Pam M.W. Graybeal
Pam Mei Wai Graybeal, Doctoral Candidate, University of California at Berkeley; Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management; Society and Environment Division.
Pam Mei Wai is exploring the use of cooperative games; music, dance, imagery, and spoken word; and experiential, place-based education as tools for change. She grew up with the gloomy news of global warming on TV and in school; however, she also had an expansive view of the sky above and the land below from her mountain-top home in the rural southwestern US—in a setting that provides a unique perspective on history and humanity. She is thankful for the music, arts, and physical recreation programming available to her during public primary and secondary school, and believes integration of physical or creative outlets for every person throughout life is key to a healthy society and environment.
Pam Mei is multi-racial, multi-cultural, and has an interdisciplinary educational background. She is particularly interested in the intersections between the environment and physical, mental, and community health; science and technology studies, especially regarding media and transportation; climate justice; and popular education. She has taught environmental justice to other youth in the San Francisco East Bay Area, both inside and outside of the university setting. She has also interned with PolicyLink and the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative.
In order to contribute to a cleaner, safer, healthier environment, Pam Mei rides a bike or transit rather than owning a car, eats a diverse and mostly locally grown vegetarian diet, reuses used products rather than buying new ones, and is cutting back on air travel. She would like to make similar decisions accessible to everyone, especially those who currently face significant barriers to access to healthy food, regular recreation, quality education, safe and meaningful employment, and efficient and safe transportation.