Bunyan Bryant
Professor Emeritus
PhD, University of Michigan (education)
MSW, University of Michigan (social work)
BS, Eastern Michigan University (social science)
Instrumental in establishing the SNRE’s Environmental Justice Program, focusing on the differential impact of environmental contaminants on people of color and low-income communities, Professor Bryant’s research includes both domestic and international foci, particularly on climate justice.
In addition to his 40-year devotion to SNRE, Bryant was a member of the Urban Technological and Environmental Planning Program, and held an adjunct position with the Center of Afro-American and African Studies. Previous to his career at U-M, Bryant served as the program director for the Michigan State Department of Social Welfare, Children’s Division
In 1973, Dr. Bryant did post-doctoral work at the University of Manchester in England in Town and Country Planning. His current research interests include developing case studies on corporate, agency, and community responses to hazardous waste sites. He was co-principal investigator of the University of Michigan 1990 Detroit Area Study on Race and Toxic Waste. A more recent study undertaken with Dr. Elaine Hockman is to determine the proximity of hazardous waste facilities to schools and their impact upon academic achievement.
Outstanding Service to Environmental Education Individual-Regional Level Award. Presented by the North American Association for Environmental Education. Wichita, KS
William D. Milliken Distinguished Service Award, the State‟s highest environmental honor. Presented by the Michigan Environmental Council. Ann Arbor, MI.
Environmental Leadership Award for Recognition of Leadership and Contributions Promoting Environmental Justice by the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS).
Honor Award for Communication. Presented by The American Society of Landscape Architects to faculty advisor Dr. Bunyan Bryant for RESPOND: A Residential Oil Spill in St. Bernard Parish, LA.
Bunyan Bryant: A giant for the environment and social justice
- Bryant, B. and Hockman, E. (Eds.). 2011. Michigan: A State of Environmental Injustice? Morgan James Publishing: New York.
- Bryant, B. and Hockman, E. 2005. A Brief Comparison of the Civil Rights Movement and the Environmental Justice Movement. In Pellow, D. and Brulle, R. (Eds.). Power, Justice, and the Environment. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
- Kessler, B., Bryant, B. Fitch, D., Hockman, E., Kohn-Wood, L., Ronquillo, T., Spencer, M., MSW, Urban, J. 2004. Potential effects of environmental injustices on health and academic achievement in head start students in Detroit, Michigan: Strategies to create environmental justice. In the 132nd Annual Meeting. A
- Bryant, B. and Callewaert, J. 2003. Why Is Understanding Urban Ecosystems Important to Environmental Justice? In Berkowitz, A.R., Nilon, C.H., and Hollweg, K.S. (Eds.). Understanding Urban Ecosystems. New York: Springer.
- Bryant, B. (ed.). 1995. Environmental Justice: Issues, Policies, and Solutions. Island Press: Washington, D.C. book
Read more publications here.
Environmental Justice Climate Change (EJCC) Initiative
Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM)
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC)
The President's Council on Sustainable Development Public Linkage Dialogue and Education Task Force
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Ann Arbor)
Bryant’s Community Service
Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Washington, D.C
The President's Council on Sustainable Development Public Linkage Dialogue and Education Task Force (1995-Present).
NAACP/Ecology Center Pollution Prevention Project. Advisory Committee (1995-present).