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SEAJ publicist Jennè Sy (left) and co-president Elizabeth Barker at the fall club fair. Photo courtesy of Barker
On the surface, Jenna Cain and Elizabeth Barker have followed different paths at Fordham. Cain is a Goldwater Scholarship winner researching renewable energy sources. Barker is a Division I rower with eyes toward a career in park conservation and nonprofits.
But together, they share a common mission as co-leaders of Students for Environmental Action and Justice—better known as SEAJ. It’s an environmental club that helps students find community while advocating for the planet—and contributing to a campus culture that has earned Fordham a top “green rating” from The Princeton Review.
Environmental Justice Is for Everybody
For Barker, who is majoring in environmental studies and urban studies with a minor in history, the club is about helping people see how environmental health is connected to our everyday lives. There can be a “disconnect,” she says, in our understanding of “how we get things, or how things are produced.”
SEAJ hosts a variety of events every semester, from potlucks to protests. The common thread is a focus on the impact of environmental policy on marginalized communities.
One week, the club might organize a local Belmont neighborhood cleanup. Next, they might lobby the Bronx Community Board for a statewide bill reducing plastic packaging.
“We do a very wide variety of things,” says Cain, an engineering physics major. “I think that's one of the most fun parts about being part of SEAJ.”
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A Greener Campus, One Step at a Time
SEAJ also collaborates with the United Student Government’s sustainability committee to promote environmental awareness and action on campus.
Jayden Curtis, an “eco rep” on the committee, helps make sustainability accessible for busy students.
“Our main goal is to ask, ‘What are small things that people could actually realistically make a change in their day-to-day life?’” Curtis says. “A lot of people want to have more sustainable habits, but they don't know how.”
The eco reps turn sustainability into social events like
- Halloween costume swaps: Reducing “fast fashion” waste on campus
- The St. Rose’s Garden project: A joint effort with SEAJ to revitalize the campus community garden into a relaxation space where students can also grow and harvest vegetables
“We want to entice students to go [to the garden] more,” says Barker, who works in the Bronx’s extensive network of parks. “It’s proven that if there are more green spaces in any area, the quality of life goes up immensely.”
Planning for the Future
The impact of Fordham’s environmental clubs extends beyond campus. Cain plans to parlay her experiences into a career in sustainable energy development, while Barker has begun her own career journey through an internship with the Center for Renewable Energy Research. She also has worked with local high schoolers at the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, teaching them to work with the land and care for the environment.
“In terms of putting forth a sustainable future, that should be the number one priority,” Barker says. “We should be putting humanity first.”