An Interview With Citlalli Trujillo
Citlalli Trujillo, May's guest blogger.
UIC Grad Student, Environmental Advocate, Cleanup Club Member
This month we sat down with Citlalli Trujillo, a member of the Cleanup Club, graduate student at the UIC School of Public Health, and environmental advocate. She talks to us about her passion for environmental justice and water rights as well as some amazing projects she’s working on with local community groups on the Southwest side.
Tell us a little about yourself, Citlalli!
Hi, my name is Citlalli Trujillo. I am originally from Lake County. I grew up in different towns such as Fox Lake, Lake Villa, and Round Lake. If you heard of Six Flags, it’s around there! As of 2018, I live in Pilsen, Chicago.
I hold a bachelor’s in Biochemistry from UIC and currently, I am a graduate student at the UIC School of Public Health pursuing my master’s in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences with a concentration in Industrial Hygiene.
I am a research assistant working on two very important environmental projects. The first project I am currently working on is River of Welcome/Rio de Bienvenida funded by Earth Art Chicago. I am the community engagement manager working alongside two local artists, Cynthia Weiss and Delilah Salgado. The project consists of a metal mosaic fence and planter at Canalport Riverwalk Park, a five-acre green space located at the juncture of the South Branch, Sanitary and Ship Canal, and Bubbly Creek. The images on this public artwork and mosaic planter symbolize the bordering communities’ hopes for environmental justice.
The artists with the fence at Canalport Riverwalk Park, Dr. Havrelock, and staff from Vector Custom Fabricating
Industrial activity continues to escalate in this section of the river, with no signs of it slowing down. In November 2020, the city approved an Amazon Logistics Facility here, which will add to already heavy diesel truck pollution. In the same month, the city approved Hilco’s plan to build a one million-square-foot Target distribution center at the former site of the Crawford Coal Plant, whose demolition was in and of itself an environmental disaster.
These developments along the river exclude community voices and go against the goals of a Just Transition. Currently, Pilsen Environmental Rights & Reform Organization (PERRO) has launched a campaign to deny a city permit to Sims Metals, a metal recycling plant that is located across the river from our proposed artwork site, due to inadequate emission controls.
We hope to have a positive impact by creating public artwork that will draw attention to Canalport Riverwalk, the goal is to:
Make this park more accessible to local communities.
Make the park welcoming to local communities.
And catalyze the same investments as other parts of the river.
Moreso, we aspire for our artwork to empower the ongoing environmental justice movement on the Southwest Side that other big greens are leading such as LVEJO and N4EJ. You can read more about the project at Earth Art Chicago. There will also be a celebration event on June 3, 2023, at the site that is open to the public. You can register or find more information on our Eventbrite page.
Another cool project I am involved in is tied to the Joliet Water Deal. In northeastern Illinois, communities are reliant on the Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer, which is on the verge of collapse. The City of Chicago has agreed to supply Joliet with treated Lake Michigan water for 100 years, starting in 2030, through a 30-mile-long pipeline for community needs. However, this is just Joliet and does not consider other counties/communities that are to face the effects of a collapsing aquifer. Furthermore, due to Joliet’s large industrial footprint, a majority of high-quality freshwater will go to warehouses, oil refineries, and chemical companies.
With a team of great UIC researchers, we developed a sustainable framework to provide water to communities reliant on the collapsing aquifer through water reuse. Chicago currently holds combined sewer water in the Deep Tunnel that waits its turn to get treatment at the 7 different wastewater treatment plants. We can conserve and avoid withdrawing Lake Michigan water beyond our diversionary limit by recycling this water for industrial use.
Our water infrastructure system has the potential to enhance long-term resilience, introduce a freshwater source, and safeguard the Great Lakes water for human health and sanitation needs.
Read our full report for more details.
How did you get involved with Chicago Environmentalists/Cleanup Club?
I was actively seeking opportunities to engage with environmental issues in Chicago and finding people who had the same passions as I did. While searching for pages/groups on Facebook, I stumbled upon the oh-so-amazing page called Chicago Environmentalists!
Simultaneously, I was also in search of a community involved in cleanup activities, and fortunately, I discovered that Katherine is the organizer of Cleanup Club Chicago as well.
How did you become interested in environmental issues? How did water issues become a focus for you?
My passion for environmental justice came when I joined the Freshwater Lab at UIC , which was founded by Dr. Rachel Havrelock. The Freshwater Lab introduced me to different types of water issues that happen around the Great Lakes and other waters. Dr. Havrelock’s class consisted of a 5 week internship component. I was chosen to work alongside Dr. Havrelock on a digital storytelling website, The Backward River, on the infrastructure of the Chicago Area Waterway System.
