Conversations with sustainNU

Wrapping up the 3-part environmental justice series, Greg sits down with Dr. Patty Loew, Director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at Northwestern University and a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. This episode touches on past and current environmental injustices native nations face and how native youth, traditional cultures and ecological knowledge, and a sense of generational land stewardship inspire hope for a better future.

Greg sits down with Erik Birkerts, the Chief Executive Officer of Clean Energy Trust, a Chicago-based nonprofit that supports early-stage startups in the Mid-Continent region of the United States working on solutions for clean energy, decarbonization, and environmental sustainability. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for Northwestern University’s NUvention: Energy Program.

In the second episode of the environmental justice series, Greg sits down with Abigail Foerstner, the Director of the Health, Environment, and Science specialization in the Medill School of Journalism Graduate program. This episode dives into her experience reporting on local and global communities combating environmental injustices—from systemic disenfranchisement of communities of color to coastal communities dealing with rising sea levels due to climate change.

In this first episode, Northwestern's Director of Sustainability sits down with Nancy Loeb, Clinical Associate Professor of Law and the Director of the Environmental Advocacy Center at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law. This is the first episode in a series about environmental justice.