“The Revolution will not be Televised // Environmental Justice” is the latest theme of the Environmental Studies course union’s publication
Photo by Raamin Hamid.
On Sept. 18, the Environmental Studies Student Association (ESSA) hosted their annual publication launch event of the ESSENCE zine in the Campus Community Garden.
According to Haley Sluyter, ESSA’s co-chair and events coordinator, it was the biggest event ESSA has ever thrown, with 220 people in attendance.
Following its revival in 2023, ESSA has hosted a publication event for ESSENCE to celebrate each edition.
Born in the 1970s, originally as a newsletter, the publication converted to its zine format years later before going dormant pre-2023.
“1981 was the first time that the name ESSENCE itself was used,” said Sluyter.
In September 2023, ESSENCE was brought back, following ESSA’s own revival in spring 2023.
“ESSENCE has been a time capsule of the environmental and sustainability movements on campus and beyond,” said Sluyter.
The zine, which is the environmental studies course union’s biggest project during the school year, is a hands-on, collaborative initiative.
“It’s been so important for me that it is a hands-on effort,” said Sluyter.
This year, ESSENCE’s theme is “The Revolution will not be Televised // Environmental Justice.” The theme, Sluyter said, points to the community organizations and individuals taking action for issues like food security and reproductive justice across Victoria that are not always talked about.
The first half of the theme took inspiration from the Gil Scott Heron song, and the team decided to add “// Environmental Justice” as a nod to the zine’s rootedness in the environment.
“The environment has so many meanings and so many connections,” said Sluyter. “It is embedded in our everyday life.”
The point of having the ESSENCE zine is to “be able to document some of the activism that’s happening within our community and make sure that it’s preserved,” said Sluyter.
A-C Barrios-Stewart, a fourth-year student in environmental studies and geography, had their art featured in the most recent ESSENCE edition. This was their first time having any kind of artwork published.
“It meant a lot that people wanted it to be included,” said Barrios-Stewart. “I didn’t quite realize how impactful it would feel to me.”
Originally a sticker sheet made in their digital art class, Barrios-Stewart’s published piece has a blue background with the words “No one is illegal on stolen land,” alongside a butterfly, matches, broken chains, and flames.
“Migration rates [are] really important to me, as well as Indigenous rights and sovereignty,” said Barrios-Stewart. They represented these subjects by including a butterfly “that migrates,” and a flame “to spark [the] idea of revolution.”
“I was especially excited about it, because the theme is just so dear to me,” said Barrios-Stewart.
For Barrios-Stewart, who has known about ESSENCE for most of their time at UVic = ESSENCE is a way to mobilize individuals. The zine, they said, highlights the capitalist structures we live in and provides space to reflect, allowing us to turn emotions into action.
ESSA aims to publish one ESSENCE zine each semester in the future, depending on capacity and interest. You can find this year’s zine online via ESSA’s instagram bio (@essauvic).
