Kristina Peterson

Kristina Peterson helped create the Lowlander Center to address the complex social and environmental impacts of the climate crisis with the inclusion of the local community and their knowledge. ‘Think globally, act locally” for just and sustainable future is a guiding principle of her work. As an applied social scientist who has spent her life as a community activist for sustainable just communities mostly through long-term holistic community based responses to disasters, Peterson has helped create large scale networks of community/regional responses for large national disasters including technological-environmental, acts of racial violence, economic upheaval and weather events. Her years of justice work within the disaster mitigation field have contributed to the creation of and being a founding board member of both the National Hazards Mitigation Association and the Gender and Disaster Network. Peterson's justice work includes multiple dimensions of safe natural and built environment, holistic planning, adaptation and resettlement. She has been working on ways to address and decolonize outcomes from the Doctrine of Discovery through forms of restorative justice. Peterson has been an active attendee of the Natural Hazards Workshop since the mid 80’s and has taken to heart the work of the Hazards community knowing we stand on the foundation that many have created, for which she is thankful.