Coast Salish Ecologies of Reciprocity and Resilience

Valerie Segrest, enrolled member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Native Nutrition Educator, and Co-Founder of the consulting group, Tahoma Peak Solutions

• Coast Salish people maintained richly diverse ecosystems "since time immemorial" and subsequently developed intrinsic relationships over a long period of time. Essentially, Indigenous peoples, the flora and the fauna of the Pacific Northwest have co-evolved, shaping each other over time. This presentation discusses the traditional ecological knowledge and deeper implications of cultural ecosystems, a term utilized to include human contributions to the lands and the waterways.  

Hosted in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Diversity Education Series

Environmental Justice Film Series 

All Film Showings are on the main campus in the Mel Lindstrom Student Union on the Grand Staircase

Week 3 January 18, 3 - 4:30 pm: Generation Greta

• (2020) They are aged between 12 and 24. They have grown up in a world with increasing droughts, floods, fires. And they share a common fight: the climate emergency. In spite of their cultural and geographical differences, nine young female activists are united under the same struggle: raising awareness about the climate emergency, fighting against the inaction of politicians, and promoting radical societal change, so that nature and social justice become our top priority. ‘GENERATION GRETA’ recounts the story of these nine incredible young women, combining moving eyewitness accounts and breathtaking archive footage.

Week 5 February 1, 3-4:30 pm: Necessity, Climate Justice & The Thin Green Line

• (2022) This film is set along the rivers of Oregon and follows activists as they enlist the necessity defense in a jury trial after being arrested for a direct action at Zenith Energy in Portland. This story of climate resistance in the Pacific Northwest brings into view a historical landscape of tribal leaders, Indigenous activists and white allies as they resist oil trains and trucks carrying highly flammable products through treaty lands. In following the path of oil-by-rail and oil resistance along the Columbia, we revisit lessons of the New Deal era building massive dams and what climate activists take from that era in thinking about a Green New Deal.

Week 8 February 22, 3- 5 pm: Once You Know

• (2020) Today, like a ship entering the storm, industrial civilization faces the first symptoms of energy depletion and climate change induced collapse as scientists assert that the opportunity to prevent catastrophic climate change has passed. Are some ways of collapsing better than others? Once You Know takes viewers on an intimate trek across the abyss of a world at the edge of catastrophe, into the intersection of climate science and civil disobedience. 

All events are free and open to the public

Environmental Justice in the Pacific Northwest: May 23 Panel Discussion 

Facilitator: Naomi Ishisaka 

Naomi Ishisaka writes a weekly column on race, culture, equity and social justice issues for The Seattle Times, where she is also the assistant managing editor for diversity, inclusion and staff development. Prior to joining The Times, Ms. Ishisaka served for eight years as the Editor in Chief of the award-winning ColorsNW Magazine, a monthly magazine focusing on communities of color in the Northwest. 

Panelists: 

Shemona Moreno, Executive Director, 350 Seattle 

• Shemona describes herself as a proud Latinx & Black woman who is an eater of pink frosted donuts with sprinkles, a crafter, and a lifelong activist who puts family above all else. It is for her family and friends that she works tirelessly to fight the systems of oppression that have led us to our current climate crises. It is for her family and friends that she works to build a community that is resilient, beautiful, and thriving — where ALL are welcome. She started her path into 350 Seattle as a volunteer during the Defund the Dakota Access Pipeline Campaign back in 2016, where after getting a taste for organizing and protesting in front of banks, she jumped in with both feet and has worked her way up to being the Executive Director for 350 Seattle, a member of the 350 Seattle Board and a rep for the 350 National Local Group Network. Also, she is awesome. You should be her friend! 

Deric Gruen, Co-Executive Director of Programs and Policy, Front and Centered 

• Deric shares the leadership of Front and Centered, with a focus on programs and policy. Deric has created and led diverse initiatives for climate/environmental justice and community economic development, from idea through fruition, for community-based organizations, in education, and government. A graduate of Garfield High school and the UW School of Public Policy, Deric is from a family full of social workers, has a new baby, and is the descendant of refugees from Germany and Lebanon — where he started his work in environmental justice. 

Lylianna Allala, Climate Justice Director, City of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment 

• Seattle Times Social Justice Columnist Naomi Ishisaka moderates a panel discussion on environmental justice issues in the Pacific Northwest. She will be joined by Shemona Moreno, Executive Director of 350 Seattle, Deric Gruen, Co-Executive Director of Front and Centered, and Lylianna Allana, Climate Justice Director of the Office of Sustainability & Environment @ City of Seattle. 

"Called by Stories" | A Conversation with One Book author
Julian Aguon

A talk on the impacts of climate change and other environmental injustices and how stories can help us understand and work toward a more just world.

"Eating at the Old Growth Table" | Valerie Segrest, Muckleshoot Tribal Member, Nutritionist, and Food Sovereignty Educator

"Often, Old Growth ecosystems are viewed as being in balance with nature because they've been supposedly untouched by humans. However, for thousands of years, humans have involved ourselves in cycles of reciprocity with many life-forms we have come to consider food. Historically, we have been required to navigate our food system with great care and caution to keep on living. But our tables today bear little evidence of Old Growth. Humankind has never been so far removed from the kinship and origins of our food as we are now. We are accelerating environmental threats to Old Growth foods from seafood to wild berries. Still, life continues to invite us to take a seat at the Old Growth table. How do we want to show up? How will we contribute to the living legacy of our foods and humanity? In this discussion we examine ways in which humankind has intervened in ecosystems to create abundance and reflect on the impacts of our contemporary lifestyles and how dietary changes today can positively impact future generations."

Event Recording: