Words Cannot Express...

Words Cannot Express…

Over the past 2 weeks, the executive board of Conway EcoFest has worked on a public statement denouncing the senseless killing of black men and women in our country.  Yes, we are an environmental education non-profit with a mission to promote health and vitality in Conway and Central Arkansas through education, sustainability, and environmental awareness.  However, we also see that racial justice and environmental justice intersect in the form of environmental racism.  

Environmental racism is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on People of Color. According to a 2018 study cited in the American Journal of Public Health, People of Color are much more likely to live near polluters and breathe polluted air. The study also found that people in poverty are exposed to more fine particulate matter than people living above the national poverty line. 

I would like to recommend a resource that I found powerfully educational.  It is an article by Hop Hopkins, Director for Strategic Partnerships for the Sierra Club which can be found at https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/racism-killing-planet.  Please check it out and find out about “sacrifice zones.”

Some might jokingly refer to environmental educators as “tree huggers”.  I’ll proudly take on that name along with animal hugger, pollinator hugger, and PEOPLE HUGGER.  

1  Ihab Mikati, Adam F. Benson, Thomas J. Luben, Jason D. Sacks, Jennifer Richmond-Bryant, “Disparities in Distribution of Particulate Matter Emission Sources by Race and Poverty Status”, American Journal of Public Health 108, no. 4 (April 1, 2018): pp. 480-485.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Conway EcoFest organization.