Environmental Justice: Why My Work in Social Work Led Me to Sustainability



Over the past year, several people have asked me the same question:

“How did you go from social work to environmental sustainability?”

It’s a fair question.

For seven plus years, I worked as a Child Protection Specialist in Brooklyn. Before that, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Children and Youth Studies. Today, I hold a Master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Management and focus much of my writing and advocacy on climate resilience and sustainability in the Caribbean.

To some, it may look like a career pivot. But to me, it is a continuation of the same mission.

What Is Environmental Justice?

Environmental justice is the principle that all people, regardless of race, income, or background, deserve equal protection from environmental harm and equal access to environmental benefits.

It recognizes that low-income communities and marginalized populations are often disproportionately exposed to:

  • Air pollution

  • Poor housing conditions

  • Limited green space

  • Climate risks

  • Unsafe water

  • Heat vulnerability

Environmental justice asks an important question:

Who bears the burden of environmental harm — and who benefits from environmental protection?

It is not just about protecting ecosystems.
It is about protecting people.

How My Bachelor’s Degree Connects

My degree in Children and Youth Studies grounded me in understanding how systems affect children’s development — including housing, education, health, and community safety.

When you work with children, you quickly realize, a child’s environment shapes their outcomes.

Unsafe housing.
Polluted air.
Overcrowded neighborhoods.
Food insecurity.
Limited access to safe outdoor spaces.

These are not separate from environmental issues. They are environmental issues.

Children growing up in under-resourced communities are often the first to feel the effects of environmental inequity, whether through asthma, heat exposure, lack of nutrition, or displacement.

So, when I studied child development, I was already studying environmental justice. I just did not yet have the language for it.

What Brooklyn Taught Me

As a Child Protection Specialist in Brooklyn, I saw firsthand how financial background dramatically shaped household conditions.

I observed the stark contrast between:

  • Families with stable housing and access to resources

  • Families struggling with overcrowding, poor infrastructure, and economic instability

The difference was not about parenting capacity alone; it was about structural inequality. Over time, I began to see patterns. Environmental stressors often compounded family challenges.

Heat waves affected households without air conditioning.
Mold and poor ventilation worsened children’s health.
Food insecurity increased during economic instability.

The deeper I looked, the clearer it became:
Social vulnerability and environmental vulnerability are intertwined.

My Master’s Thesis: Connecting Child Protection and Environmental Justice

When I began my Master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Management, I knew I wanted to connect my professional experience with environmental systems. My thesis focused on the intersection of environmental justice and the child protection system in Brooklyn. The research and data confirmed what I had observed in practice:

Communities facing environmental burdens often also face increased social system involvement. Environmental conditions — housing quality, heat exposure, pollution — are not separate from family stability. They are contributing factors.

After analyzing the research, I could not ignore the connection. If we want to strengthen families, we must also strengthen environments.

Why the Caribbean Became My Focus

While conducting research and expanding my knowledge in sustainability, I noticed something else. The United States, despite its inequalities, has funding mechanisms, research institutions, infrastructure investments, and federal programs that many Caribbean nations simply do not have.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean is:

  • Highly vulnerable to climate change

  • Economically dependent on climate-sensitive industries

  • Limited in climate adaptation financing

  • Facing rising sea levels and stronger storms

And yet, we contribute minimally to global emissions.

As someone born in Saint Lucia, I felt a responsibility. If my education and experience could help bridge awareness, education, and advocacy — why wouldn’t I direct some of that energy toward the region that shaped me?

Sustainability for me is not abstract.
It is about ensuring that my home country survives and thrives for generations to come.

Sustainability Is Not Separate from Social Work

One of the biggest misconceptions is that sustainability exists in isolation from other fields. In reality, sustainability intersects with:

  • Public health

  • Housing policy

  • Child welfare

  • Education

  • Community development

  • Economic equity

You cannot talk about asthma rates without talking about air quality.
You cannot talk about food insecurity without talking about agriculture and climate.
You cannot talk about child welfare without talking about housing and environmental stressors.

Environmental justice sits at the intersection of all of it. My Bachelor’s degree helps me understand people and systems. My Master’s degree helps me understand energy, climate, and environmental structures.

Together, they allow me to approach sustainability with a human-centered lens.

Following Passion with Purpose

After years in child protection and completing my thesis research, I knew I had to follow this path. Not because it was trendy. Not because it was easy. But because the data, and my lived experience, made it clear.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue.

It is a social issue.
It is a child welfare issue.
It is a health issue.
It is an equity issue.

And if we do not integrate justice into sustainability, we risk repeating the same systemic disparities — just under a greener label.

Why I Do This Work

Green Caribbean Chronicles is not just a blog. It is an extension of my commitment to:

  • Educating communities

  • Bridging social and environmental systems

  • Advocating for regional resilience

  • Centering equity in sustainability conversations

Environmental justice is not a departure from my background. It is the evolution of it. And as I continue to grow in this field, I remain grounded in one simple truth:

Protecting the environment means protecting people — especially children, families, and vulnerable communities.

That has always been my mission.

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