Ecosocial Work

The American Academy of Social Work and Welfare’s grand challenge to “create social responses to a changing environment” is a call to action for social workers to advocate for environmental justice. Co-edited by University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) Associate Professor of the Practice Rachel Forbes, Ecosocial Work: Environmental Practice and Advocacy (NASW Press, 2023) answers that call. Chapters span theoretical frameworks and innovative tools, and authors take a justice-centered approach, drawing on case examples to elevate multicultural and intergenerational perspectives from local to global contexts. The book encourages readers to consider how protecting the planet while meeting social work’s aims advances the social work profession’s values and ethical mandates.

Forbes directs GSSW’s Western Colorado MSW Programs. She also is an appointed member of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Commission on Educational Policy, the inaugural co-chair of the CSWE Committee on Environmental Justice, a former member of CSWE’s Council on Global, Learning and Practice, and the taskforce co-chair for the CSWE Curricular Guide for Environmental Justice. She co-authored the book The Intersection of Environmental Justice, Climate Change, Community and the Ecology of Life (Springer, 2021). For more than a decade, Forbes has taught undergraduate and graduate coursework on sustainability, ecological justice, culture and place-based equity. Her current research and teaching look at ecological justice in social work practice and the impacts of climate change on mental health.