During our research, we concluded that depending on where you live along the Chicago River, you have a different relationship to it. On the South Branch/Sanitary & Ship Canal, communities along this part of the river have concentrated industrial sites and high diesel truck activity that contributes to air pollution, limited access to green spaces, and little to no recreation along the river. These communities are majority Latine/Black/immigrants. It is an issue of environmental racism.
To me, this issue hit close to home. My grandmother migrated to Pilsen from Mexico, which borders the South Branch. My dad and his 5 siblings grew up on 18th Street. My grandmother wasn’t the only family member of mine that migrated to Chicago. Many of my great aunts and uncles did too. I have lots of family on the West and South sides of Chicago, so these issues currently impact my family and current community. I vowed to fight alongside those in the environmental justice community, do my best to uplift their work, and make a positive change.
Water issues became a focus issue for me because of our digital storytelling project on the Chicago River. I grew to care for all water sources and I became interested in point sources of pollution such as:
Agriculture
Runoff
Dumping of wastes
PFAS and more
This turned into caring for water by treating it like it has ‘feelings’ or ‘a voice’. Water obviously can’t speak, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t treat it with care like we do other living beings.
Water gives life to everything. It plays a fundamental role in sustaining life on Earth, nourishing a wide array of organisms and ecosystems. Freshwater is even more important! We rely on it for drinking, sanitation, agriculture, ecosystems, economy, and more.
Equal access to safe, clean, and affordable water is crucial for human health and well-being. It is important to recognize the finite nature of freshwater. It is our responsibility to manage it correctly and we can do this by:
Conserving water.
Managing it responsibly.
And holding companies accountable for polluting our waters.
How are you involved with environmental justice in Chicago? What first got you interested in this issue?
I am a member of the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO). Right now, we are fighting to shut down Sims Metal, a metal shredding company alongside the Canalport Riverwalk Park and about 700 feet away from Benito Juarez High School.
Sims Metals has been in violation of air regulations and faced legal action by the Attorney General.
Their emissions capture rate was below 50%, significantly lower than the required threshold of 81%.
Data indicates their emission levels are 9X higher than those of General Iron which got shut down in Lincoln Park (the specific concentration of pollutants being emitted by Sims Metals is still uncertain).
Sims Metals is operating without the necessary permits and is not in compliance with environmental regulations in an area recognized as an environmental justice community by the EPA.
It is known that their metal shredding activities generate particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and heavy metals which are known to have adverse health impacts that may not be apparent right away.
Other current health risks associated with Sims Metals' operations are not fully understood at this point.
There is also significant diesel truck activity occurring on Ashland, Cermak, and Blue Island, all of which intersect near the high school.
The presence of a high volume of diesel trucks can further contribute to air pollution and the associated health risks in the community.
And Sims Metal isn’t the only polluting industry. There are also asphalt plants and railroads that lead to poor air quality.
Just knowing that people can become ill or develop diseases was enough to get me interested in environmental issues. People can choose to move away, but why do people have to leave their homes and communities because a company doesn’t want to follow regulations put in place? Children also can’t choose where to live, it’s up to their parents!
Chicago map of communities over burdened with industrial activity. Image credit to L. Johnson and M. Cailas, via UIC.
What do you want to do in your career?
I am not sure where I will end up career-wise, but I hope I can leverage my background in science, public health, and community-based research to create sustainable and environmentally friendly communities with employment opportunities that do not create pollution or pose risks to human health.
I hope my work towards this goal does not displace or negatively impact any residents in their neighborhoods, but rather uplift them and put them first. I hold the hope that through collective efforts and innovative approaches, it will be possible to achieve a future where communities can thrive sustainably while preserving the rights and well-being of all individuals.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering a career in environmental work?
Get involved locally. Get involved in your community, then expand to join other environmental efforts. You never know what connections you can make in the environmental field. You can share ideas and explore opportunities for collaboration.
Stay informed! Keep yourself up to date with current environmental issues. Conduct your research carefully, make sure your sources are correct, and get different expert opinions.
Recognize that environmental issues intersect with other broader issues like race, infrastructure, and investments into the community. Environmental issues could stem from systematic issues.
Help promote environmental education and awareness when you can, and inspire others to take action!
Develop a sustainable lifestyle. I understand the statement that one person becoming environmentally friendly won’t have as much of an impact as a company like Amazon. However, by reducing your reliance on single-use items, plastic, conserving water, or eating less meat, you can make a small impact.
You can find great tips on the Chicago Environmentalist website on how to recycle, become zero-waste, what eco-friendly businesses and restaurants to support and more!
Take care of your mental health! It is sad to see how our planet is treated and the impacts it has on human health and other ecosystems. It can take a toll because you feel like the systems we have in place will never change. That is why it’s important to celebrate the small victories. Find ways to relax whether it’s enjoying time with nature, visiting family, or taking a break from social media.
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY
Citlalii Trujillo, UIC Grad Student, Environmental Advocate
