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Analyze

environmental hazards

ghakim
  • includes severe water pollution -- tied to militarism, including raw sewage and petroleum contamination (incl. in Oahu's sole aquifer) - O'ahu Water Protectors, calls to shut down the Navy's Red Hill facility
  • (combo disaster) potential radioactive contamination and legacies of U.S. nuclear weapon testing -- "The Runit Dome is a relic of America’s atomic past. It’s home to 3 million cubic feet of radioactive waste that was buried there as part of the government’s effort to clean up the mess left from dozens of nuclear tests in the 1940s and ’50s that decimated the atoll. A warming climate and rising sea levels now threaten the integrity of the saucer-shaped structure, which, if it fails, could spill its radioactive contents into the Pacific, a scenario that would threaten both people and the surrounding environment." (source)
  • wildfires, compounded by climate change

intersecting factors

ghakim
  • settler colonialism - Haunani-Kay Trask's concept of "settlers of color" and "immigrant hegemony" (The Mauna Kea Syllabus), Kēhaulani Kauanui's article on enduring indigenity/asserting indigenity as a category of analysis
  • military-industrial complex + Hawaii as a linchpin of U.S. military interests - Ke'awalau o Pu'uloa (Pearl Harbor) alone has six superfund sites (Cultural Survival)
  • tourism - functioning hand in hand with militarism. From Vernadette Vicuña Gonzalez's book, Securing paradise : tourism and militarism in Hawai'i and the Philippines: "For instance, in both Hawai'i and the Philippines, U.S. military modes of mobility, control, and surveillance enable scenic tourist byways. Past and present U.S. military posts, such as the Clark and Subic Bases and the Pearl Harbor complex, have been reincarnated as destinations for tourists interested in World War II. The history of the U.S. military is foundational to tourist itineraries and imaginations in such sites. At the same time, U.S. military dominance is reinforced by the logics and practices of mobility and consumption underlying modern tourism. Working in tandem, militarism and tourism produce gendered structures of feeling and formations of knowledge. These become routinized into everyday life in Hawai'i and the Philippines, inculcating U.S. imperialism in the Pacific."

University of Hawai'i Resource

ghakim

The University of Hawai'i has this incredible resource of resistance movements from 1960-2010. The section on  militarization, for example, includes resources on issues such as the environmental degradation of Kaho'olawe (used as a target range by the U.S. Navy), evictions in the Mākua Valley, and the construction of the H-3 Highway (and how tourism and militarism function together). 

Is the grass ever greener?

jrtrini1

I want to continue to support others in their research. I think the ecogov lab is a space to grow as a researcher. I want to continue to be motivated. The ecogov lab has shown me the importance of field notes and why having archiving is important. I hope to make new connections outside of Irvine and continue to connect dots for others.

ghakim ecogovlab annotation 1

ghakim

I hope to create a community of people working on/driven by similar topics, similar goals and ways of seeing the world. For my dissertation project, to connect more to environmental injustice in wilmington and through this lab to also build long term relationships of collaboration and service with environmental groups + others in Southern California (I’m from Southern California but was never as engaged w/social justice here as i was when i lived in new york, something i’m looking to change). To connect with people across all stages of academia, and experience and be reminded of the reasons why i came to grad school. Also as a push to actually present and write/public my research

jtrini1 Santa Ana Annotation

jrtrini1

On Wednesday Oct 5th 2022, CUAL (Communidad Unida Aire Limpio) hosted an air monitoring day. Santa Ana residents were asked to volunteer and donate their time. There was three shifts available (Morning 7am-10am, Noon 12pm-3pm, Evening 4pm-7pm). A volunteer will use the app Atmotube and pair their phone up with an air monitor. There are driving routes and walking routes. A person will need to stay at each stop of the route for 7 mins. After the route is done, the volunteer will go back and return the monitor and will then send their data to mpnacorg@gmail.com

This video is a Tik Tok I made about my experience with volunteering for CUAL.

https://www.tiktok.com/@josephvkast/video/7151573175829318958?is_copy_u…