Prompt:"What is the most just way to balance our energy and economic needs,

human and environmental health and protection of sacred lands?"

Requirements:
1. Respond to a specific environmental justice case study in Did the student meet the prompt
order to answer the above question in 2:00 minutes
2. Quote at least TWO of the texts we’ve studied (see the list
and requirements?
below) Yes
3. Meaningfully apply your personal environmental ethic
(remember the lecture and reading on environmental ethics)
4. Rehearse your speech thoroughly so you deliver it with
passion and in an engaging AND convincing way

Justice Monologue Rubric:

Category Feedback
Depth of Thinking (30) Feedback: (see comments in the document)
● Student shows DEEP thinking about the reading(s) and/or topic
● Student defends the author or his/her perspective with a
well-supported argument, avoiding generalizations or
misinterpretations Score: 26/ 30
● Students’ commentary and evaluation makes connections between
the author’s claim and any evidence or examples or makes
connections between another text.
● Each paragraph is focused around a clear idea that is relevant to the
main argument
● Argument is logical and persuasive
● Student explains the authors’ quotes and how they relate to the
main idea of the speech

Applying your Knowledge (10)

● Student is able to meaningfully apply the main idea explored in the Score: 9/ 10
speech to either their own life or a real-world scenario in a way that Yes, but explain it more and make it clear in
shows understanding of the content and a sincere concern for the the context of your argument.
issue discussed.

Refinement/Beauty (10)
● Speech meets the min./max. length requirement within 15 seconds Score: 8/ 10
● Meaning of your sentences is clear and easy to follow Make sure to set up quotes with the
● Speech is carefully proofread for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors
● Speech incorporates rhetorical strategies to maximize impact on the
author and article names in the sentence
audience before or after.
● Student rehearsed the speech to make sure the delivery was smooth and
flows well.

Total - 42/50 Well done!

 While this earth might be rich in minerals does that mean that it is ours to take? That is a
question people have been battling with for a while. Our winters have been shorter,
deforestation is at an all-time high, and oil companies are drilling on sacred lands so if there is
any time to talk about this, it is right now. Unfortunately, our planet is not getting any better
anytime soon, and without having the talk about what to do with our earth nothing will get better.

“Environmental Justice mandates the right to ethical, balanced, and responsible uses of
land and renewable resources in the interest of a sustainable planet for humans and other living
things”. This is something that I believe we all should follow and this principle can really help us
when we talk about fracking on indigenous people’s land. Oil and gas is a very lucrative
business and the industry is worth trillions of dollars so that means that these oil companies will
do basically anything to get that gas whether it benefits the native people on their land or not.

A great example of this is in the San Juan Basin which is “a geological mother lode of
natural gas reserves in the Four Corners region that has become one of North America's richest
sources of mineral wealth” and is where the Navajo people reside. The San Juan basin is an
oil-rich spot and the oil companies and natives have been battling for years but there still are
roughly 18,000 wells in the basin. Even though there are thousands of wells drilled on these
people’s lands most of them do not benefit from it. Even though there are wells all over the
Navajo people’s land most of the people living on that land still use firewood because they are
too poor to afford gas and a lot of the time it’s not available where they live. “You can actually
smell the gas from some wells while realizing that you can’t have gas service for your house in
the winter”- said Lori Goodman who is one of the organizers part of the Diné Citizens Against
Ruining Our Environment. I personally see that as a great example of environmental injustice
and this type of injustice can’t go on.

It’s hard for me to put my personal opinion in this because I don’t deal with it in my day to
day life but I do believe there should be some more compensation for the native people for the
use of their land. I just don’t see how it can be fair in any way that these huge companies make
millions of dollars off their land while they aren’t even able to pay for gas to keep their homes
warm and their food cooked.