News Feeds | ecology.iww.org (2024)

Greenbelt Alliance - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 14:14

Like so many Americans, my fascination with national parks such as Yosemite and Joshua Tree began at a young age during family road trips through California and beyond. This affinity has continued well into my adulthood, and I hope to someday have the privilege to visit all of our national parks. So far I’ve visited 29 out of 63!

Across the country, people are celebrating our beautiful landscapes and cultural treasures that comprise the United States National Park System as part of National Park Week. With special events and free admission to all national parks on April 20th, National Park Week is a moment to cherish our country’s great outdoors and steward our iconic lands.

National parks are sometimes referred to as “America’s Best Idea” – and indeed, they have helped preserve some of the most incredible and unique ecosystems while also providing access as well as educational and recreational opportunities to millions of Americans and global visitors.

However, the history of the United States’ National Parks is undoubtedly complex, with many parks occupying land stolen from indigenous peoples, who carefully stewarded and lived in these iconic environments for many generations before colonization by Europeans.

Now, climate change and policy threats pose major challenges to many of our most beloved national parks. Faced with these unprecedented challenges, scientists, conservationists, firefighters, park rangers, and others across the country are embracing nature-based solutions and traditional indigenous practices to protect these precious natural resources. If you want to learn more about these practices, I recommend the Washington Post’s Field Trip podcast.

In spite of these difficult circ*mstances, I am personally optimistic that we can work together as a country to preserve our national parks for future generations. Standing at the base of a towering Giant Sequoia, I cannot help but feel amazed and inspired by a living being that can survive (and thrive) for hundreds or thousands of years – continuing to grow even when confronted by powerful wildfires, draughts, and storms. There is perhaps no better example of climate resiliency than this enormous yet humble tree.

We as humans have a responsibility to learn from our natural environments, and plan for a resilient future. Across the Bay Area region, Greenbelt Alliance is advocating for land use policies that balance smart growth development with the necessary protection of natural lands – not just the world-renowned national parks – but also the local farmlands, wetlands, forests, grasslands, and the communities who depend on these lands.

The post How National Parks Inspire Us to Protect Nature and Embrace Resilience appeared first on Greenbelt Alliance.

Categories: G2. Local Greens

Resource Recycling News - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:55

Will Fiber Continue To Rise?

Rising packaging and tissue markets lift fiber prices.

Continue Reading→

The post Will Fiber Continue To Rise? appeared first on Resource Recycling News.

Categories: B5. Resilience, Third Nature, and Transition

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:49

April 22, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUWA Statement on House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee Field Hearing in Hurricane, UT – 4.22.24

Contacts:

Travis Hammill, DC Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); travis@suwa.org
Kya Marienfeld, Wildlands Attorney, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (435) 259-5440; kya@suwa.org
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Hurricane, UT– Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a Field Hearing in Hurricane, UT. A variety of topics were covered, including the proposed Northern Corridor Highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) and the recently finalized Public Lands Rule. Below is a statement from Travis Hammill, SUWA’s DC Director.

“Today’s partisan hearing was out of touch with local and national support for protecting public lands – especially the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. Despite a hearing title that included the phrase “Empowering Local Voices,” no members of the public were allowed to speak. Local community members sporting “No Highway thru Red Cliffs” stickers made up a majority of the audience and the message was clear,” said Travis Hammill, DC Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA).

“SUWA was disappointed with today’s attacks on the Public Lands Rule – the Rule highlights what was always there: that conservation is an integral part of how BLM tackles its work, day-in and day-out. Keeping conservation front and center is particularly important in places like Washington County and across Southwest Utah that are seeing both significant growth and the impacts of climate change such as prolonged drought and diminishing water supplies.”

SUWA submitted testimony laying out the history of the Red Cliffs NCA and correcting misinformation presented in today’s one-sided and often baseless testimony. It will be part of the Congressional Record.

Additional Information:

The Northern Corridor Highway

The proposed highway violates at least five federal environmental protection laws (the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act). Violations of these laws were central to the litigation filed by conservation groups, which has led the BLM to reconsider its decision to approve a highway right-of-way in the NCA. This process is underway right now.

• BLM’s National NEPA Register website for the Supplemental EIS
• BLM and FWS Press Release, November 15th, 2023
• Relevant Court documents
• The Protect Red Cliffs Petition, with 35,828 signatures from people around the world advocating for the protection of the Red Cliffs NCA from the Northern Corridor Highway
• The Protect Red Cliffs Zine—Art and Narratives of a Threatened Place
• Red Cliffs Photo Gallery
• Red Cliffs Video Galley
• Background

The Public Lands Rule

On Thursday, April 18, 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the release of the final Public Lands Rule, which establishes a “… framework to ensure healthy landscapes, abundant wildlife habitat, clean water, and balanced decision-making on our nation’s public lands.” SUWA issued a statement in strong support of the Rule, which will go into effect 30 days following publication in the Federal Register.

• BLM’s webpage on the Public Lands Rule.
• “The BLM Public Lands Rule is a common-sense solution” June 25, 2023 Editorial from the Salt Lake Tribune
• March 30, 2023 SUWA Statement on the Proposed Rule; Advocacy Action from SUWA during the public comment period
• Information regarding public comments received by BLM – 92% of which were supportive.

###

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

The post SUWA Statement on House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee Field Hearing in Hurricane, UT – 4.22.24 appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Categories: G2. Local Greens

Oil Change International - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:43

In response to President Biden’s Earth Day announcement, Allie Rosenbluth, United States Program Manager at Oil Change International, released the following statement:

“It is critical that President Biden continues to highlight the climate crisis in his speeches, but we cannot ignore that the United States is the world’s largest producer, expander, and exporter of oil and gas. Resourcing renewable energy in a way that creates good-paying union jobs is important, but the United States and the world will fall short of our climate goals without real steps to phase out fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency has made it clear that no new investments in coal, oil, or gas align with a livable future.

