--- title: Robert Bullard on the Work Behind a Movement description: ‘Father of Environmental Justice’ and TIME Earth Award honoree Robert Bullard discussed the importance of marrying information with action. canonical: https://time.com/collections/earth-awards-2024/6960486/robert-bullard-environmental-justice-work-earth-award/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-04-25T04:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-03T00:30:00.912Z article:section: Climate og:title: Robert Bullard on the Work Behind a Movement og:description: ‘Father of Environmental Justice’ and TIME Earth Award honoree Robert Bullard discussed the importance of marrying information with action. og:url: https://time.com/collections/earth-awards-2024/6960486/robert-bullard-environmental-justice-work-earth-award/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92663c61d8f85058/698a55ffb21a9c2e43509ea3/Robert-Bullard.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Robert Bullard on the Work Behind a Movement og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Robert Bullard on the Work Behind a Movement twitter:description: ‘Father of Environmental Justice’ and TIME Earth Award honoree Robert Bullard discussed the importance of marrying information with action. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92663c61d8f85058/698a55ffb21a9c2e43509ea3/Robert-Bullard.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 25, 2024 # ‘Father of Environmental Justice’ Robert Bullard on the Work Behind a Movement > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/) ## Simmone Shah Reporter  Robert Bullard speaks at the 2024 TIME Earth Awards Gala in New York City on April 24, 2024. Robert Bullard speaks at the 2024 TIME Earth Awards Gala in New York City on April 24, 2024.Roy Rochlin—Getty Images for TIME “This isn’t happenstance,” remarked Gloria Walton, [former TIME Earth Award honoree](https://time.com/collection/earth-awards-2023/6272882/mark-ruffalo-gloria-walton-storytelling-climate/), on the environmental justice movement being recognized as a powerful force. “It is a reality created by the energy and love of frontline communities and grassroots organizations who have worked for decades,” Walton said, as she presented an Earth Award to the man known as the “Father of Environmental Justice,” [Robert Bullard](https://time.com/6958830/earth-awards-2024-robert-d-bullard/). Bullard, who was appointed to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council in 2021, spoke of the long fight he’s waged for environmental justice in his acceptance speech. He discussed the challenges that he faced in 1979, when he conducted a study in support of the landmark case _Bean v. Southwestern Waste Management Corps._— the first lawsuit to challenge environmental racism in the United States. “I am a sociologist and my sociology has taught me that it is not enough to gather the data, do the science and write the books,” he said. “In order for us to solve this kind of crisis, we must do our science, we must gather our data, we must collect our facts, and we must marry those facts with action.” To Bullard, that means the act of coming up with solutions needs to center the experiences of those facing the brunt of climate change.“The people that have experienced these elevated disparities have PhDs in ‘lived-in’,” he said. “They understand the problem and the solution better than anybody.” Though Bullard ultimately lost the lawsuit in 1985, it proved crucial in showing the connection between pollution and racial segregation—finding that 83% of the solid waste facilities in Houston were located in predominantly Black neighborhoods, even though Black Houstonians made up only one-fourth of the city’s population from the 1930s to 1978. Though much progress has been made since _Bean_ was first heard, the work is far from over, Bullard emphasizes. “I am optimistic. I do have faith,” he said. “But as my grandmother told me, faith without work is death. We are a live movement.” _TIME Earth Awards was presented by Galvanize Climate Solutions, Amazon, Deloitte, Delta Air Lines_. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/earth-awards-2024/6960486/robert-bullard-environmental-justice-work-earth-award/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/earth-awards-2024/6960486/robert-bullard-environmental-justice-work-earth-award/"},"headline":"Robert Bullard on the Work Behind a Movement","datePublished":"2024-04-25T04:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:30:00.912Z","description":"‘Father of Environmental Justice’ and TIME Earth Award honoree Robert Bullard discussed the importance of marrying information with action.","url":"https://time.com/collections/earth-awards-2024/6960486/robert-bullard-environmental-justice-work-earth-award/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92663c61d8f85058/698a55ffb21a9c2e43509ea3/Robert-Bullard.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simmone Shah","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/"}],"creator":"Simmone Shah","articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92663c61d8f85058/698a55ffb21a9c2e43509ea3/Robert-Bullard.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/earth-awards-2024/6960486/robert-bullard-environmental-justice-work-earth-award/","name":"Robert Bullard on the Work Behind a Movement"}}]}] ```