Immigrants and the Environment: Environmental Values and Attitudes Related to the Immigrant Experience.

Abstract

The issue of impacts from immigration has often been framed in terms of increased population, resource use, social service needs, and influence on the job market. The anti-immigrant perspectives of some in the environmental movement have equated increased immigration with negative environmental outcomes related to increased population and resource use while immigrant rights advocates have sought to counter those arguments about the nature and degree of those impacts. Missing from those discussions is an evaluation of the environmental attitudes and values of immigrants and whether such perspectives produce specific environmental benefits, such as different attitudes towards the land or an interest in activities that have positive environmental outcomes. This research project, focused on environmental attitudes and values related to the immigrant experience, seeks to evaluate immigrant perspectives and attitudes about the environment, specifically with respect to farming, community gardening, urban parks use and advocacy, and land use values, among other environmental questions. The research is also designed to help frame the discussion about potential immigrant contributions to a ?place-based? environmental approach and whether new kinds of collaborations and coalitions could emerge through such an approach.