Environmental Justice

Environmental justice serves to promote healthy and livable minority communities.

A variety of environmental burdens (for example, toxic waste sites, polluted air and water, dirty jobs, under-enforcement of environmental laws) have fallen disproportionately on low-income persons and communities of color. Subsequently, they are disproportionately burdened with health risks associated with pollution. The Environmental Justice movement works to alleviate this mistreatment.

Ideally, as communities become more informed and collectively organized, these burdens will be reduced and opportunities increased, thus producing something closer to a just society.

For Environmental Justice Resource Information click here.


GREEN TOUR - Encouraging grass roots organization through film

The Green Tour, a non-profit project,* works with grassroots, environmental justice organizations around the United States to create film forums that stimulate community dialogues and informed local action.

A typical forum includes a screening of the documentary Green followed by a discussion tailored to meet the needs of the community. Local environmental experts, government representatives, doctors, and community leaders are invited to take part in a panel or lead a group brainstorming session. While the screenings are all different the final goal remains the same: to educate the public about environmental justice and to link otherwise isolated communities affected by toxic pollution to each other. After the screenings, we plan to create a website to document the plight of each area, list contact information, and give updates on legislation and related government affairs.

During the spring of 2001, Green was used as an organizing tool to inspire environmental activism in over 30 communities many of whose inhabitants are low income, minority and suffering from cancer and/or other ailments. We are currently in the planning and fundraising stage for the Green National Tour.

*The fiscal sponsor of the Green Tour is Austin Film Society.

Communities visited by the Green Tour (partial listing):

Louisiana:
• Baton Rouge - LSU Student Environmental Coalition
• Convent- Romeville Senior Center
• Gonzales- PACE Union Hall
• New Orleans- Zeitgeist Arts Center
• New Orleans- Agriculture Street Housing Projects
• New Orleans- Tulane University Sociology Dept
• New Orleans- Loyola University Law School
• New Orleans- Sierra Club National Environmental Justice In-Gathering
• New Orleans- United Church of Christ (coming soon)
• New Orleans- Recycle Arts Center (coming soon)
• Norco- New Sarpy House of Prayer
• Plaquemine- Iberville Parish Library

Texas:
• Austin- Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club
• Austin- Mexican American Cultural Center in association with the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Association
• Austin- Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission
• Austin- University of Texas, Journalism Dept, History Dept.
• Dallas (coming soon)
• Denton
• Houston (coming soon)
• San Antonio- Esperanza Center for Social Justice
• Texas City (coming soon)

Michigan:
• Ann Arbor- University of Michigan

Washington D.C.:
• National Academy of Sciences- Institute of Medicine

New Jersey:
• Clean Water Action National Conference

Ohio:
• Antioch, Antioch College (coming soon)

Texas screenings TBA: Port Arthur, Beaumont, Winona, Odessa, Brownsville and Texas City.

Texas screenings TBA: Port Arthur, Beaumont, Winona, Odessa, Brownsville and Texas City.