all over the world and we must stop these environmental injustices from happening in the first place by examining our own lifestyle.

Our waste production ultimately contributes to these environmental justice violations. Chanelle sees three main environmental justice issues that we can combat by promoting a Zero Waste mindset. The first issue examines the link between pipelines, incinerators and trash production and how our consumption drives our trash production. As stated earlier, many pipelines and incinerators are located in minority communities. In order to combat these injustices, we must recognize how our goods are wrapped. Our trash production may eventually go to an incinerator and if we do not want to support incinerators, we must use our voice to make a difference. Chanelle recommends we go to the manufacturer and tell them “We don’t want to support pipelines and incinerators, so you have to stop making this product wrapped in this material, otherwise you will lose my purchase.” Instead of adding to the trash production, we are encouraging the producer to think in a Zero Waste mindset so that their products flow in a closed loop. We are using the power of the consumer and human voice to make a difference.

Chanelle also points out that there is a lack of representation for people of color in the Zero Waste movement. Although the Zero Waste movement can come across as extreme, elitist, and superficial, people of color can change the representation of Zero Waste by sharing their stories and experiences.She says there are and always have been people of color doing this work, but for some reason they have not had the opportunity to be heard. It is important that all stories and voices are shared and heard. She explains that although the Zero Waste movement can come across as extreme, elitist, and superficial, people of color can change the representation of Zero Waste by sharing their stories and experiences. Chanelle is a prime example of someone who is using her stories as anecdotal evidence as a woman of color to change the representation of Zero Waste. She is involved in many different Zero Waste organizations and proves to be making a difference with her work.

Lastly, food deserts are a major concern within the Twin Cities area. Within the metro area, there are areas where there are no grocery stores within two miles; these places are often called food deserts or food apartheids. A food desert is a part of the country lacking fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas… which is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers” (USDA Defines Food Deserts, n.d.). Minnesota is ranked as the 7th worst state in the nation with no groceries close to their homes and “more than 1.6 million Minnesotans — 30 percent of the state’s population — lack easy access to healthy food” (Kamal 2017; Reinan, 2017). Fortunately, many have realized this concern and are fighting for food justice, the connection between what people eat, what kind of food is produced, and how it is accessed (Gottlieb, 2009).

Chanelle was a volunteer at Open Arms of Minnesota, a nonprofit that grows, cooks, and delivers nutritious meals to people in the Twin Cities area. Specifically, it has created a support network for people in the community who live with life-threatening illnesses. Doing so ensures that even if people do not have access or the opportunity to go to a grocery store, they are still provided with food. Open Arms believes that food is medicine and provides over 600,000 meals each year to people living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and ALS, as well as their caretakers and dependents (Open Arms of Minnesota, n.d.). Through support and joining organizations like Open Arms, we can help better understand the connection between environmental justice and food justice and the necessary actions that need to be taken in order to stop these health disparities.

Conclusion

My interview with Chanelle reminds us that in the fight for environmental justice, it can be beneficial to focus with a Zero Waste mindset. Zero Waste has proven to be a strong tactic both in environmental justice and the environmentalist movement as a whole. Zero Waste is a solution to environmental injustices. It is important to recognize that Zero Waste is more than a white environmentalist movement. It may appear that you have to have certain resources to be Zero Waste, but this is not necessarily true. Zero Waste is a mindset that is individualized and unique to each person. Chanelle’s work is the beginning of a powerful movement that connects Zero Waste and environmental justice.

Chanelle’s main motivation comes from Braiding Sweetgrass which states, “In gathering roots, just plunging in will get you nothing but a hole. We have to unlearn hurrying. This is about slowness. First we give. Then we take.” This quote reminds us that the fight for environmental justice can be a long slow marathon process. Although it can be overwhelming, according to Chanelle, we must be patient and think about how we can transform pain and emerge into something new. We must be inclusive and put in the work in order to come out with something greater. This philosophy was inspired by the quote “Nobody is free until everybody is free” by Fannie Lou Hamer.

The question now becomes, what work needs to be done to achieve this justice? Chanelle has several recommendations to those who want to get involved in the movement. One of the biggest struggles toward progress is the lack of intergenerational conversations within the community. We must start communicating with people who are not our peers in order to grow as people in all generations. As stated earlier, if we want to change the representation of the Zero Waste movement, everyone must have the opportunity to share their experiences; the power of stories is much stronger than many people think. Personal narratives and anecdotal evidences have proven to be most relevant and effective. Lastly, there are many people doing amazing work in the environmental justice movement and we must recognize, support, and join them.

Chanelle’s optimistic and insightful outlook on environmental justice is just the beginning. In her concluding statement she said “What changes do you want to see in the world? We can’t do anything without the support of each other. We must see the value in ourselves as much as we see the value in Earth. Earth needs us and we need Earth.”

References

Be Zero: Our Mission. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bezero.org/our-mission/

Environmental Justice. (2018, April 24). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice

Eureka Recycling: Mission. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.eurekarecycling.org/our-story

Gottlieb, R. (2009). Where We Live, Work, Play . . . and Eat: Expanding the Environmental Justice Agenda. Environmental Justice, 2(1), 7-8. doi:10.1089/env.2009.0001

Justice Map – Visualize race and income data for your community. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justicemap.org/index.php

Kamal, R. (2017, July 23). Minnesota Among Worst States for Food Deserts. Retrieved from http://thecwtc.com/news/local/minnesota-among-worst-states-for-food-deserts

Open Arms of Minnesota. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.openarmsmn.org/aboutus/

Perry, P. (2018, January 08). The Environmental Costs of Fast Fashion. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/environment-costs-fast-fashion-pollution-waste-sustainability-a8139386.html

Platt, B., Stumo-Langer, N., Seldman, N. (2018, April 04). Zero Waste: A History Primer. Retrieved from https://ilsr.org/zero-waste-primer/

Reinan, J. (2017, May 06). Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans live in ‘food deserts’. Retrieved from http://www.startribune.com/hundreds-of-thousands-of-minnesotans-live-in-food-deserts/42535133/

The National Recycling Coalition. (2016, August 8). What is Zero Waste? Retrieved from https://nrcrecycles.org/blog/2016/08/08/what-is-zero-waste/

USDA Defines Food Deserts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/usda-defines-food-deserts