SEEDSEnvironmental Justice in West Virginia & LouisianaMegan Litke, Sustainability Coordinator

AgendaSustainability and Environmental JusticeRoots of the ProblemsLouisiana and West Virginia EJ CommunitiesEmpowermentReflectionDiscussion

SustainabilityTriple Bottom Line UN Definition

1987 Bruntland Commission defined sustainable development as "development which meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

“Sustainability is about making the world work

for 100% of the people.”-L. Hunter Lovins

Environmental Justice“Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” - EPA

Photos from: http://ecenter.colorado.edu/environmental-justice

Our Contributions to EJ problems

Desire for STUFF that is cheap, disposableDesire for ELECTRICITY that is cheapWe rely on fossil fuels for the electricity and the stuffWe need a place to dispose of the stuff

Plastics can often be recycled, but recycling is only a second best optionRecycling is a manufacturing process

Sometimes overseas

Communities located near factories/mining/landfills/power plants are often EJ communities

We in the developed world allow others to subsidize our standard of living.

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina

Food expenditure for one week: $341.98

From Time Magazine’s What the World Eats, Photos by Peter Menzel author of “Hungry Planet” http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html

Cheap isn’t cheapOthers pay with:

Their healthTheir access to clean waterTheir access to healthy work environmentsTheir access to foodLoss of their natural resourcesLoss of their heritage

NIMBYKey issues: siting of landfills, factories, power plants, industry, etc.Concerns of residents: risks of spills, fires, discharge of chemicals and waste and the human health impacts that could result

Environmental JusticeSites are chosen where local resistance is expected to be minimal or where land has little valueCommunities most likely to house these facilities are communities with a large concentration of minorities who have below average income, education, employment, and voting participationIn a study in LA, race was determined to be the dominant factor; income was secondary

Sadd, J.L. et al 1997

Cancer Alley150 petro-chemical facilities within 100 miles. “Fallout” (term from the EPA) from these facilities is a toxic cocktail of airborne chemicals that affects food, water and soil. Each refinery puts out hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals. Many studies link these chemicals to the exceedingly high levels of cancer in Louisiana.

Cancer AlleyArea is predominately African-American, Latino, and low-income

"CLEAN THEM UP OR SHUT THEM DOWN"

(photo by S. Kittner)

Katrina• Environmental problems

caused by Katrina were disproportionately felt by populations within the city.• floodwaters released toxic

substances into the air and water;

• where damage to previously contaminated sites as well as water and sewage treatment facilities occurred;

• and where the debris and waste was placed and how it was disposed of

http://www.hurricanekatrina.com/hurricane-katrina-pictures-4.html

Katrina Timeline

http://www.nola.com/katrina/graphics/flashflood.swf

Mountain Top Mining1. Layers of rock and dirt above

the coal (called overburden) are removed.

2. The upper seams of coal are removed with spoils placed in an adjacent valley.

3. Draglines excavate lower layers of coal with spoils placed in spoil piles.

4. Regrading begins as coal excavation continues.

5. Once coal removal is complete, final regrading takes place and the area is revegetated.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/07/30/888765/-KY-Sen-Paul-says-mountain-top-mining-enhances-land

The Mountaintop Removal Process

1) CLEARING The hardwoord forests that blanket the mountain are clearcut to prepare the mountain for blasting. Sometimes the timber is harvested, but often the trees are burned or pushed down the mountainside. Topsoil is often pushed into the valley below. 2) BLASTINGTo dislodge the earth and rock above the coal seams, termed as overburden by the coal industry, ammonium nitrate explosives are detonated in holes drilled into the mountain. In addition to the soil and rocks loosened by blasting, white silica and chemical-laden dust become airborne, settling on the surrounding communities. Prolonged silica inhalation leads to silicosis. 3) DIGGINGThe rubble left in the wake of the blasts is removed by 20-story tall dragline excavators and house-sized haul trucks, exposing the mountain's coal seams. Blasting and digging can remove as much as 1,400 feet of elevation from a mountain.

4) VALLEY FILLSHaul trucks dump the rubble into the valleys below the mountain to create valley fills, which have burried over 1,900 miles of headwater streams. The denuded mountain and rubble-filled valleys increase flooding due to increased runoff during rainfall.

5) PROCESSING and RECLAMATIONAfter the coal has been mined, reclamation begins. Barren land is covered with plants and grass hardy enough to survive in the rocky ground left behind. In some cases, hardwood trees can take hold again, but in all instances it will take the long process of succession for native ecosystems to return. http

://auroralights.org/map_project/theme.php?theme=mtr&article=17

Descriptions and pictures from “Journey Up Coal River”

Mountain Top Miningan increase of minerals in the water -- zinc, sodium, selenium, and sulfate levels may increase and negatively impact fish and macroinvertebrates leading to less diverse and more pollutant-tolerant speciesstreams in watersheds below valley fills tend to have greater base flow; streams are sometimes covered up wetlands are, at times inadvertently and other times intentionally, created; these wetlands provide some aquatic functions, but are generally not of high qualityforests may become fragmented (broken into sections)the regrowth of trees and woody plants on regraded land may be slowed due to compacted soilsgrassland birds are more common on reclaimed mine lands as are snakes; amphibians such as salamanders, are less likelycumulative environmental costs have not been identifiedthere may be social, economic and heritage issues

Mountain Top MiningHeavy metals and chemicals from coal slurry end up in the ground waterTooth enamel and gall bladder issuesCancer from air pollutants Birth DefectsDownstream impacts

NYTimes

West Virginia and Louisiana

Love of placeUnique resource-rich geographiesMulti-generational oil and coal industry influence Cultures connected with the outdoorsEnvironmental Justice is about empowering the communities

“You Don't Have to Move Out of Your

Neighborhood to Live in a Better One.”

-Majora Carter

ProgressCommitment to LEED SilverFirst one opened in 2009, with double digit increases in test scoresLangston Hughes is LEED Silver

LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental DesignNationally recognized standard for creating green buildingsIncludes planning, design, construction, operations, occupancy, end of lifeNine buildings on campus are certified or in the process of becoming certified

LEED CategoriesSustainable SitesWater EfficiencyEnergy and AtmosphereMaterials and ResourcesIndoor Environmental QualityInnovation/Exemplary PerformanceRegional Priorities

Coal River Mountain Watch

Campus Sustainability Resources

Sustainability.richmond.edu@BeAGreenSpider on TwitterUniversity of Richmond Sustainability on Facebooksustainability@richmond.eduUSGBC StudentsGreenUR