What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Environmental Justice”?

Artist Statement

This Environmental Justice print is a reminder that common assets, natural resources like air and water that are essential to our health and the health of ecosystems, are owned by all of the public, not the corporations who spoil them in pursuit of profit. Unfortunately, many powerful corporations continue to pollute with impunity because they have found legal loopholes and lobby and bribe politicians to avoid meaningful oversight. Only the government has enough power to hold corporations accountable for their harm to the public and the environment, so if we want justice, we need to either push our elected officials to do the right thing or elect new leaders who will. You can see a roster of environmentally responsible candidates at Jane Fonda's climate action site https://janepac.com/. An example of why your awareness and our government's oversite are crucial in the fight for environmental justice is a current attempt in California by the fossil fuel industries to overturn an oil drilling buffer zone meant to keep schools, parks, and communities safe. Keep an eye out for the ballot in November. A portion of proceeds from this print will go to Greenpeace to support their efforts on behalf of responsible environmental legislation. Thanks for caring! -S Environmental Justice. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $60.

Summary

Environmental Justice is a 2024 screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper, 18 x 24 inches, signed by Shepard Fairey in a numbered edition of 550. Published by Obey Giant, it argues that common assets such as air and water belong to the public, not to corporations that pollute them for profit. Fairey's statement criticizes corporations that exploit legal loopholes and lobby politicians to avoid oversight, and calls for holding them accountable through elected officials and voting. A portion of the proceeds goes to Greenpeace. The image frames environmental protection as a matter of public ownership and civic accountability.

Why It Matters

Environmental Justice distills Fairey's environmental advocacy into an argument about public ownership and corporate accountability, making it one of the more explicitly policy-oriented entries in his 2024 climate output. The accompanying statement names specific mechanisms of harm, legal loopholes, lobbying, and the weakening of oversight, and points collectors toward electoral action, including a referenced California oil drilling buffer-zone fight and Jane Fonda's climate action site. That specificity gives the print documentary value as a record of mid-2020s climate politics, beyond its function as a wall object. The Greenpeace proceeds tie continues Fairey's established pattern of pairing editions with named environmental beneficiaries, reinforcing the cause-aligned authenticity collectors associate with this strand of his work. At an edition of 550 and an accessible price, it was built for broad reach rather than scarcity-driven demand. For a Fairey database, it pairs naturally with Treading Water and other same-period climate prints to map his sustained environmental messaging. It appeals to collectors who want issue-based art with a clear, documented argument and to those assembling a thematic climate or social-justice grouping anchored by recognizable Obey Giant screen prints.

Collector Perspective

This print fits collectors focused on environmental and social-justice themes who value art with an explicit, documented argument. The 18 x 24 format on cream Speckletone paper frames easily and groups well with other Obey Giant climate prints, and the signed, numbered edition of 550 with a Verisart certificate reassures buyers on authenticity. Its Greenpeace proceeds tie and references to specific policy fights appeal to mission-driven collectors who want their pieces to carry a cause. At its accessible release price it reads as an entry-level acquisition rather than a trophy, suiting buyers prioritizing thematic depth over rarity. It works especially well as part of a wall grouping tracing Fairey's 2020s environmental advocacy alongside companion releases.

Historical Context

Environmental Justice belongs to Fairey's issue-driven 2020s period, when his Obey Giant releases frequently addressed climate and corporate accountability head-on. Its statement engages directly with contemporary policy battles, including a California oil-drilling buffer-zone measure and electoral mobilization, situating it as a timestamped artifact of mid-2020s environmental politics rather than a generic nature image. The Greenpeace fundraising tie continues a practice Fairey maintained across many years of linking editions to advocacy organizations. Within his arc, the work extends the public-resources and anti-pollution thread that runs through his environmental output, framing protection of air and water as a civic and democratic responsibility. It is a representative example of how he fused environmental concern with calls for political accountability during this era.

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Related Works

Only The Finest Poison2023 · Shares the pollution/corporate-harm environmental theme.

Green Power Factory (Letterpress)2023 · Adjacent environmental-energy theme in the same period.

Global Harmony2023 · Companion environmental print emphasizing shared natural systems.

Cultivate Harmony2022 · Environmental-theme work on stewardship of common resources.

Swan Song2023 · Same-era environmental release tied to Fairey's climate messaging.

Sub-Standard2023 · Environmental-theme print critiquing degradation of shared assets.