Community Action for Environmental Justice!
By: Alex Gordon
As we all know, times are pretty crazy at the moment. The COVID-19 Pandemic has completely uprooted most people's lives and has changed the way people approach the world. Nonetheless, the big issues of our time, like climate change, have not gone anywhere. In fact, though it may appear that taking a break from the world would improve environmental health, a recent study done through the United Nations Environment Program shows that to be false. Though individual carbon footprints have likely decreased, our global system of energy production remains the same and is just as dangerous as pre-COVID-19 times.
Unsurprisingly the current administration is not doing anything to remedy this issue. In fact, they are quite clearly making things worse. At the end of March, the Environmental Protection Agency temporarily halted all enforcement of environmental regulations, giving big industries free rein to pollute as much as they "need." This is obviously terrible for the state of the entire globe but, directly impacts individuals in my home, Houston, Texas.
Houston has been an energy hub for quite some time, resulting in one of the poorest air qualities in the country(Trevizo, 2019). Again, this obviously impacts everyone in the area but, we see a very specific group of people bearing the brunt of environmental burdens: low-income people of color. I happen to live in one of these communities, unironically referred to as a sacrifice zone(Pezzulo and Cox, 2018, 41) so, the de-regulation of polluters, which hurts my family and neighbors, is an immediate health concern for me.
This is where my project came in! Not only are few political authorities doing anything about this issue, but very few community members are aware of this immediate health threat. Few people are aware of the blatant environmental racism in the first place and those that are, often feel unable to create tangible change. I remedied this by creating a letter-writing campaign and guide. This allowed people to learn more about the issue, take clear action, and, lift some of the burden many community members have of solving this issue alone.
In general, environmental advocacy campaigns aim to educate and empower a community to take direct action toward a goal (Pezzulo and Cox, 2018, chapter 9). I sought to educate members of my community on environmental injustice in the area, empower them to write a letter to their congressional representative calling on them to hold the EPA accountable for their duty and, gather community support for environmental justice. Using an infographic, a collage, and a brief but comprehensive letter-writing guide, I was able to get 13 letters (my goal was 10!) sent from citizens living in frontline communities to their representatives in congress. This guide is open to the public so, I am still actively encouraging people to write letters and learn more!
Overall, this project went extremely well. Hopefully, we get some responses from our congressional representatives! I was able to mobilize community members that had very little experience with campaign action and environmental justice even though they are all being directly impacted. I got to spark conversation, which is really what will leave lasting change. What was most important for me personally, was to give these community members the chance to tell their powerful stories to those in a political position to make the necessary legal change. These letters were able to do just that and I am really looking forward to seeing how this could impact my community and hopefully our politics in the future.
Check out these sources for more! Linked are also some sources used in the letter-writing guide, which is again, available to be viewed. I additionally just want to thank all of my friends and family who took the time to write a letter and share their story!
As we all know, times are pretty crazy at the moment. The COVID-19 Pandemic has completely uprooted most people's lives and has changed the way people approach the world. Nonetheless, the big issues of our time, like climate change, have not gone anywhere. In fact, though it may appear that taking a break from the world would improve environmental health, a recent study done through the United Nations Environment Program shows that to be false. Though individual carbon footprints have likely decreased, our global system of energy production remains the same and is just as dangerous as pre-COVID-19 times.
Unsurprisingly the current administration is not doing anything to remedy this issue. In fact, they are quite clearly making things worse. At the end of March, the Environmental Protection Agency temporarily halted all enforcement of environmental regulations, giving big industries free rein to pollute as much as they "need." This is obviously terrible for the state of the entire globe but, directly impacts individuals in my home, Houston, Texas.Houston has been an energy hub for quite some time, resulting in one of the poorest air qualities in the country(Trevizo, 2019). Again, this obviously impacts everyone in the area but, we see a very specific group of people bearing the brunt of environmental burdens: low-income people of color. I happen to live in one of these communities, unironically referred to as a sacrifice zone(Pezzulo and Cox, 2018, 41) so, the de-regulation of polluters, which hurts my family and neighbors, is an immediate health concern for me.
This is where my project came in! Not only are few political authorities doing anything about this issue, but very few community members are aware of this immediate health threat. Few people are aware of the blatant environmental racism in the first place and those that are, often feel unable to create tangible change. I remedied this by creating a letter-writing campaign and guide. This allowed people to learn more about the issue, take clear action, and, lift some of the burden many community members have of solving this issue alone.In general, environmental advocacy campaigns aim to educate and empower a community to take direct action toward a goal (Pezzulo and Cox, 2018, chapter 9). I sought to educate members of my community on environmental injustice in the area, empower them to write a letter to their congressional representative calling on them to hold the EPA accountable for their duty and, gather community support for environmental justice. Using an infographic, a collage, and a brief but comprehensive letter-writing guide, I was able to get 13 letters (my goal was 10!) sent from citizens living in frontline communities to their representatives in congress. This guide is open to the public so, I am still actively encouraging people to write letters and learn more!
Overall, this project went extremely well. Hopefully, we get some responses from our congressional representatives! I was able to mobilize community members that had very little experience with campaign action and environmental justice even though they are all being directly impacted. I got to spark conversation, which is really what will leave lasting change. What was most important for me personally, was to give these community members the chance to tell their powerful stories to those in a political position to make the necessary legal change. These letters were able to do just that and I am really looking forward to seeing how this could impact my community and hopefully our politics in the future.
Check out these sources for more! Linked are also some sources used in the letter-writing guide, which is again, available to be viewed. I additionally just want to thank all of my friends and family who took the time to write a letter and share their story!
Pezzullo, P., Cox, R. (2018). Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere.
Russell, L. (2010).Fact Sheet: Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity. Center for American Progress. Retrieved from: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/healthcare/news/2010/12/16/8762/fact-sheet-health-disparities-by-race-and-ethnicity/
Trevizo, P. (2019). Despite progress, Houston air quality among worst in the nation, study finds. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/renew-houston/health/article/Despite-progress-Houston-air-quality-among-worst-13836322.php
United Nations Environment Program. (2020).Record global carbon dioxide concentrations despite COVID-19 crisis. Retrieved From: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-
Beitsch, R. (202). EPA suspends enforcement of environmental laws amid coronavirus. Retrived from: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/489753-epa-suspends-enforcement-of-environmental-laws-amid-coronavirus
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