This presentation will discuss how I addressed the needs of Environmental Studies students enrolled in an Environmental Justice and/or Environmental History course. Both courses were taught from a justice-oriented standpoint and discussed topics such as activism, colonialism, identity and the environment, environmental education, and just futures, among others. Throughout both courses, students expressed three main frustrations: eco-anxiety and ecological sorrow, the whitewashing and sanitization of history, and finding ways to be involved in the environmental movement. First, young adults are feeling that their generation has been left to take care of environmental issues and that those issues are 1) either too big to tackle and are overwhelmed on where to start, 2) environmental issues are so big that there is nothing they can do, and/or 3) they must start working to fix environmental issues immediately. Second, students in both classes were often left asking why they did not learn historical facts about the colonization of America and why they had not heard about people of color who have been instrumental in the environmental movement. Last, many students want to learn how they can be involved. Many of my students organize through organizations on campus and in the community. Some ways that I responded to students’ concerns were carefully crafted class discussions and alternative assignments that allowed for creativity and expression. I will share learnings from discussions with students, feedback and evaluations, teaching reflections, how to maintain hope, and some recommendations. I invite the audience to consider what the needs of their students who are interested in agricultural and environmental justice and social issues look like in their own contexts.