Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area
PCJ in the Bay facilitates collaboration between Stanford students, faculty, and staff and Bay Area community leaders to help build equitable climate change solutions.
Communities for a Better Environment supporting a climate protest Summer 2022.
Get Involved | Highlights | Partner Organizations | Advisory Board
Why climate change, and why now?
Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to humanity worldwide, including here in the Bay Area. Sea level rise, extreme heat, and wildfire smoke are all environmental issues exacerbated by climate change that pose significant security and health threats, with particularly harmful impacts on communities already experiencing socioeconomic vulnerability. Addressing these vulnerabilities and building community resilience are urgent priorities. At the same time, we need to make drastic changes to our current energy system in order to avoid even more catastrophic impacts in the future. This transition to clean energy must be an equitable one.
What is PCJ in the Bay?
Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area is an initiative to engage undergraduate and graduate students in addressing these challenges through long-term partnerships with local community-based organizations, as well as other departments, programs and centers at Stanford.
PCJ in the Bay focuses on several key thematic areas:
- Climate resilience and health
- Energy equity
- Food justice
- Youth climate education
Contact
Sign up to join the PCJ in the Bay email listserv.
Reach out to Brandon Reynante (reynante@stanford.edu), Director of Community Engaged Learning for Sustainability, Haas Center for Public Service.
Reports and Media
- Read our Spring 2025 Impact Report, which describes initiative highlights from the previous five years.
- Flood Resilience | Hannah Melville-Rea. Stanford University, May 21, 2024.
- ‘Communities Know Best’: Climate Solutions in the South Bay Start with Listening. KQED, June 21, 2021.
- What Can the Bay Area Do About Rising Seas? East Palo Alto Has a Few Great Answers. KQED, April 22, 2021.
Get Involved
Summer Fellowships
Advance environmental justice through a paid, 10-week summer fellowship with a local community partner. Open to undergraduate and graduate students.
Meet the PCJ in the Bay Fellows and read their blog post reflections:
Community-Engaged Courses
Enroll in a sustainability- or EJ-themed course that incorporates community engagement. Courses offered in spring 2026:
- Catalyzing Solutions for a Sustainable Ocean: Learning with Local Communities (OCEANS 123H)
- Climates of Inequality (EARTHSYS 120A)
- Delicious by Design: Redesigning Hospital Food (SUSTAIN 123)
- Engineering and Sustainable Development: Implementation (ENERGY 177B)
- GeoKids: Earth Sciences Education (SUSTAIN 5)
- Multimedia Environmental Communication (COMM 177G, EARTHSYS 192)
- Muwekma Native Plant Garden Field Project (ARCHLGY 11, NATIVEAM 12)
- Philanthropy for Sustainable Development (EBS 222, ETHICSOC 232T, POLISCI 236)
- Science of Soils (EARTHSYS 155, ESS 155)
- Shades of Green: Exploring and Expanding EJ in Practice (CSRE 125E, EARTHSYS 125, URBANST 125)
- Species & Ecosystem Preservation (LAW 810E)
- Spatial Planning for Gigascale Renewables & Transmission (CEE 176M, EARTHSYS 176M)
- Stanford Climate Ventures (ENERGY 203)
- Startup Law: Sustainability (LAW 1083)
- Sustainable Cities (EARTHSYS 160, URBANST 164)
- Urban Agroecology (EARTHSYS 181)
Community Service Work Study Internships
The Community Service Work-Study (CSWS) Program provides academic year and summer employment opportunities for currently enrolled students who receive financial aid at Stanford. It allows them to combine the financial need to work with the personal goal of helping the community. Undergraduate students who have a financial aid package may qualify for CSWS.
2026 Summer Positions:
25-26 Academic Year Positions:
- Community Advocacy Intern at Nuestra Casa
- Environmental Justice Outreach Intern at Nuestra Casa
- Housing Advocacy Intern at Nuestra Casa
Community-Engaged Capstones
As you plan for senior year, you may wish to work on a senior capstone, honors or synthesis project to solidify the academic knowledge and other educational experiences acquired during your time at Stanford. Depending on the requirements of your major, you may be able to introduce a community-engaged component, helping to fulfill a community need while meeting your degree requirements.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer directly by making a Cardinal Commitment, or organize your student group to take on a project with a community partner.
Advisory Board
Community Partners
- Jennifer Adams, Environmental Justice Program Director, Nuestra Casa
- Julio Garcia, Executive Director, Rise South City
- Stephanie Lau, Grant and Communication Advisor, OneShoreline
- Ever Rodriguez, Executive Director, North Fair Oaks Community Alliance
- Violet Saena, Executive Director, Climate Resilient Communities
- Garry Sotnik, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Valley Verde
- Cecilia Taylor, Executive Director, Belle Haven Action
- Lauren Weston, Executive Director, Acterra
Stanford Students
- Ava Acevedo, Undergraduate Student, Earth Systems Program and Public Policy Program
- Shawn Gregory, Undergraduate Student, Data Science Program and Energy Science & Engineering Department
- Kristy Mualim, PhD Student, Biology Department
- Kylie Price, Undergraduate Student, Earth Systems Program and Public Policy Program
- Brydie Sigg, Masters Student, Computer Science Department
Stanford Faculty and Staff
- Jen Chiu, Program Manager, Woods Institute for the Environment
- Rodolfo Dirzo, Associate Dean for Integrative Initiatives in Environmental Justice, Doerr School of Sustainability
- Sibyl Diver, Lecturer, Earth System Program and Environmental Justice Working Group
- Holmes Hummel, Managing Director of Energy Equity & Just Transitions, Precourt Institute for Energy
- Richard Nevle, Co-Director, Earth Systems Program
- Khalid Osman, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
- Allison Phillips, Managing Director, Center for Human and Planetary Health
- Anjana Richards, Assistant Dean for Research Initiatives, Doerr School of Sustainability
- Mele Wheaton, Associate Director of Program Strategy, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources
Partner Organizations
