By X Braithwaite and Ishaan Bharadwaj
Clean Water Action is proud to welcome the newest participant in our Summer 2025 Environmental Justice Organizing Internship Program. Designed to empower the next generation of changemakers, this immersive program offers hands-on experience in grassroots organizing, environmental justice, and policy advocacy. Led by X Braithwaite, our Lead Environmental Justice Organizer in New Jersey, this internship is meant to equip participants with the tools needed to confront environmental and public health inequities through community-driven solutions.
Welcoming Ishaan to the Team
We’re thrilled to have Ishaan Bharadwaj join us this summer as our 2025 Environmental Justice Intern! Ishaan will be supporting critical campaigns focused on toxic beauty products, prison water justice, and advancing environmental equity alongside our team and local partners.
Introduction
Hi! My name is Ishaan Bharadwaj, and I’m so thrilled to be interning with Clean Water Action’s Environmental Justice Program this summer under my mentor, X Braithwaite. Below is a little bit about me, my environmental journey so far, and my internship at Clean Water Action along with future plans.
How My Environmental Journey Began
Environmentalism gained footing in Millburn after a Fridays for Future community event in our town center. There, environmentalists from different walks of life came together to share their unique perspectives on the issues and injustices of climate change. The audience, made up mostly children like me, then a middle school student, were shocked to hear the mind-boggling statistics. But it was the little actions they said we could take as a community that really stuck with me. That event inspired me to spread the word and become an activist in my own way.
Becoming an Eco Ambassador in Millburn
The Eco Ambassadors program formed in Millburn shortly thereafter, serving to harness the voices of youth in our community. Since then, we’ve participated in local events like Rocktoberfests where we educate community members, native planting efforts, youth panels, and more. Over the years, I’ve focused on raising awareness about climate issues, and through this internship, I hope to gain a new perspective on environmental justice that will better equip me to advocate for a more just world.
Exploring Environmental Justice Through Research
Since joining the Millburn High School Science Research Program, I’ve participated in several research projects and competitions, most of them related to environmental science. One project I worked on focused on finding solutions for air pollutants leaching from waste-to-energy plants–facilities disproportionately located in marginalized communities. This experience opened my eyes to the severe environmental injustices these groups face and sparked my deeper interest in finding solutions to social and environmental inequality.
What I’ve Learned So Far at Clean Water Action
I’ve been slowly introduced to the environmental injustices disproportionately impacting BIPOC communities through readings and meetings. For example, l learned about New Jersey’s landmark Environmental Justice Law and its impacts specifically in Newark. Despite overwhelming opposition by community members at recent public hearings, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission approved the construction of a “backup” power plant under the guise of climate resilience, while actively harming already overburdened communities through pollution.
I also learned about the inhumane treatment of incarcerated people directly from a survivor of the system. I had the opportunity to participate in a community discussion, Beyond the Bars, which focused on the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated women and the ongoing injustices in the prison system. Hearing how she and others constantly lived in fear, didn’t know where their food and medicine came from, and were stripped of their basic humanity was heartbreaking. I have also begun learning about criminal justice legislation like the Declaration of Environmental Rights for Incarcerated People and learn about the conditions that incarcerated people endure–extreme heat, contaminated sites, limited access to clean water, and how each year spent in prison shortens their life expectancy by two years. It was all deeply disturbing.
But through it all, I began to see the powerful voices fighting for change. I saw Chloe Desir from the Ironbound Community Corporation and other community members speaking out directly against the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. I listened to Yolanda Williams and her organization, Girl Trek, which helps all justice-impacted women feel seen and supported by sharing their stories and building community through walking together. I read about the work of U.S. Congressperson Ayanna Pressley and U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Ed Markey, who are advocating for environmental justice for incarcerated people through legislation. To support their efforts, I created an infographic to help local councilmembers understand the urgency of making humane treatment a legal and environmental right.
As I continue to read and hear more of these perspectives, I plan to work on several projects and events in the upcoming weeks. One major initiative I plan to lead is a youth panel that brings together young leaders from nearby communities to create a space for inter-city youth dialogue, shared ideas, and future plans.
It’s empowering to see so many people already making a difference in the fight for social and environmental justice. I’m so honored to be learning from them while contributing through this internship.
