Erin Eck

Erin (she/her/hers) has been interested in people’s relationships to the land since 2011, when she had the opportunity to interview dozens of community gardeners throughout New York City, as part of a study on soil health and urban ecology. Erin spent over five years working in public horticulture and loves studying plants. In fact, she came to the Yale School of the Environment planning to pursue a degree in forestry. However, the questions about race, equity, gentrification and access to green space, that were constantly on her mind during the years that she spent as a horticulturist on the High Line – a high profile urban reuse project in NYC – continued to occupy her thoughts during her first year at YSE. She switched to a Master of Environmental Science degree in order to focus on addressing these questions. Erin’s research interests include White norms in environmental movements and the impacts of green infrastructure and urban reuse projects on local communities. Her current research focuses on the impacts of race and racism on women’s experiences of outdoor recreation. Her research is supported by fellowships from the Hixon Center and the Yale Environmental Justice and Health Initiative.