“Youth, frontline communities, scientists, workers, and other voters are tired of Biden falling flat on ending fossil fuels. President Biden has an opportunity to show he is taking the climate crisis as seriously as he says by confronting corporate interest and delivering for people, not polluters. President Biden must use the full extent of his power to transition away from fossil fuels and towards a renewable energy economy where everyone can thrive.

“President Biden must lead a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels. At home, Biden must make the LNG pause permanent and stop permitting new fossil fuel projects. Abroad, he must follow through his Clean Energy Transition Partnership promise to stop using public dollars to finance fossil fuels. Following youth-led protests ahead of Earth Day, the message to Biden is clear: the time to transition away from fossil fuels is now.”

The post In response to President Biden’s Earth Day speech appeared first on Oil Change International.

Categories: J2. Fossil Fuel Industry

Skeptical Science - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:37

This is are-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Spengeman

People wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP)

Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that arrives earlier to wait for a smoother, cooler ride in a new model. This has fed a new problem: overcrowding. Fortunately, more new buses are on the way.

Last fall, India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched a$7 billion initiativeto support 10,000 new electric buses in 169 Indian cities. ThePM-eBus Sewaprogram prioritizes small to medium-sized cities of up to 4 million people, particularly those now lacking organized bus service. India hopes this will make public transport — not private vehicles — integral to sustainable urban growth and city culture in the country that last yearovertook Chinato become the world’s most populous nation.

India’s burgeoning cities are expected to be home to an estimated416 million more people by2050— the largest urban increase in the world. Massive growth could worsen both traffic congestion and air quality in a country that already hasnine of the 10most polluted cities on the planet and rankssecondin deaths related to transportation pollution.

But more traffic and pollution is not inevitable, since India has yet to build70 to 80%of city infrastructure that will be needed by 2050. The government initiative aims to make clean, electrified public transportation the norm.

PM-eBus Sewa (Sewa means “service” in Hindi) will also invest in infrastructure like bus depots, interchange facilities, advanced fare collection systems, and fleet charging facilities. New, holistic transport systems in these rapidly developing cities will also create economic opportunities, giving all residents access to affordable, reliable transportation to travel to work or school.

Electric buses require a larger upfront investment even though they are cheaper than diesel buses over their lifetimes due to lower fuel and maintenance costs. Therefore, PM-eBus Sewa will focus on smaller cities with fewer financial resources. It also will use an innovative funding mechanism called agross cost contractmodel, which has already succeeded in several Indian cities. The local transportation authority contracts with a private company that owns the bus, often the manufacturer, to operate the bus and handle maintenance, charging, and staffing over a set time period. This allows cities to pay for buses over a longer term rather than all at once.

“India’s cities do want to run bus services but do not have funds for sustained bus operations,” explained Surendra Kumar Bagde, additional secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at the International Council on Clean Transportation’sClean Transport Summitin New Delhi last August. “PM-ebus Sewa gives this sustained bus operations support.”

Public health benefits of electric buses

In India, transportation is thethird-largest sourceof emissions, after power generation and industry. The transition to electric vehicles will cut planet-heating emissions, but this alone will not achieve the country’s climate goals.Recent researchfrom the nonprofit Institute for Transportation and Development Policy finds that India must shift 50% of projected travel to public transportation, walking, and biking by 2050 to cut transportation emissions in line with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Electrifying buses focuses government investments on shared transport, supporting compact cities that put people’s needs ahead of cars. Experts at the International Council on Clean Transportation India providedanalysisdemonstrating that electric buses also will improve air quality, which should cut respiratory problems and benefit public health.

In the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, the International Council on Clean Transportation also conducted asurveyin three cities — Mumbai, Pune, and Navi Mumbai — that were early adopters of electric buses in the western state of Maharashtra. Mumbai’s first six electric buses hit the roads in 2017 and then an additional 40 in 2019. Pune was able to start with 150 in 2019, usingSmart Cities Missionfunds, a national program to support sustainable development. And Navi Mumbai also started its e-bus service with 150 e-buses in 2019.

In conversations with 21 individuals, representing transit authorities, depot managers, and bus operators, the researchers heard overwhelming support for electric buses, citing multiple benefits over fossil-fueled buses. Transit authorities reported that electric buses required less maintenance time while being just as reliable as other buses. Santosh Patil, a driver from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation,saiddriving the e-bus is much less stressful because it doesn’t require frequent gear shifting in heavy traffic and is easier on the knees and back. He pointed out the e-bus is also free from the vibration, noise, and heat generated by fossil-fueled buses.

As for passengers, in April 2022, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy conducted asurveyin Pune, finding that 78% preferred to ride electric buses over their fossil-fueled counterparts. The survey found riders prefer the smoother, less-noisy ride as well as the air-conditioning. Buses in Pune also operate on a bus rapid transit system, which provides buses with dedicated lanes and other features that make bus travel faster and easier than car travel — key to making public transport the default choice.

Big bus ambitions

In 2015, there were onlythree electric busesregistered in India. Now there are7,757. Maharashtra state accounted for about 25% of e-buses operated in India as of February 2024 and is in the process of procuring 5,150 e-buses — the second-largest e-bus tender in the country.

After announcing the PM-eBus Sewa policy, the national government set a goal of50,000new electric buses deployed by 2027.

“India is undergoing a remarkable transition to electric mobility in public transport,” said Vaishali Singh, who leads the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy’s bus electrification work in India, in an email. “But the real challenge lies ahead,” she noted. Transit authorities must rethink bus system planning and operations to account for charging needs, changes to maintenance, and worker training.

Another challenge: India has more than2 million private buses, including charter buses for tourists. Late last year, Indian mediareportedthat the government plans to replace 800,000 diesel buses with electric ones over the next seven years through the next phase of its electrification subsidy. The plan calls for 550,000 new private e-buses, 200,000 e-buses for public transport, and 50,000 for schools.

If achieved, that would make India an undisputed leader in e-bus deployment and drive major growth of its domestic electric vehicle manufacturing. If this happens, by 2050, India may no longer be considered a “developing” country, but a global example of sustainable development with clean air, livable cities.

Sarah Spengeman is communications deputy director at theCrux Alliance, which was established in 2018 to support the rapid implementation of ambitious, cutting-edge climate policies.

Categories: I. Climate Science

Solar Industry Magazine - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:34

Enphase Energy has formed a strategic partnership with Octopus Energy Group which expects to focus on deploying Enphase’s IQ8 Microinverters and IQ Battery 5P in the U.K.

Octopus Energy’s U.K. retail customers can integrate Enphase’s home solar and BESS in their energy plans with the company also using Enphase’s Kraken management software platform.

“Our innovative home energy systems paired with Octopus Energy’s intuitive tariffs and intelligent management of DERs can unlock huge potential for the energy grid,” says Marco Krapels, vice president of worldwide business development at Enphase Energy.

“Together, we can provide flexible and cost-effective energy usage across more than seven million households in the United Kingdom, and accelerate the broader energy transition. We look forward to continuing to grow our relationships with leading energy providers like Octopus Energy across the world and helping homeowners maximize the value of their solar and battery investments.”

Enphase Energy is also a participant in the Octopus Energy GridBoost battery program in Texas.

The post Enphase Energy Partners with Octopus Energy Group in the U.K. appeared first on Solar Industry.

Categories:

Key updates: • Massive corruption by Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority officials uncovered • Leaked government plans reveal new plan to alienate more Maasai land • 135 families relocated to Msomera accuse Tanzanian Government of unfulfilled promises • Protestors rally on 27 February to call for free and fair elections • Will UNESCO recognise its mistake […]

The post Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA) Newsletter April 2024 first appeared on AFSA.

Categories: A3. Agroecology

Green and Red Podcast - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:24

Categories: B4. Radical Ecology

North American Windpower - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:20

Rovco has signed a framework agreement with Ørsted to provide O&M work on the developer’s U.S. sites, the 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island and 132 MW South Fork Wind Farm in New York.

Rovco plans to carry out the work using remote operated vehicles along with its simultaneous location and mapping technology to provide live stream inspections and real-time 3D reconstructions of site assets.

The Ørsted contract, along with other framework agreements, will enable the creation of 25 new roles that will be managed out of Rovco’s New York office, says Rovco.

“The U.S. has the potential to be a leading market for offshore wind and Ørsted is playing a key role in building capacity, so we’re proud to be supporting them with our high-tech offshore wind solutions,” adds Brian Allen, CEO at Rovco. “This framework agreement is an important contribution to Rovco’s global mission of accelerating the industry’s clean energy transition.”

The post Rovco to Provide Offshore Inspection Work for Orsted U.S. Sites appeared first on North American Windpower.

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EarthBlog - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:17

Today marks the 54th Earth Day and one day until countries begin negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty at INC-4. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 with millions of people across the United States taking action in response to rampant pollution and other environmental destruction.

By the end of 1970, the power generated by the mass mobilizations of that first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first-of-their-kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act.

Change has always come from people power. This year, Earthworks and allies across the world came together at the March to End the Plastic Era to demand an ambitious plastic treaty at INC-4 in Ottawa, Canada. The Global Plastics Treaty is a pivotal “make or break” moment to establish a legally binding instrument to rid the world of plastic pollution across the full life cycle.

Photo by Dianne Peterson

First Nations and Indigenous leaders, frontline community groups, climate activists, youth leaders, healthcare professionals, waste-pickers, environmental advocates, scientists, and global allies from across civil society coming from all continents rallied together and marched from Parliament Hill to Shaw Center to deliver a unified message: The pollution from the entire plastic lifecycle threatens human life and our fundamental rights to health and the environment, including significant contributions to the climate crisis — especially for Black, Brown, Indigenous, frontline, and under-resourced communities, particularly in the Global South.

Photo by anaïs peterson, Earthworks

Speakers uplifted 12 key demands for delegates to ensure justice in a global treaty from the communities on the frontlines of fossil fuel extraction to those in the Global South who are being polluted by continued waste colonialism. They emphasized that we must follow the waste hierarchy in any approach to addressing the plastics crisis: prevention, re-use, recycling, recovery, and finally disposal to ensure we place our emphasis on turning off the tap — not false solutions.

Photo by Dianne Peterson

The plastics crisis has become one of the defining environmental issues of our lives and the fight to stop the plastics crisis is inherently linked with our fight for a livable planet. As the world moves from depending on fossil fuels to renewable energy, the corporations that profit from extraction panicked. Petrochemicals and plastic became a lifeline to continued profit for the fossil fuel industry as 99% of plastic comes from fossil fuels.

Photo by anaïs peterson, Earthworks

Tomorrow, delegates from countries around the world will begin the fourth negotiations on the Global Plastic Treaty. As fenceline residents reminded us yesterday, a meaningful plastic treaty must limit plastic production. The plastics crisis impacts everyone across the globe in different ways, from the fracking in Appalachia to the waste-pickers in Indonesia and all of these things must be meaningfully addressed in a high ambition treaty.

Photo by anaïs peterson, Earthworks

We honored the spirit of the first Earth Day to once again mobilize in mass to demand our leaders meet the environmental crisis of our lives. Over the next week it is the duty of delegates to negotiate a strong and ambitious plastics treaty and embody the theme of this year’s Earth day – Planet Vs. Plastic.

Photo by Dianne PetersonPhoto byDianne Peterson

The post Hundreds Mobilize to Demand Global Action on Plastics Before Treaty Negotiations appeared first on Earthworks.

Categories: H. Green News

Military Poisons - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:02

A new report shows surface water contains dangerous levels of the toxins.Public health is threatened.A waste dump at Castlemoate House at the airport and similar landfills across Ireland poison the land and sea.

By Pat Elder
April 22, 2024

We don’t know what they are using to douse the flames in this photo, but we do know the area is profoundly contaminated with PFAS toxins. Dublin Airport Training Ground

Figure 2-1 Site Layout Map

Blue – Area of Potential Concern 5 (APEC 5) - Former Fire Fighting Training Ground
Pink – Current Fire Fighting Training Ground
Orange – Proposed Apron 5H Development Area.
Green – Castlemoate House

Source: Dublin Airport 2021-2023 Environmental Monitoring Report Fehily Timoney, April 2024

Surface water draining from the fire training area shown in the blue area above represents a serious threat to public health in Dublin. The airport likely used carcinogenic fire-fighting foams in routine practice for 50 years. The deadly toxins were allowed to enter the environment in massive amounts.

The entire food chain is poisoned in Dublin, beginning with the sediment and the invertebrates.

Fire training operated at the former firefighting training ground from the opening of Dublin Airport in 1940 until 2000. The carcinogenic foams were likely introduced in the early 1970’s, as they were worldwide. Foams containing these substances are stored across Ireland, but after 2024 they can no longer be used.

There are numerous streams, rivers, and artificial land drains in and around Dublin Airport. As the topography surrounding the airport falls predominantly from west to east, surface water generally flows in an easterly direction. The soil, subsurface soil, groundwater, and surface water are heavily contaminated at Dublin Airport.

The sediment and the banks of streams and rivers are likely coated with these chemicals. The winds carry carcinogenic dust into the air to settle in our lungs and our homes. Dust is a major pathway to human ingestion.

Homes in Martinsburg, West Virginia near an Air Force base that employed the same fire-fighting practices reported in Dublin had 16.4 million ppt of PFHxS in dust and 13.9 million ppt of PFOS. Small children are most impacted. Vacuuming and sweeping may be hazardous to your health.

The runway surface water monitoring results at Dublin Airport show a sum total of 5,186.97 parts per trillion of PFAS. This includes 462 ppt of PFOA and 1,400 ppt of PFOS.

What does it mean?

The streams, shown in blue, may drain carcinogens into the sea.

Back in 1972, a stormwater drainage network that flows to various open drains and local watercourses was constructed and remains in operation at the Dublin Airport. Development at the north runway has constructed a new surface drainage system with outfalls to local streams and rivers.

Airports are built to send the water away. The ground is like a massive subterranean sponge that will squeeze out carcinogens forever.

Per Fluoro Octane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) was detected in surface water at 1,400 ppt. at the airport. These are frightening levels!

In 2013, the EU environmental quality standard for PFOS in inland surface water was set at 0.65 ppt. See EU Directive 2013/39. Scientists warn us about the propensity of PFOS to bioaccumulate in aquatic life. The levels in the filet of fish may be up to 2,000 times the levels in the water. Ireland ought to be aggressively testing the fish and taking measures to warn women who are pregnant or may become pregnant to stay away from eating the toxic fish. No one else should eat it either.

It is not surprising that a sample taken from a flounder in the River Thames at Woolwich contained 52,100 ppt of the toxins. See this alarming report about PFOS in the UK. Meanwhile, the European Union recommends the sum of 20 select PFAS ought to be kept under 100 ppt in drinking water. The U.S. recently set an enforceable limit for PFOS and PFOA at 4 ppt in drinking water.

The state of Minnesota has placed limits on PFOS in some of its lakes at .05 ppt. They do this because they understand the chemical aggressively bioaccumulates in fish and is harmful to people. Levels of 1,400 ppt in surface water in Dublin are 28,000 times above the Minnesota limit. What’s in your fish and chips, Ireland?

The scant attention given to PFAS in the Irish media focuses on the drinking water while most of the PFAS in our bodies is from the food we eat, especially the fish.

Sorry for all the acronyms! PFAS are per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances. There are more than 15,000 of them. PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, and PFBS are types of PFAS. This is something the Irish cannot seem to get their heads around, although Clare Daly, a member of the European Parliament from Dublin, is a notable exception.

Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament

“These so-called ‘forever chemicals’ have been detected in more than 70% of the groundwater measuring points in the EU,” she explained. We know now that PFAS pose enormous health and environment risks and that big corporations have lied to us for decades about their dangers.”

Daly explained the impasse regarding PFAS in the European Parliament. (Ireland is a member of the European Union.) "Towards the end of last year, the European Parliament voted on legislation that would update the list of pollutants affecting surface waters and groundwater in the EU, and that included stricter thresholds for PFAS. But no progress has been made because the Council hasn’t adopted its position yet, so negotiations between the two institutions can’t start. The Irish government should really be pushing hard for this at the Council.”

Daly continued, “There is also a much bigger piece of legislation on the way that should be tackling PFAS - the revision of the REACH regulation. The EU Chemical Strategy promised that the most harmful chemicals in consumer products would be banned. Yet, in July it was reported that the Commission was on the brink of breaking this promise due to pressure from the chemical industry and right-wing political groups. Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden are the ones pushing for an EU ban. Why isn’t Ireland?

"The scale and concentration of PFAS pollution in Europe is shocking. Public health is more important than the profits of big business, but the EU seems hellbent on privileging the former over the latter."

Waste sites at Dublin Airport
and throughout Ireland poison communities.

Castlemoate House at Dublin Airport was built in 1822.
This was before the age of deadly industrial contamination.

High levels of PFAS have been reported in groundwater at an unregulated waste disposal site at Castlemoate House at Dublin Airport. PFAS is commonly present in liquid leachate from waste disposal sites throughout Ireland.

Modern landfills are extraordinarily toxic. Foams and filters caked with the carcinogens are buried with a host of PFAS-laden products, especially electronic equipment high in PFAS content. The toxic refuse is pulverized by the great bulldozers and thrust into the ground. Rain and snow create deadly liquid leachate below the ground. It’s like a giant coffee maker. The chemicals may enter the surficial aquifer and make their way to the deeper aquifer used for wells. The deadly toxins migrate to surface waters where they poison aquatic life. Usually, the leachate flows through pipes to wastewater treatment plants, but the result is the same.

Carcinogenic waste was buried at the Castlemoate House site between 1975 and 1984. Total PFAS levels were reported as high as 642 ppt., while Perfluoro butanoic acid, (PFBA) accounted for all of this contamination. The compound is used in firefighting foams, food packaging, and other applications. Studies have shown that PFBA is present in tissues of several species of fish.

From the Dublin Airport 2021-2023 Environmental Monitoring Report:

“In 2008, buried waste material was encountered during the excavation of a foul sewer connection on the grounds of Castlemoate House. The Regulators, consisting of Fingal County Council (FCC), Environmental Protection Agency and Dept of Agriculture were notified. Intrusive investigations were undertaken in consultation with Fingal County Council as the lead Regulator. The intrusive investigations determined the buried material comprised a mix of historical general waste and historical aircraft catering waste. It was estimated the waste was emplaced at the site between 1975 and 1984.”

Aircraft catering waste may be heavily laden with PFAS. The chemicals are used in materials that are resistant to grease and oil from foods.

In humans PFBA is associated with Liver Injury, Fibrosis, Hepatomegaly, Hyperplasia, Hypertrophy, Kidney Diseases, Necrosis, and Skin Diseases.

PFBA is also associated with an increased risk of a more severe course of COVID-19.

The well water samples at Castlemoate were taken at depths from .51 meters to 2.21 meters below the ground surface. Samples taken from deeper in the ground may or may not return higher levels. More testing is necessary. The carcinogens are known to seep into the ground over time. The groundwater at Castlemoate House flows in an east to southeast direction, toward the Irish Sea about 5 miles away.

Artist’s rendition of PFBA

While industrial production and use of PFBA has declined in recent years, PFBA can be formed in the environment as a breakdown product of related PFAS that are still in use. PFBA is persistent in the environment, meaning it does not break down easily in soil or water. PFBA more easily dissolves in water than other PFAS and does not stick to soil. This means it can move faster in the environment and may contaminate large areas of groundwater. In several large areas of Minnesota, PFBA has moved into groundwater over the course of many years. - Minnesota Department of Health

Minnesota knows a lot about PFAS because 3M, a manufacturer of PFAS-related products, is headquartered there and has poisoned the state’s people and environment.

Landfilled waste containing PFAS in Ireland

The Ireland Environmental Protection Agency collected leachate in 2017 from 48 municipal solid waste landfill sites across Ireland. The results are staggering.

Table 3.1. Summary of concentrations (ng/L or ppt.) of selected PFAS in landfill leachate from 48 sites in Ireland.

EPA Research Programme, 2014–2020 Furthering Understanding of Emissions from Landfilled Waste Containing POP-BFRs and PFASs

The maximum levels of the compounds shown above are frightening.
Let’s look at it:

PFOA 11,000. (ppt)
PFOS 7,400.
PFNA 250
PFBS 17,000
FOSA 65
PFHxS 2,600

The PFOS in the leachate (7,400 ppt) is five times higher than the most toxic drainage from the airport. (1,400 ppt.) PFOS bioaccumulates in fish while PFOA threatens crustaceans. Just a few parts per trillion of these chemicals in our seafood may impact human health.

It is fascinating - if that is the right word – that each of these compounds affect the human body in diverse ways. It is disconcerting that there are likely many more PFAS compounds they’re either not testing or they’re not reporting. It’s the same everywhere.

PFBS, with a concentration of 17,000 ppt in leachate, is associated with these diseases: Low birth weight, Gestational diabetes, Dyslipidemias, Hepatomegaly, Hypertension, and Pre-Eclampsia. People may be exposed to PFBS through a number of different pathways, including contaminated food and water, inhaling polluted air, and contact with products containing the compound.

The Irish EPA estimates that 98% of leachate from landfills is collected and sent to wastewater treatment facilities. The report is somewhat misleading on this note:

“Subsequent releases of PFASs via effluent from such facilities will depend on the efficiency with which such contaminants are removed during wastewater treatment. Any contaminants not destroyed during treatment may then potentially be released via aqueous effluent to the aquatic environment, or via waste solids that may be applied to agricultural land.”

It is not known if a single wastewater treatment plant in Ireland is currently using technologies like granular activated carbon (GAC) filters to remove PFAS known to be present in the liquid and solid waste. It is the greatest irony that the technology exists to prevent the vast majority of the toxins from entering the environment in this manner. What to do with the collected material is a pressing issue.

It’s staggering to consider that the median levels for PFOS and PFOA were 83 ppt and 230 ppts respectively for 48 locations across the country.

We can’t spread it on farm fields because it poisons crops like potatoes in the fish and chips. We can’t bury it. We can’t dump it into the rivers and we can’t burn it.

Incinerating materials containing PFAS is dangerous

Putting lipstick on a pig at the Dublin Waste to Energy facility.

Attempts to destroy PFAS through incineration often pollute communities downwind of these facilities. The process may recycle PFAS contamination into these areas and the environment. The toxic dust sprinkles a silent death over the land and water.

Incineration of PFOS and PFOA contained within Granular Activated Carbon filters usually occurs at temperatures ranging between 1600 and 2000 degrees Celsius,

The Irish EPA’s National Hazardous Waste Management Plan 2021-2027 states that temperatures of 1,200 degrees Celsius results in the thermal destruction of PFAS. Certainly, the science is not settled on this score.

Meanwhile, the Dublin Waste to Energy facility typically burns garbage at about 1,050 degrees Celsius. Household garbage is heavily laden with PFAS. The operators state, “Over 99.9 percent of what comes out of our plant’s stack is what you’d typically find in air - water vapor, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. The remaining constituents are well below (Irish) EPA standards.”

It’s time for the Republic of Ireland to have a national conversation about PFAS. Public health is on the line while most are still unaware of the threat.

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I will be travelling to Ireland in July and Japan in August to meet up with environmental activists to test surface waters draining from industrial and military sites. It draws attention to the issue! Please help us! Each test kits costs $79. Please make a note that your contribution is for testing waters in Ireland and Japan. - Thanks, Pat

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The Downs Law Group helps to make this work possible. Their support allows us to research and write about military contamination in Ireland and around the world.

The firm is working to provide legal representation to individuals in the U.S. and abroad with a high likelihood of exposure to trichloroethylene, PFAS, and other contaminants.

The Downs Law Group employs attorneys accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist those who have served in obtaining VA Compensation and Pension Benefits they are rightly owed.

If you spent time in the military and you think you or your dependents may be sick as a result of your service, think about joining this group to learn from others with similar issues.

Are you interested in joining a multi-base class action lawsuit pertaining to illnesses stemming from various kinds of environmental contamination? Contact James Bussey at busride1969@hotmail.com

Consider joining the Veterans & Civilians Clean Water Alliance Facebook group. 2,700 members and growing.

Categories: G1. Progressive Green

DRILL OR DROP? - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 12:45

Anti fracking campaigners gathered in a North Yorkshire village today to remember their battle against plans to extract shale gas.

Anti-fracking campaigners gather outside the KM8 wellsite in Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire, 22 April 2024. Photo: used with the owner’s consent

The reunion at Kirby Misperton marked Earth Day and six years since the clearance of fracking equipment from Third Energy’s KM8 wellsite in spring 2018.

About 30 people from across northern England met at the site gate, the scene of daily protests during the preparations for fracking.

Hazel Winter, who was part of the local campaign against shale gas, said:

“It was really good to see everyone again.”

Photo: used with the owner’s consent

Another local campaigner, Sue Gough, said:

“We laughed about the escapades we got involved in.”

But she said:

“I feel we are still recovering from what happened here.”

Almost eight years ago, in May 2016, North Yorkshire County Council granted planning permission for fracking at Kirby Misperton.

Third Energy created a fracking pad in autumn 2017.

Campaigners from across the UK converged on Kirby Misperton to oppose the plans. Protests included the occupation of the rig and the construction of two wooden towers blocking the site entrance.

There were more than 50 arrests between September and November 2017.

But the frack never happened because of government concerns about Third Energy’s finances.

KM8 wellsite now a pilot for geothermal energy. Photo: Hazel Winter

The KM8 well is now a pilot for geothermal energy, run by CeraPhi Energy.

Hazel Winter said local people supported the new use of the site. She said:

“It protects us from fracking.”

DrillOrDrop’s Kirby Misperton timeline

DrillOrDrop has closed the comments section on this and future articles. We are doing this because of the risk of liability for copyright infringement in comments.We still want to hear about your reaction to DrillOrDrop articles. You can contact us byclicking here.

Comment from Mike Potter

As I was between meetings, I only managed to get along to KM8 as they were packing up, but still good to see people there in such lousy weather.

It’s somewhat ironic that I’ve been working with the ‘old enemy’ Third Energy since my first meeting with MD Russell Hoare in early 2020. We’re now in the early stages of trying to develop a geothermal local energy network in Pickering, with the prospect of massive decarbonisation, cost reduction, energy security and the added benefit of being independent of our unfit for purpose National Grid. PTCIC managed to get a grant from the UKSPF/NYC to fund the initial feasibility work. Meetings with potential ‘offtakers’ are ongoing.

Categories: G2. Local Greens

“Forever chemicals” might be lurking again in Westfield, this time behind a proposed synthetic turf field for Westfield High School, a renovation that many in the community say is decades overdue.

City councilors are set to vote Tuesday on whether to approve new athletic fields at Westfield High School, to be funded from a $11.1 million bond from Westfield Gas & Electric. While many are in favor of the proposal, some worry about environmental concerns of adding more PFAS chemicals to Westfield’s waterways.

Dr. Kyla Bennett is the director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, director of science policy at PEER and has 10 years experience working at the Environmental Protection Agency. She said she has tested dozens of artificial turf fields, and that PFAS-free fields do not exist yet.

Read the PEER Story…

The post Westfield weighs PFAS concerns in considering a new synthetic field; vote is Tuesday appeared first on PEER.org.

Categories: A2. Green Unionism

CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 12:31

/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 10-04-2024 */.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}Join Us for the Environmental Justice Networking Happy Hour on May 1st!/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 10-04-2024 */.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=".svg"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 10-04-2024 */.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}

Network For Environmental Justice

We are thrilled to invite you to the Environmental Justice Networking Happy Hour hosted by the Connecticut Roundtable On Climate And Jobs. This exciting event will take place on May 1st at Red Rock Tavern in Hartford, CT, starting at 6:00 pm.

At the Environmental Justice Networking Happy Hour, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with fellow advocates, activists, and community members who share your passion for environmental justice. Whether you’re a seasoned environmentalist or just beginning your journey, this event is the perfect chance to meet like-minded individuals, exchange ideas, and build connections that will strengthen our collective impact.

Event Details:

• Date: May 1, 2024
• Time: 6:00 pm
• Location: Red Rock Tavern, Hartford, CT

This event will provide a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere where you can enjoy good company, delicious refreshments, and engaging conversations about environmental justice issues facing our communities. Whether you’re interested in climate change, clean energy, sustainable agriculture, or environmental policy, there will be something for everyone to discuss and explore.

Registration: Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot today! To register for the Environmental Justice Networking Happy Hour, simply click here and fill out the registration form. Registration is free, but donations to support the work of the Connecticut Roundtable On Climate And Jobs are greatly appreciated.

Spread the Word: Help us spread the word about this exciting event! Share this blog post with your friends, family, and networks, and invite them to join us for an evening of connection, inspiration, and action.

We look forward to seeing you at the Environmental Justice Networking Happy Hour on May 1st! Together, we can make a positive difference for our planet and our communities.

Register Now

Green Action - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 11:13

Categories: E2. Front Line Community Green

Greenbelt Alliance - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 11:08

Job Title: Solano Communications Fellow
Job Location: Solano County-based, primarily working from home
Fellowship Start Date: June 2024
Fellowship End Date: November 2024
Job Classification: Non-Exempt, Part-Time Employee, 15-20 hours/week
Hourly Pay Rate: USD $20/hour, eligible for overtime pay
Reports to: Senior Marketing and Communications Associate

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

About this opportunity:

Are you a social media-savvy individual who’s ready to make a difference in building resilient communities? Do you enjoy creative communications, storytelling, and community outreach? We are looking for a Communications Fellow to support digital storytelling and outreach for the Solano Together Coalition and Neighbors to Protect Solano County Campaign. The Solano Together coalition, of which Greenbelt Alliance is a member organization, came together to express concern about California Forever’s intentions to develop a new city in Eastern Solano County.

As part of Greenbelt Alliance’s Marketing and Communications team, you will support in drafting and publishing relevant and timely content across social media channels, keeping up to date on the California Forever project, and supporting in-person events as needed.

We are looking for an organized candidate who has skills and expertise for graphic design and content creation for social media and understands how to engage an audience on social media. If this sounds like you and you’re passionate about climate justice and equitable urban development, we want to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities:

• Design social media graphics using Canva, adhering to our style guide
• Produce videos and Instagram Reels
• Support the organization of a social media calendar, publish on Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms, and analyze social media metrics
• Engage in social listening to track relevant news, discussions, and opportunities related to the Solano Together coalition and California Forever
• Engage with relevant accounts, re-share content, and participate in conversations when appropriate
• Maintain news articles on Solano Together’s website
• Contribute to the design and content generation of newsletters
• Support tabling and photo documentation at in-person events around Solano County

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in managing social media accounts and producing content for digital channels
• Demonstrated skill and experience with graphic design (Canva, Adobe Suite, or others)
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to create compelling social media content efficiently
• Experience with video is a plus
• A thoughtful communicator who values active communication, compassion, being bold, and having fun
• Energy and enthusiasm to engage with community members about campaigns in Solano County
• Self-motivated team player, able to work collaboratively and independently
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and tight deadlines
• Interest in advocacy and political campaigns
• Commitment to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and daily work

This fellowship will provide the opportunity to gain knowledge and hands-on experience in the following areas:

• Understanding of social media for movement building and political advocacy work
• Experience with content production and graphic design
• Knowledge of environmental land use planning in Solano County and across the region

How to Apply:

TO APPLY: Apply online via the link and submit your resume (1 page, PDF). There will be a brief social media assignment if you advance to the next round of interviews.

NOTE: Applications for this fellowship will be considered on a rolling basis, however, priority consideration will be given to applications submitted by May 9th, 2024. Please allow several weeks for a response as we review applications.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Work Authorization:

At this time, Greenbelt Alliance is unable to offer assistance to noncitizens or nonresidents in obtaining employer-sponsored work visas. All employees must have authorization from the federal government to work lawfully in the United States of America. Authorization would include US citizenship, US permanent residency (“green card”), or any other type of unexpired work authorization visa issued by the federal government.

Equal Employment Statement:

Greenbelt Alliance is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other category. We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQIA+ persons, people of different levels of physical ability, people with diverse national and class origins, and all qualified persons to apply for this position.

Greenbelt Alliance encourages candidates of all abilities to apply to this position! In the case you may require any kind of special accommodation in order to complete the application or hiring process, please contact Chance Kawar via email at ckawar@greenbelt.org.

About Greenbelt Alliance:

Greenbelt Alliance’s mission is to educate, collaborate, and advocate to ensure the Bay Area is resilient to a changing climate. We envision a region of healthy, thriving communities made up of lands and people that are safe during climate disasters, and where everyone is living with nature in new and powerful ways for generations to come. Together, we are working toward a future where people and nature don’t merely survive, but thrive. We focus on data-driven and innovative policy solutions fostering much-needed regional collaboration to plan and invest in resilient communities, leveraging our expertise to realize a climate-resilient Bay Area.

The post Solano Communications Fellow appeared first on Greenbelt Alliance.

Categories: G2. Local Greens

Mining.Com - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 10:55

Canada Nickel Company (TSXV: CNC) is exercising its option to acquire an 80% interest in the Mann nickel property from Noble Mineral Exploration (TSXV: NOB). The nickel-cobalt project near Timmins, Ontario, includes the Mann Northwest, Central and Southeast properties along a combined 25-km strike length of ultramafic rocks.

Canada Nickel plans resource delineation programs for the Northwest and Central properties, and the Southeast property will be drilling for the first time this year.

Mark Selby, CEO of Canada Nickel, commented, saying, “We are pleased to complete the option agreement with Noble after our successful drill program in 2023 where all 15 holes intersected target mineralization. We are looking forward to further unlocking the potential of these three targets in 2024.”

Canada Nickel has completed C$1.7 million of exploration at Mann and made a cash payment of C$350,000 to Noble. The company will also make annual cash payments to Noble of C$100,000. The project is to be a joint venture, 80% Canada Nickel and 20% Noble.

Earlier this year, Noble said Canada Nickel drilled a new discovery called Mann Central across a 2.5-km strike length. Drilling at Mann Northwest extended mineralization across a 2.7-km strike length. Noble further commented that the three Mann finds, plus the Newmarket and Reaume finds, each have a geophysical footprint larger than the Crawford nickel mine that Canada Nickel is developing north of Timmins.

Canada Nickel published the feasibility study for the Crawford project in October 2023. It includes an open pit and concentrator, plus a unique carbon capture technology, named in-process tailings. This method involves injecting carbon dioxide into the tailings stream where it is geologically combined as non-toxic carbonates.

The Crawford nickel resource is believed to be the second-largest in the world. Measured and indicated resources are 2.6 million tonnes grading 0.24% nickel and 0.013% cobalt, containing 13.23 billion lb. of nickel. The inferred portion is 1.7 million tonnes grading 0.22% nickel and 0.013% cobalt, containing 8.16 billion lb. of nickel.

Proven and probable reserves included in the M+I portion are 1.7 million tonnes grading 0.22% nickel and 0.013% cobalt, containing 8.35 billion lb. of nickel.

Categories: J2. Fossil Fuel Industry

Mining.Com - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 10:47

Datamine is expanding its asset management solution offerings through parent company Vela’s acquisition of Samtech. Based in Santiago, Chile, Samtech is a supplier of fleet management, machine performance, and telematics software and hardware. Samtech serves a variety of industries including mining, construction, and rental fleets in the Latin American market.

Samtech’s fleet management solution enables deployment of a comprehensive management suite that combines operational, logistic, and administrative data. It allows the creation of customized business process rules, supporting decision-making and continuous improvement for heavy, light, and ancillary vehicles. The system is scalable from small fleets right up to thousands of mobile assets in large organizations.

Datamine will distribute Samtech products to the mining industry globally, complementing its existing Sodep Minetrack dispatch solution with Samtech’s overarching monitoring system for all equipment types, along with new capability to design and manufacture specialist sensors for data collection.

Categories: J2. Fossil Fuel Industry

Mining.Com - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 10:45

ABB, Boliden and Epiroc reached a new mining milestone by successfully deploying the first fully battery-electric trolley truck system on an 800-meter-long underground mine test track in Sweden, with a 13% incline. This means the mining industry is a step closer to realizing the all-electric mine of the future.

The achievement in Boliden’s Kristineberg mine marks a critical moment for the mining industry as it continues to face rising pressures to balance increased outputs of critical minerals and metals with lower carbon emissions and energy usage.

In tandem with reducing carbon emissions, the electrification of mining also promises improved health and safety for the workforce. By deploying this system, the collaboration partners aim to prove that the underground working environment can be significantly improved, with less emissions, noise and vibration while reducing the total cost per tonne.

Each partner has provided a unique set of expertise to this development, clearly demonstrating the value of industry collaboration. ABB created the infrastructure from grid to wheel, including the electric trolley truck system design and the rectifier substation for the test track. Epiroc has added dynamic charging to its proven battery-electric Minetruck MT42 SG and battery system, and the trolley solution is equipped with ABB’s DC converter, HES880 inverters and AMXE motors to enhance the power.

The definition of standards and vehicle interface was jointly developed by the project partners. The eMine trolley system also integrates with the distributed control system ABB Ability System 800xA to monitor the electrical system.

The truck features a trolley pantograph connected to an overhead catenary line, a concept which is highly suitable for long haul ramps. The electric trolley line gives additional assistance to the battery-electric mine truck on the most demanding stretches up-ramp while fully loaded, enabling further reach and battery regeneration during drift, which increases productivity drastically for a mining operation.

To design a solution that could adapt to voltage fluctuations along an underground system, ABB collaborated with its partners to build a digital twin to simulate all scenarios. The result is a dynamic trolley system, with intelligent switchgear, measurements and transparency with the inbuilt ability to adjust power where it is needed at any given moment.

This project is supported by funding from the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova and their ‘sustainable industry’ initiative and will contribute to Boliden’s vision to be the most climate friendly and respected metals provider in the world.

Boliden intends to implement a full-scale, autonomous electric-trolley system in the Rävliden mine, a satellite orebody and extension of the Kristineberg mine, and has placed an order for four Minetruck MT42 SG trolley trucks from Epiroc. The total distance will be 5 km at a depth of 750 meters. Once achieved, not only will Rävliden have significantly less carbon emissions compared to a mine using conventional technology, it will also be part of setting a standard for new mines.

Categories: J2. Fossil Fuel Industry

Coalition of Communities of Color - Mon, 04/22/2024 - 10:36

In honor of Earth Day, we’re taking a moment to share more about CCC’s commitment to environmental justice (EJ) and the role it plays in our daily lives. Read on to get to know our EJ team in a Q&A below.

What is CCC’s mission and goals for achieving environmental justice?

Our team’s mission is centered around elevating the community knowledge and lived experience of frontline communities — those who experience the first and worst impacts of the climate crisis and other environmental injustices — in policy and planning efforts. We work to broaden the understanding of environmental justice as a holistic and tangible issue. Extreme heat waves, wildfires, and rising utility costs are among just a few of many environmental justice issues that our communities are contending with. Ultimately, we seek to shift power to the most impacted and lessen burdens and increase benefits for frontline communities.

Taren Evans, Environmental Justice Director

Why are you personally passionate about environmental justice?

I appreciate how holistic environmental justice is; it considers all the ways in which people are interconnected with the world and the systems around us. From the buildings we work and live in, and the energy we use throughout our day, to the way we get around, the water we drink, and the parks we play in — environmental justice touches almost every part of our daily lives. I am grateful to be able to work on policies and processes to ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to survive and thrive!

Nikita Daryanani, Climate and Energy Policy Manager

Can you share a success story or project that your team has accomplished and the impact it had on the community?

Our EJ team played a critical role in bringing a unique government planning model to Multnomah County. We partnered with the Multnomah County Office of Sustainability, the Health Department, and community partners to create the county's first community-driven climate justice plan. Our main focus was on ensuring that underrepresented voices were heard throughout the multi-year planning process by engaging community members. We’re proud to be contributing authors of the climate justice planning framework as well as the climate justice storytelling and data zine that highlights the strength of communities of color and the combination of quantitative and qualitative data.

Santi Sanchez, Health and Climate Coordinator

Strengthen our impact this Earth Day: your donation of $10 today will support EJ efforts in our community. Donate today!

Categories: E2. Front Line Community Green