Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area
PCJ in the Bay supports partnerships 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. As the effects of sea level rise, extreme heat, and wildfire smoke exacerbate long-standing racial, economic and public health inequities, communities of color are facing the greatest impacts. Addressing these inequities 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 in close collaboration with community partner organizations, as well as other departments, programs and centers at Stanford.
PCJ in the Bay seeks to:
- Build climate resilience and a just transition to a green economy in the Bay Area through sustained community partnerships; and
- Expand, deepen and coordinate opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to work toward climate justice in the Bay Area, across all elements of Cardinal Service.
See the current list of PCJ in the Bay partner organizations and Advisory Board members.
Get Involved
To join our interest list please sign up here.
Apply for a Summer Fellowship
Work with a PCJ in the Bay partner organization on climate resilience and community engagement projects during summer 2025! Check out the fellowship opportunities and meet the 2024 fellows.
Undergraduate only:
- Supporting Energy Equity Efforts in the Bay Area with Acterra
- Engaging Community with Environmental Justice Programs with Climate Resilient Communities
Undergraduate and Graduate:
- Research to Support a Community-Led Just Transition in Richmond with Communities for a Better Environment
- Improving Community Outreach for Climate Resilience in North Fair Oaks with the North Fair Oaks Community Alliance
- Environmental Justice For Frontline Communities in South San Mateo County! With Nuestra Casa
- Building Resilience to Sea Level Rise and Drought in the Bay Area - Advancing Policy Frameworks and Technical Analysis with One Shoreline (PhD only)
- Supporting Food Sovereignty through Garden Education and Capacity Building in San Jose with Valley Verde
Work Part-Time
Local organizations are recruiting students for part-time work during the academic year. These positions are only available through Community Service Work-Study (CSWS), a program that provides academic year and summer employment opportunities for currently enrolled undergraduate students receiving financial aid at Stanford. Check your CSWS eligibility here.
- Valley Verde - support a regional movement for food justice by helping coordinate the Urban Growers Network in San Jose
- Nuestra Casa - serve as an environmental justice intern helping to translate policy for public audiences in East Palo Alto
Reach out to Alex Wheeler (aw2@stanford.edu) if interested.
Take a Community-Engaged Course
Enroll in a course that incorporates environmental justice and/or community engagement. Courses offered this winter:
-Just Transitions Policy Lab (CSRE 155 / EARTHSYS 119 / URBANST 155)
-Environmental Justice in California (EARTHSYS 120)
-Environmental Storytelling (COMM 177M / EARTHSYS 177M)
-Bridging the Climate Data and Decisionmaking Divide (LAW 809Z)
-Just Religion: Spirituality, Social Action, and the Climate Crisis (RELIGST 41)
Complete a Community-Engaged Capstone
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. Reach out to Brandon Reynante reynante@stanford.edu to learn more.
Join the PCJ in the Bay Advisory Board
Help guide PCJ in the Bay while building leadership skills and connections with faculty and community partners in the process! Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply. Check back in spring quarter.
Volunteer
Volunteer directly by making a Cardinal Commitment, or organize your student group to take on a project with a community partner.
For Faculty and Staff
There are many ways for faculty and staff to contribute, including:
- Mentoring a student research or capstone project
- Advising a student organization leading a project with a PCJ in the Bay partner
- Teaching a Cardinal Course in collaboration with a PCJ in the Bay partner
- Join the Advisory Board - we seek new members annually in late summer / early fall.
To learn more and get involved, contact Brandon Reynante.
PCJ in the Bay in the Media
- ‘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.
- Flood Resilience | Hannah Melville-Rea. Stanford University, May 21, 2024.
Advisory Board
- Ever Rodriguez, North Fair Oaks Community Alliance
- Jennifer Adams and Miriam Yupanqui, Nuestra Casa
- Garry Sotnik, Valley Verde
- Violet Saena and Lolina Bruggeman-Munoz, Climate Resilient Communities
- Ava Acevedo, Undergraduate Student, Public Policy
- Hannah Melville-Rea, PhD Student, E-IPER
- Kaden Nguyen, Undergraduate Student, Political Science and Earth Systems
- Sarah Reyes, Undergraduate Student, Sociology and Urban Studies
- Pearl Shing-Roth, Undergraduate Student, Earth Systems
- Amanda Zerbe, Environmental Law Clinic
- Anjana Richards, Doerr School of Sustainability
- Esther Conrad, Bill Lane Center for the American West
- Emily Polk and Sibyl Diver, Environmental Justice Working Group; Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Earth Systems Program
- Holmes Hummel, Precourt Institute for Energy
- Jen Chiu, Woods Institute for the Environment
- Khalid Osman, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Luci Herman, Law and Policy Lab, Stanford Law School
- Mele Wheaton, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program on Environment and Resources
- Michael Kahan, Program on Urban Studies
- Michael Wara, Woods Institute for the Environment
- Patrick Archie, O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm
- Richard Nevle, Earth Systems Program
- Rodolfo Dirzo, Earth Systems Science, Doerr School of Sustainability
- Star Plaxton-Moore, Brandon Reynante, Luke Terra, and Alex Wheeler, Haas Center for Public Service
Partner Organizations
