About

From deciduous forests teeming with rich, miraculous life to human communities plagued by the acrid scent of petrochemical pollution, the Earth is full of stories — and Justine Vandenberg is here to tell them.

Justine is a writer, poet, photographer, and environmental health professional based in the Midwestern U.S. Graduating from DePauw University with a B.A. in Global Environmental Health and Sustainability, Justine is passionate about the intertwined health of ecological and human communities alike. Her studies include a concentrated emphasis in English Writing and Storytelling, where she has worked to hone her lifelong passions for creative writing, poetry, investigative journalism, and global health communication.

Justine’s research focuses on the long-term impacts of synthetic and endocrine-disrupting chemicals on ecological and human health, advocating for corporate accountability and reinforced legislation to prioritize the health of people and the planet over profit. Her environmental writing and photography has been published in the literary arts journal A Midwestern Review, with her photograph Biophilia recently chosen as the cover for the 2026 Spring Edition.

As the recipient of the Barbara Kingsolver Award for the Environmental Fellows Class of 2026 at DePauw University, Justine is passionate about harnessing the power of storytelling to share her reverence for nature and illuminate the world’s most pressing environmental justice issues of plastic waste crises, chemical pollution, and the burden of environmental health crises on human and non-human lives.

You can find her in the woods paying attention to this one wild and precious life, or working on her upcoming eco-dystopian novel.