A New Semester!

Aloha mai kākou, こんにちは, håfa adai, and many other warm greetings to our trans-Pacific community!

To the new and returning members of our UH Mānoa community, the team of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Environmental Humanities and Environmental Justice Initiative are happy to welcome you to a new semester, and all the exciting activities we have planned for it!

In this newsletter, you'll find our Fall 2025 Program, upcoming talks, Fall 2025 course offerings, upcoming community activities, and some exciting conference news.

Fall 2025 AAPI EHEJ Program

Our talks are great opportunities to learn about the environmental humanities, so please join us for amazing discussions and a delicious lunch!

We’re looking to invite more conversations, so stay tuned! Upcoming events will be posted on our website.

If you're interested in becoming a speaker, or have a recommendation for someone you'd like us to bring in, contact us at [email protected]!

The Ecotone with Dr. Gillian Bogart

People of Olio have long made their lives in the coastal zone of Kupang Bay. The wetlands that encircle bay waters are a source of sustenance and kinship, as well as a place of connection. However, in the last three decades national initiatives have catalyzed widespread conversion of these wetlands into property for commercial salt production. This talk considers how different modes of knowing shape the physical landscape as well as more-than-human relations within it. Thinking with human foragers, molluscs, and vegetal life, Dr. Gillian Bogart shows intertidal mudflats as a vibrant multispecies assemblage. Gillian describe some of the ways that this muddy world-in-the-making offers possibilities to step away from forms of state governance that have come to permeate everyday life.

Dr. Gillian Bogart joins the Department of Asian Studies from UC Santa Cruz, bringing innovative scholarship on the more-than-human worlds of Southeast Asia.

This Ecotone will be hosted at Moore Hall 319, from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM. Lunches will be provided, so please be sure to register here!

We hope to see you there!

EHEJ Course Offerings

Looking for classes to take that focus on environmental justice? Do you want to meet faculty whose interest in the environmental humanities aligns with yours? Consider taking one of the following classes this semester!

Community Opportunities

Looking for something outside of the classroom? Check out some of the following activities happening here on Oʻahu!

Loko ea Lā Hana - Community Work Day

The Mālama Loko ea Foundation hosts a community work day on the 3rd Saturday of every month in Haleʻiwa. The next workday will be set for September 20th, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Register using the QR Code on the poster below, or visit their website here!

Kahuku Monthly Small Kine Cleanups - Beach Cleanup

Join Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi for a monthly beach cleanup at the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge!

The next cleanup will be on Thursday, September 11th, and signup is required by 5:00 PM on Monday, September 8th, to attend.

Registration and further information can be found here!

Conference Opportunities

Pacific Islands Studies: Continuity & Community — 75 Years at Mānoa

The Center for Pacific Islands Studies is pleased to invite you to register for their upcoming anniversary conference, from 5–7 November 2025!

The conference will feature discussions about the present, past, and future of Pacific Islands Studies, with attention to shifting currents and emerging tides. The Center for Pacific Island Studies particularly encourage community members, students, and alumni to join in shaping conversations in navigating forward. 

If you would like to present, please submit your abstract through this form for consideration by September 15th.

All submitted abstracts will be reviewed and follow-up with a formal notification of acceptance in September.

In the coming months, the center will be providing additional information on a nominal registration fee, keynote speakers, and the conference program. Please refer to the conference website and check your email for the latest updates.

Register Here!

If you have any pressing questions or concerns, please email [email protected] with the subject line "Continuity & Community."

Global Environmental Justice Conference 2026

Colorado State University's Center for Environmental Justice is hosting the Global Environmental Justice Conference, from April 13-14 2026 in Fort Collins, Colorado!

The theme of this year's conference will be “Where Do We Grow from Here? Environmental Justice and the Politics of Hope in the Planetary Age.”

The call for Speakers, Presenters, and Performers will be open until 8:00 PM, October 20th, 2025. Submit a proposal here!

Hearing From You!

Do you have environmental humanities or environmental justice news you wish to share? Do you think there's an organization or scholarship we should highlight? Let us know! As we expand our community, we want to hear from you so we can circulate events, share opportunities, and provide a platform from which burgeoning voices can be heard!

Email us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!