In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome for a powerful reflection on her journey into environmental justice and the experiences that shaped her work at the highest levels of federal policy. She walks us through the four cornerstone initiatives she helped lead at the White House: Justice40, the Environmental Justice Scorecard, the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, and the Environmental Justice Executive Order, and how her diverse background lets her see environmental justice from many angles, combining both science and community insight.

As we discuss the loss of federal support under the new administration, Dr. White-Newsome offers practical advice: stay connected, stay engaged, and keep pushing for justice. And for young people who might be feeling discouraged, she leaves a hopeful message about focusing on what it takes to build the world we want for the future.

Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Justice Specialization at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. She began her career as a chemical engineer and has worked across multiple sectors including grassroots organizing, philanthropy, state government, and academia. She founded Empowering a Green Environment and Economy, LLC to advance public health, racial equity, and environmental justice. From 2022 to 2025, she served as the first Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer, leading the White House Office of Environmental Justice and helping drive the Biden-Harris Administration’s equity and climate initiatives.

Learn more about Dr. White-Newsome here.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Sacoby Wilson, a nationally recognized environmental health scientist and scholar whose work centers on environmental justice, health equity, and community-engaged science.

We explore the many ways in which environmental injustice affects people’s health and discuss the reality of sacrifice zones, where residents face disproportionate environmental burdens and limited political power, leaving them to shoulder higher health risks. He shares the vision behind the Center for Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health program (CEEJH INC), a community-driven initiative grounded in INpowerment and liberation science. The program equips communities with the tools and data they need to understand environmental and health challenges in their neighborhoods and take meaningful action. By putting power in the hands of residents rather than institutions, CEEJH INC enables communities to lead their own solutions.

Dr. Wilson serves as a Professor in the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health and in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Maryland. He also directs The Health, Environmental, and Economic Justice Lab, which provides technical assistance to communities confronting environmental injustice and related health disparities. His contributions have earned numerous honors, including the recent Heinz Award for his leadership at the intersection of research, public health, and grassroots organizing.

Learn more about Dr. Wilson here.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Javiera Barandiarán about how dominant approaches to climate change often ignore justice, deepen existing inequalities, and rely on solutions that shift environmental harm rather than eliminate it.

We discuss electric vehicles and lithium extraction, where Dr. Barandiarán challenges the idea that EVs are inherently sustainable. Drawing from her upcoming book Living Minerals, she argues that the global push for decarbonization is fueling endless extraction, driven by trade and consumption rather than ecological limits. A truly sustainable future, she suggests, would require slowing production and rethinking climate solutions from a justice perspective. Our conversation also explores the Rights of Nature framework and how it transforms environmental governance by centering ecosystems as living systems, not resources.

Dr. Javiera Barandiarán is Associate Professor of Global Studies at UC Santa Barbara and Director of the Center for Restorative Environmental Work. Her research focuses on the intersection of science, the environment, and development in Latin America. She is the author of several works on environmental politics, and her forthcoming book, Living Minerals: Nature, Trade, and Power in the Race for Lithium, will be published in January 2026. Dr. Barandiarán is a recipient of the Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin and a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center for her work on lithium mining.

Learn more about Dr. Barandiarán here.