Viniece Jennings lecture on intersection of green space, health and social justice Nov. 7

PLYMOUTH — Plymouth State University Saul O Sidore Lecture Series, will host the second lecture in its year-long examination of social justice issues in our society on Monday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m., when Viniece Jennings, Ph.D., presents, “Environmental Justice and Health: The Ecosystem Mindset for Urban Green Spaces in Retrospect and Moving Forward.”

The lecture will be held in the Smith Recital Hall at the Silver Center for the Arts on the PSU campus.

Urban green spaces provide communities with many benefits including physical, mental, and social well-being. However, urban communities continue to lack access to quality green spaces. In this lecture, Jennings will discuss research conducted throughout the United States on urban green spaces, access and equity, environmental justice, and community health, as well as how achieving the goal of environmental justice is important for quality of life now and in the future.

Jennings is an assistant professor at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, where she focuses on the intersection of green space, health, and social justice. She is a JPB Environmental Health fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Jennings is the lead author of influential articles that have advanced our understanding on ecosystem services, health disparities and social determinants of health, including articles in Nature Communications and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. She earned her Ph.D. degree in environmental science with a focus in policy and management from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

 The Saul O Sidore Lecture series is open to the public, but reservations are recommended. Unless otherwise noted, lectures take place in the Smith Recital Hall in the Silver Center for the Arts, 114 Main St., on the PSU campus. A reception will follow the lecture. For more information and to register to attend, visit www.campus.plymouth.edu/sidore/.