On a sunny Wednesday in mid-June, the cohort of Columbia University’s MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program stepped out of the classroom and into one of New York City’s most environmentally complex sites: the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. As part of the Environmental Chemistry and Risk Assessment and Toxicology courses, the field trip offered students a unique lens into how science, policy and community action intersect to address longstanding urban environmental challenges.

For the past several years, Michael Musso, a lecturer in environmental health sciences and international and public affairs at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, and Steven Chillrud, a research professor in geochemistry at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which is part of the Columbia Climate School, have organized this annual trip during the summer term. The visit is made possible with the support of Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus (FROGG), a local community group that has long advocated for equitable remediation and sustainable development in the area.

Designated a federal Superfund site by the EPA in 2010, the Gowanus Canal has suffered over a century of industrial pollution. Once a vital transportation route, it was used as a dumping ground by gasworks, chemical plants and other heavy industries throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, long before the Clean Water Act of 1972. The canal has also been impacted by New York City’s outdated combined sewer system, which still releases untreated sewage and stormwater during heavy rains, although infrastructure improvements are underway to reduce these overflows. Despite cleanup efforts, toxic pollutants persist, posing risks to nearby communities. Today, the canal borders a rapidly developing neighborhood marked by stark contrasts: luxury developments, legacy pollution and active grassroots advocacy, together forming a powerful case study in environmental injustice, gentrification and climate vulnerability.

“It’s one thing to learn about toxic exposure in a lecture,” said Maxwell Howland, a student in the MPA-ESP program, “and another to stand on the edge of a canal where people fish, paddle and live nearby. We talked about the exposure pathways in class, but today we saw the reality of how local, state and federal agencies, and communities, are trying to deal with it on the ground.”

The field visit, planned in collaboration with FROGG, gave students firsthand insight into the consequences of environmental pollution and the ongoing community-led efforts to hold federal and local authorities accountable for cleanup in the canal and surrounding neighborhoods. Through guided tours and storytelling, FROGG brings decades of advocacy to life, connecting scientific data with lived experience and illustrating the power of grassroots engagement in shaping policy and public awareness.

“We learned about the pollutants in the canal, like coal tar and sewage overflows,” said Diana Chipak, an MPA-ESP student from Ukraine. “We even saw one of the massive retention tanks being constructed to capture stormwater and prevent further contamination. But beyond the chemistry, we also saw the social tensions—local residents unhappy about unchecked construction, rapid gentrification, and lack of transparency.”

The Gowanus Canal exemplifies what sustainability professionals call a “wicked problem,” where science, health, housing, climate resilience and economics collide. While developers push forward with residential projects (some atop contaminated land), local advocacy groups push back, urging for ecological restoration and community-centered planning.

“One of the key lessons for me,” said Alexander Feil, another MPA-ESP student, “was how local advocates use data to push for justice, but often face real consequences, like losing their jobs, when they challenge powerful interests. We also heard calls to transform the most polluted parts of the canal into parks instead of housing, so the land can heal, and communities can benefit.”

This experience underscored the value of site-based learning, a hallmark of the MPA-ESP program. By linking environmental chemistry to real-world policy and community perspectives, students gained a deeper appreciation for the tools—and courage—required to address complex environmental problems.

As cities across the globe grapple with legacies of industrial pollution and the challenges of equitable redevelopment, the Gowanus Canal offers a cautionary tale—and a hopeful one. Through science, advocacy and interdisciplinary policy action, transformative change is not only possible; it’s already underway.

As a recent graduate of the MPA-ESP program and this year’s summer liaison supporting the incoming cohort, witnessing this group engage so thoughtfully with the Gowanus site was incredibly meaningful. The field trip reminded us that sustainability is not just about solving environmental problems in isolation, it’s about understanding history, listening to communities, navigating political and economic tensions, and ultimately designing solutions rooted in equity and justice. The Gowanus Canal may be one of the most polluted waterways in the United States, but it’s also a powerful example of how science-based policy, grassroots activism and interdisciplinary education can converge to create real and lasting change.