Environmental Justice Video Challenge for Students

Published December 2, 2024

Many communities face greater environmental exposures and public health risks due to a history of inequitable environmental policies and access to the decision-making process. Environmental justice is 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. To gain additional insights into the environmental justice issues faced by communities, EPA saw an opportunity to work with college students and community organizations to see how they might use publicly available data and tools to address local environmental concerns. In 2021, EPA, along with the American Public Health Association (APHA), Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Justice (peer-reviewed journal), and Groundwork USA, launched the Environmental Justice (EJ) Video Challenge for Students. The challenge aimed to address environmental inequities using data and tools, and the goals of the challenge were to inspire college students to work directly with communities to identify and characterize EJ issues and to develop strategies to help communities address those challenges. 

In Phase 1 of the challenge, students created videos demonstrating innovative approaches to identify and characterize EJ issues in selected communities using publicly available data and tools. In 2022, the top ten Phase 1 entries were awarded a total of $45,000 and the opportunity to meet with EPA tool developers. In Phase 2, students worked collaboratively with community-based organizations to develop strategies demonstrating effective community engagement and advocacy to address the EJ issue(s) identified in Phase 1. Teams also created videos summarizing their proposed ideas. In 2023, the five top-ranked Phase 2 entries won a total of $175,000, which was divided among the students and their partner community organizations. 

Challenge Winner Highlights

The first-place team in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the challenge consisted of students from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and their community partner, Orange County Environmental Justice (OCEJ). Their winning proposal focused on the identification and removal of lead from soil by community members. OCEJ is using their $50,000 prize to implement a pilot version of the soil bioremediation proposal at a site in downtown Santa Ana, California. The OCEJ soil bioremediation program trains community members (called “soil practitioners”) to collect soil samples, measure soil-lead levels, and develop bioremediation sites using native plants and fungi. The initial cohort of soil practitioners will then train fellow community members in vulnerable areas to treat the soil in their communities. In 2024, OCEJ focused on recruiting for the first cohort of soil practitioners, developing training materials, acquiring access to materials and equipment to measure lead in the soil samples, and selecting the types of plants to deploy.

The UCI students continue to be involved in the project and submitted a winning proposal to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge to obtain additional funds for the program. The students are also working with ¡Plo-NO!, a coalition of researchers and community organizers, to draft manuscripts on OCEJ’s framework for community science and how it can be applied in other communities. 

In addition to providing a direct impact for the Santa Ana community, this challenge showcased a unique method of communicating information on EJ issues. After the conclusion of the challenge, Dr. Connie McGuire, the faculty advisor to the UCI team, shared, “The EPA EJ Video Challenge demonstrated the importance and power of video as a strategy to enhance collaboration and communication between university-based and community-based researchers. The implications of this research and the mitigation project came alive through the two videos and exponentially increased the impact.”

Another EJ Video Challenge winner, the “Eastwick” team from the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, were awarded an honorable mention in Phase 1 and second place in Phase 2 of the challenge. Partnered with Eastwick United Community Development Corporation, the team focused on the underserved, majority-Black Eastwick community in south Philadelphia. Informed by the historical redlining and poor city planning, the team used tools such as EPA’s EJScreen: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool, Climate Central’s Surging Seas Coastal Risk Screening Tool, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's Social Vulnerability Index to determine that Eastwick experiences disproportionate impacts from toxic soil, frequent and catastrophic floods, poor air quality, and the highest rates of cancer and respiratory illnesses in the region. While the city of Philadelphia has attempted to mediate the burdens Eastwick faces, the team believes that incorporating data and insights from community members would improve the city’s efforts to address Eastwick’s environmental justice concerns. 

To address these EJ concerns, the students and Eastwick United team proposed a “land swap” relocation strategy based on community leader support. The goal was to assist the community members most affected by flooding and contaminated soil in relocating to safer areas of Eastwick. The city had previously proposed that Eastwick residents evacuate the area, but no relocation area or plan was provided. Eastwick United’s land swap proposal could improve the lives of residents while maintaining “community cohesion and a strong connection to place while also offering a path to improved living conditions, health outcomes, and secure housing”, said Aminah McNulty, a member of the challenge team. 

Since the winners of the challenge were announced, the team’s community partner, Eastwick United, has been able to expand their community ambassador program to educate residents — a key metric of success outlined in their Phase 2 strategy proposal. The Eastwick United Community Ambassador Program focuses on the involvement of young people serving as community ambassadors who advocate for the investment and future development of Eastwick through sharing knowledge about their community’s environmental assets, hazards, and historical context. 

One community ambassador is Ammarava Mika-El, a college student seeking to work in environmental remediation. “My involvement as an Eastwick United Community Ambassador has shown me how communities can get together to create change for themselves,” Mika-El said. 

Mika-El closely advised the challenge team’s Phase 2 project proposal, and the team shared that “[Mika-El] continued her efforts to secure resources to address the ongoing and future impacts of climate change in Eastwick. In her role as a Delaware River Fellow with the Alliance for Watershed Education, she championed inclusivity and environmental stewardship through improved accessibility to Bartram’s Garden river programs.”

Finally, with the momentum of the Eastwick United Community Ambassador Program, Eastwick residents proposed the revitalization of a closed school into an environmental justice community action center to bring economic development to Eastwick and further align the community with businesses, recreation, entertainment venues, and “community gathering and educational spaces.”

Challenge Impacts

The impacts of this challenge expanded beyond community engagement and into the public health arena with students from winning teams presenting at the “Emerging Scholars Theater” during the APHA 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo. Alaina Bryant presented on behalf of the Honorable Mention “Addressing Environmental Issues Identified in Martinsville, IN” team, which consisted of Purdue University students and members of the Martinsville Indiana Superfund Site Association and The Community Advisory Board & Engagement Team for the Martinsville Environmental Community Action Project. McKenna Dunbar presented on behalf of the 3rd place “Pollution to Prosperity: Tackling Landfill Impacts for a Thriving Future” team, which consisted of students from the University of Richmond and their community partner Concerned Citizens of Charles City County. 

This challenge also inspired the career direction for Eastwick team member Aminah McNulty. “Seeing the direct impact of facilitating federal funds to a community organization inspired me to pursue a career in federal service,” McNulty said. “I plan to continue serving as a bridge to ensure federal support reaches environmental justice communities in need.”

The EJ Video Challenge for Students brought together a coalition of passionate students, community organizations, and community members to identify EJ concerns in their community and create viable strategies to address them. The creativity and initiative taken by the student and community organization teams will inspire others in their quest for environmental justice and serve as examples for other communities to follow. For more information and to view the winning videos and strategy proposals, visit the EJ Video Challenge for Students webpage.

This story was written by Sania W. Tong Argao, Senior Environmental Justice Coordinator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) and Joe Bullard, contractor for Oak Ridge Associated Universities supporting ORD’s Environmental Justice program.