I am constantly subject to the teasing of my friends that I am "earthocrunchy" because I print on recycled paper and bring a mug to the grille. Many of my friends believe that the environment is boring and that they don't have to worry about it, because they know somebody else is. But there is more to being earthocrunchy than saving a few sheets of paper, and this ties into our undeniable dependence on and connection to the earth. Power structures and inequality cannot be understood without looking at how we interact with the environment.

First of all, issues of race, class and gender are inextricably linked to the world around us—our environment. Women, people of color and the working class are more likely to be affected by environmental concerns such as toxins in our drinking water or in the air. The use of chemical cleaning supplies, pesticides, fertilizers and fungicides leave those working with the chemicals especially vulnerable to their toxic effects. Cancer, asthma and birth complications can be attributed to these toxins. Those most likely to work with toxic chemicals and pesticides are women, immigrants and people of color; these groups are more often forced into work as domestic laborers and migrant farm laborers due to institutional factors that exclude specific populations from attaining any sort of higher political or economic power.

Ironically, these workers are least likely to be informed of their rights as workers. For example, in California migrant workers are often exposed to Captan and other chemical pesticides used to ensure growth of those perfect tomatoes and heads of lettuce we love so much. These workers, frequently sprayed by low flying helicopters spewing pesticides (which kill many helpful insects that eat the so-called "bad" insects for lunch), are usually paid below minimum wage. Since many are undocumented workers from Mexico, they fear deportation. Language barriers make it difficult for them to communicate with their bosses, to demand fair working conditions and to unionize. While groups, such as the United Farm Workers led by Cesar Chavez, began to develop in the sixties and have been somewhat effective in such movements as bringing clean drinking water to the fields, creating sanitary latrine areas and organizing a grape boycott, the situation of migrant farm workers remains largely unchanged. At these field sites, environmental degradation meets racism, xenophobia and classism. Poor migrant families face the additional obstacles of skin rashes, cancer, asthma, poisoning and even children born without limbs due to toxic chemicals that also pollute groundwater, poison the air and destroy eco-systems.

Similar situations occur nationally in schools, public bathrooms, kitchens and on privatized farms. Janitors often work with chemical cleaning supplies that threaten their health and the health of their families, yet few know of the potential hazards they work with daily. The lower/working class population is also most likely to be affected by issues of displacement, contamination and hazardous waste as growing landfills invade more and more of our precious land.

So what does all of this have to do with us at Macalester? We must become informed consumers, understanding where our food comes from and the affect this has on the workers and on our own health. Where do those Café Mac bananas come from? What methods were used to ensure their growth and survival through days of long distance travel? We must understand the consequences of clear cutting forests, driving high emission cars and creating waste that will sit undegraded and uncomposted for decades. We need to think about what the earth will look like in seven generations if we continue to waste paper cups, plastic wrappings, sheets of paper and all of the other daily items we rarely stop to consider. I guess I would say that I am interested in the environment not just because I like to spend time outdoors, but because as a sociologist I care about people and the way they live. I want to see our institutions and ways of life changed for the better, but social justice cannot be considered without an understanding of how we interact with and manipulate our environment. Our capacity to live depends on the environment and on the women and men who work for its survival.