Project Incubation: Building Capacity for Ethical Communication Between Vulnerable Fenceline Communities, Industry, and Environmental Agencies

这个孵化项目的目的是在密歇根州的社区、机构和行业之间发展新的合作，并在从事资源开采、环境咨询和环境监管的地球和环境科学家中建立环境伦理的能力。我们特别关注地球和环境影响与有色人种社区的交集。之所以关注这一问题，是因为环境危害对生活在影响土壤、水和空气安全和生存能力的危险区域附近的“围栏”上的低收入和少数群体社区的影响尤为严重。为了建立对伦理地球和环境科学的需求和潜力的共同理解，该项目将加强密歇根州立大学、渥太华印第安人小河带和密歇根州西班牙裔拉丁裔委员会之间的现有关系并建立新的关系。我们期望对环境不公正的潜在伦理原因以及增加社区决策权力的潜在机制有更深入的了解。我们还预计从事资源开采、环境咨询或环境监管的地球和环境科学家将加深对非人类中心主义环境伦理的理解。通过这种增加的理解，我们预计这些科学家如何参与他们的工作并与公众交流，包括脆弱的围栏社区，将发生变化。为此，本项目将实现三个目标：(1)在伙伴关系和社区中建立对不同利益的理解和尊重；(2)建立合作伙伴之间的相互信任；(3)使社区成为研究的全面参与者。这些目标和有关活动是以社区参与性研究方法为基础的。所有伙伴组织将合作，确保与参与者建立信任和沟通。活动将包括头脑风暴、与主要利益相关者的一对一会议、德尔菲调查、小型区域会议和协作会议。通过这些努力，项目团队将加深对“伦理研究”的不同文化和社区规范的理解。最终，这项工作将为一项标准拨款奠定基础，以便为地球和环境科学家制定、实施和评估伦理培训。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Incubation Project is intended to develop new collaborations between communities, agencies, and industries in Michigan and to build capacity for the formation of environmental ethics among earth and environmental scientists working in resource extraction, environmental consulting, and environmental regulation. In particular, we focus on the intersection of earth and environmental impacts and communities of color. This focus is undertaken because environmental harms disproportionately impact low-income and minoritized communities who live on the “fenceline” adjacent to hazardous areas that impact the safety and viability of soil, water, and air. To build common understanding of the need and potential for ethical earth and environmental science, this project will strengthen existing relationships and build new relationships between Michigan State University, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan. We anticipate gaining deeper understanding of underlying ethical causes for environmental injustice as well as potential mechanisms for increasing community power in decision making. We also anticipate earth and environmental scientists working in resource extraction, environmental consulting, or environmental regulation will build deeper understanding of non-anthropocentric environmental ethics. Through this increased understanding, we anticipate changes in how these scientists engage in their work and communicate with the general public, including vulnerable fenceline communities.To this point, this project will address three goals: (1) Build an understanding of and respect for divergent interests within partnerships and communities; (2) Develop mutual trust between partners; (3) Empower communities to become full participants in research. These goals and related activities are grounded in community-based participatory research approaches. All partner organizations will collaborate to ensure trust building and communication to participants. Activities will include brainstorming, one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders, Delphi surveys, small regional meetings, and collaborative meetings. Through these efforts the project team will develop deep understanding of differing cultural and community norms for “ethical research”. Ultimately, this work will set the foundation for a standard grant to allow development, implementation, and evaluation of ethics training for earth and environmental scientists.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.