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Astrophysics is a discipline that has a lot to do with environmental justice, even if it doesn’t look like so. Astrophysics research nowadays involves both large cutting-edge infrastructures and a great number of people and institutions, usually at international level. Most of these projects require to be placed in very specific environments, which are not very common on our planet, to function in the best conditions. The territories chosen to host large facilities for astrophysics, as remote as they can be, are not empty. In most cases, they are inhabited (or regularly frequented) by people who are not always involved in the decision process and may see the construction as an invasion of lands they have owned or occupied for centuries. In this context, we believe that what pulls people away from environmental justice advocacy, especially those who do not live in or near these territories, is the lack of information and awareness about this topic, which may cause strongly polarized opinions and harshful discussions on the topic. To try to fill this gap, as science communicators we decided to develop a game-based activity which fosters the debate about this connection. Among our inspirations is the struggle of the protectors of Mauna a Wākea, on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. The mountaintop is a sacred place for Native Hawaiians, who have been fighting to protect their ancestral land from the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). There are many other examples of large astronomical infrastructures and their impact on territories, including in our own country (Italy), some more virtuous than others, that show how the Astrophysics research world is strongly connected to environmental justice. For this activity, we chose the Creative Commons PlayDecide format, which aims to facilitate simple, respectful and fact-based group discussions. The game consists of a different set of cards containing facts about the topic, issues for different interest groups and personal stories of fictional individuals who are involved or affected by the topic. By telling the stories of different characters involved in this kind of situation, we aim to enlarge the debate, fostering the change of perspective of players. We wish that many people around the world download and use the game, either during public outreach activities with schools and the general public or as a self-awareness exercise within the astronomical community. The game does not refer to a specific facility, but we researched study cases related to astronomical observatories in sites such as Mauna a Wākea (Hawaiʻi), Kitt Peak and Mount Graham (Arizona), the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy as well as ongoing projects such as the SKA Observatory in South Africa and Australia. In particular, for the story cards, we strived to provide a balance in terms of gender and affected communities, trying as much as we could to avoid stereotypes, in the awareness that we, as the authors of the activity, are a group of white, female astronomers from a G7 country.

Toniolo, Rachele and Claudia Mignone. 2023. "Some students play the PlayDecide activity at a Science Festival in Italy." In 4S Paraconference X EiJ: Building a Global Record, curated by Misria Shaik Ali, Kim Fortun, Phillip Baum and Prerna Srigyan. Annual Meeting of the Society of Social Studies of Science. Honolulu, Hawai'i, Nov 8-11.

1. How does the EHC approach issues of power and privilege within the local community, given how the history of environmental justice is rooted in low-income communities of color?

2. What role do you see the EHC working towards in promoting future policy change and advancing environmental justice at the local, state, and national levels? What are some challenges and opportunities facing the EHC in this work?

1.  The EHC is generally perceived as a respected and influential organization, internally and externally. Within the organization and its community, there is a strong sense of shared purpose and commitment to advancing environmental justice and healthy communities. The EHC staff and volunteers are deeply committed to the organization's mission and are viewed as knowledgeable and passionate advocates for environmental health and justice. The 

2. The EHC is considered a credible organization with a reputation for effective research and advocacy work to promote environmental justice. The EHC is consulted by policymakers and stakeholders for environmental health and justice issues and is regarded as a valuable source of information and expertise.

EHC is a well-established and respected organization within the environmental justice sector with a track record of successful campaigns and policy victories. The organization has been active for over 40 years and is well-established and respected within the community it serves. The organization has been instrumental in shaping local policy and advocacy efforts. It has thus been recognized by a range of other organizations and institutions, including the California Environmental Protection Agency, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The EHC has proven to be an essential actor within the environmental justice and public health sectors, with a strong record of community organizing, policy advocacy, and credible research.

The EHC functions within the non-profit sector and works to serve the environmental justice and public health fields. As an environmental justice organization, EHC’s mission is to empower communities and promote health and justice through community organizing, policy advocacy, research, and education.

The EHC collaborates with various organizations, including critical collaborators such as The California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA), The San Diego Coalition for Environmental and Social Justice, and The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. The EHC does not typically criticize or distance itself from other organizations and instead focuses on building collaborative working partnerships to advance its mission and goals.

Several political and discursive currents, including The Environmental Justice Movement, Climate Change, Political and Policy Shifts, and Community Mobilization, influence the EHC. Actors within the organization are attuned to these currents and work to navigate them to promote environmental justice and healthy communities.

1. The dominant discourse within the EHC centers on empowering communities to develop community-led solutions to environmental health and justice issues. The organization's mission emphasizes empowering locals and educating them to identify and address environmental health risks. EHC is focused on equity and social justice, recognizing that ecological health disparities often result from systemic and historical injustice.

 The EHC faces several challenges and concerns in its workplace problem spaces. One barrier is inadequate resources; the EHC's staff and community leaders often meet significant workload demands, hindering the organization's ability to conduct research, organize communities, and engage in policy advocacy. The EHC also deals with political resistance, given that the organization's work often involves analyzing policies they have to take on powerful corporations and government agencies who resist change. Because Environmental Health Risks are complex, it is tough to identify and address. The EHC must often navigate complex scientific and technical information to identify sources of pollution and advocate for practical solutions. Additionally, many of these institutions make it extremely difficult to access such information in the first place, making it harder for low-income communities of color to engage in effective community organizing and advocacy. Historically, other forms of oppression and injustice, such as redlining, segregation, and other discriminatory policies, influenced the environmental health disparities they are dealing with today.

The EHC does not explicitly claim to have a unique way of addressing problems they work on. Still, the nature of their work does include advocating for low-income communities of color in the San Diego/Tijuana region, which does have a significant proportion of undocumented and immigrant residents. They claim that because of racist policies and the prioritization of profits over health, many of the low-income communities of color within the local San Diego region have not had the political power to fight for their rights and thus became burdened with a significant amount of pollution.