Authors and Affiliations
CIRCA Project Team:
- Alexis Torres – Climate Change Intern
- Dr. Yaprak Onat – Associate Director of Research and Project Principal Investigator
- Dr. Mary Buchanan – Community Resilience Planner
CT DEEP Project Team:
- Edith Pestana – CT Deep Environmental Justice Administrator
Environmental Justice in Connecticut and Beyond
The lessons are designed for in-person learning, can be incorporated into advocacy, taught in English, Science, Health, and History classes, and were adapted by the Coastal California Commission. Visit CIRCA’s glossary for a better understanding of environmental justice language.
This is a four-lesson unit intended for high school and ESL students who already have background knowledge of environmental justice or related studies. Students learn about environmental justice/racism by studying communities struggling with environmental injustices and inequities, how they fought for justice, how to use the Connecticut Environmental Justice Screening Map Tool, and how the tool can bring resources to those communities. The objective of the lesson plans is for students to learn how to develop environmental justice solutions for Connecticut’s disadvantaged communities using the CT EJScreen. The packet was written by Climate Change Intern Alexis Torres and reviewed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection staff.
Suggested Report Citation
Torres, A., Buchanan, M. and Onat, Y. (2023), Connecticut Environmental Justice Screening Tool: High School Lesson Plan, University of Connecticut, Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA),