I chose a presentation as my resource guide for the Campaign for Change project, I have provided the file of the presentation below, along with the speaker notes.
Here are some speaker notes for each slide in the presentation file below.
First Slide: We can use the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of environmental justice which 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.” Environmental justice is based on the idea of equitable justice for everyone, regardless of skin color. The communities that face environmental justice can be affected by exposure to harmful water quality or exposure to air pollution.
Second Slide: Low-income communities are forced to face air quality issues, ocean acidification issues, natural disasters, and dangerous health effects.
Third Slide: St. Gabriel, Louisiana is known as ‘Cancer Alley’ to the locals. Industrial plants have increased the release of cancer-causing chemicals in black and low-income communities. 30 large petrochemical plants surround the city. Whiter and affluent communities are not immune to these harmful fumes since they are not exposed as much as black and low-income communities are.
Fourth Slide: The Flint, Michigan Water Crisis began in 2014. The city switched the drinking water supply from Detroit’s system to the Flint River, in order to save money. The water from the Flint River was not tested or treated properly, which caused water quality issues and health issues for the Flint residents. These issues were ignored by government officials for more than a year. The water was discolored, had a foul smell, and had a bad taste to it. The side effects faced by the communities were skin rashes, hair loss, and itchy skin.
Fifth Slide: There are many institutions that could possibly help with the issue of environmental justice. Colleges have the power to educate their students about a multitude of topics. According to Dr. Richard Niesenbaum, “our educational institutions need a paradigm shift that inspires students to think about the world, their relationship to it, and their ability to influence it in a completely different way.” Colleges are here for higher education, and they can create new generations that can make a difference and make the world a better place.
Sixth Slide: The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is an organization that works towards supporting the idea that ‘environmental security is a basic human right.’ The EJF was founded by Steve Trent and Juliette Williams in 1999. The foundation has 5 campaign areas, such as oceans, wildlife/biodiversity, climate, forests, and cotton. All five of these campaign areas have extensive goals to fix the problems multiple people (around the world) have to face.
