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.

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. Applications for summer 2026 are now open! Apply on SOLO.

Meet the PCJ in the Bay Fellows and read their blog post reflections:

Community-Engaged Courses

Enroll in a course that incorporates environmental justice and/or community engagement. Courses offered in winter 2025:

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. Current 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