Using NBS to Center Equity and Justice in Chicago
Environmental injustices have pervaded Chicago for decades, and continue to do so. While NBS can provide a multitude of benefits to neighborhoods, the way that they're allocated, planned, implemented and maintained is critical. Careful stewardship is required to ensure that NBS are pursued with respect to the agency of residents, and avoid potential unintended consequences.
This session's speakers have extensive experience doing this work with communities, and possess a deep understanding of the complex issues involved in truly equitable engagement.
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Guests
Isabelle Anguelovski
Isabelle is the director of BCNUEJ, an ICREA research professor, a senior researcher and principal investigator at ICTA and coordinator of the research group Healthy Cities and Environmental Justice at IMIM. As part of several collaborative and individual international research projects, she studies how environmental injustice is materialized and contested.
Olga Bautista
Olga is president of the Southeast Environmental Task Force. She is a lifelong resident and community organizer of Chicago’s Southeast Side, and a founding member of Chicago’s Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke.
Forrest Cortes
Forrest is director of community engagement for The Nature Conservancy in Illinois, where he leads a team dedicated to fostering connections between people and nature to improve the health of both. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Ecology and Management, but often says that his knowledge stems from hitting the trails, putting his hands in the dirt, and spending time listening to the wisdom found in Chicago's communities. As a volunteer, Forrest serves on the Chicago Audubon Society board and coordinates an LGBTQIA+ outdoor meetup group called Out In Nature.
