Storytelling towards a new identity: IN IDENTITY SPARKED BY A UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTAL PILOT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NEW IMMIGRANTS AND UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Abstract

This qualitative case study is an examination of factors that contributed to identity changes among new immigrants to the United States by examining the stories of participants who initiated the search for a solution, engaged stakeholders including a federal agency, and achieved a uniquely successful outcome through an environmental sustainability pilot program. Through a revelatory case approach, this study expands upon the limited victimization paradigm of environmental justice. The scope of this examination includes research into the history of environmental justice; the concept of environmental identity, and the ways in which people tell and retell stories to make sense of their changing worlds. Using thematic analysis to evaluate the data, three distinct themes emerged: (a) greater salience of the environment in one’s identity; (b) ownership and empowerment regarding the environment, and (c) problem-solving and innovation. Factors that shaped participants’ experiences included the opportunity to give back to a country that has been a safe haven for many of these community members: engaging and demanding that a government agency as a partner execute its legal responsibilities with and for them, and seeing the opportunity that living in America presents to make a positive impact. Recommendations in the final chapter expand upon the discourse related to environmental justice by exploring how themes that emerged from one immigrant community’s success in addressing an environmental problem can enhance environmental justice scholarship.