Ellie Henrich Awarded The Environmental Justice Award
Ellie Henrich (Environmental Science Major) was awarded the Environmental Studies/Sciences Justice Award. This award is given to the graduating senior in either Environmental Studies or Environmental Science who, in the judgment of the department faculty, best promotes the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environmental field. The student may be honored for community-based or academic research activities that promote environmental justice or that expand the participation of historically excluded groups in environmental stewardship.
Ellie has been a leader within the Water and Climate Justice Lab and been mentored by Professor Iris Stewart-Frey and Jake Dialesandro. She is a leader on a team that goes to the Central Valley and the Central Coast for testing drinking water wells in disadvantaged communities that are not connected to public water systems and affected by agricultural pollutants such as nitrates, metals, and pesticides. Ellie is the one who coordinates with the residents, explains to them about the dangers of different contaminants, and educates residents about the program and the results. She has gone out on multiple 15 hour days in the Central Valley heat for well testing. Ellie is highly motivated by the human right to water and to making progress in providing safe and sufficient water for disadvantaged communities. She has demonstrated her commitment through her initiative to create educational materials, including a story map, in both English and Spanish to inform residents about the prevalence and potential health impacts of drinking contaminated water and to connect them to well testing and alternative water supplies.