In her online Lane Family Lecture in Environmental Science, “Environmental Justice in Rural America,” Flowers will focus on the problem of wastewater inequality as a social justice issue and the ways water sanitation infrastructure serves as an indicator of larger cycles of racism and poverty in our country. Throughout her 20 years of work on this issue, Flowers has gathered stories from people struggling with this problem in nearly every part of the United States—including the Pacific Northwest. She will speak about how, with research and ingenuity, we can make significant strides toward sanitation equity and how activists of any age can get involved in fighting for equitable and sustainable wastewater infrastructure.

WSU’s School of the Environment (SoE) will host a limited, in-person viewing opportunity, and a panel discussion featuring WSU faculty immediately following Flowers’s presentation to expand on topics raised and related areas of WSU research, education, and engagement/service opportunities. Advance registration is required for both events by visiting https://environment.wsu.edu, where more information can be found. Common Reading credit is available.