In this episode, I sit down with educator and environmental justice leader Lindi von Mutius to discuss why access to green space is a matter of justice. Professor von Mutius explains how the denial of environmental goods has long shaped who gets to experience nature’s benefits and who does not, and how the physical and mental benefits of green space remain unevenly distributed across communities.
We talk about the long history of exclusion, from early prohibitions on Indigenous gathering practices and national park bans to discriminatory zoning and land-use laws. We then turn to the modern landscape, where disinvestment, distance, and broken infrastructure create barriers to access. Professor von Mutius shares insights from her work with the Trust for Public Land, including efforts like the Green Schoolyards campaign, and highlights promising policies such as the national program that provides free national park access for every fourth grader.
She also offers practical guidance for organizations to meet communities where they are, listen deeply, and resist top-down planning. Her ultimate goal is clear: a future where everyone lives within a ten-minute walking distance to nature. She envisions a world where federal policy prioritizes access, organizations that have traditionally excluded low-income communities expand opportunities, and everyone does a little bit to bring nature closer for all.
Lindi von Mutius is an environmental justice strategist, attorney, and educator. She is the Class of 1946 Distinguished Visiting Professor of Environmental Studies at Williams College and the Inaugural Director of the Salata Institute Climate Action Accelerator at Harvard University, where she works with faculty to ensure their research and climate solutions translate into action for external stakeholders and practitioners. Prior to these roles, she held senior leadership positions at the Trust for Public Land, the Sierra Club, and the Environmental Defense Fund. Before her work in the nonprofit sector, she practiced environmental, corporate, and bankruptcy law, and collaborated with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on expanding renewable energy tax credits in the United States.
Learn more about Lindi von Mutius here.
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