SEEDS Environmental Justice in West Virginia & Louisiana
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Transcript of SEEDS Environmental Justice in West Virginia & Louisiana
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 [email protected] StudentsGreenUR