7/9 Environmental Justice

Flow
Tuesday July 7th, 7pm, Stewart 100

Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis.
Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.

Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question "CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?"

Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

Environmental Justice Discussion
July 9th, 7pm, Ellis Library 3G61

Water
http://current.com/items/89062429_chinas-deadly-waters.htm
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/we-use-how-much-water.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/how-many-gallons-of-water.php

E-waste

Majora Carter on Urban Renewal (Great one to watch!)

Pollution

Kingston Tennessee Coal Ash Spill
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/05/tech/main5067128.shtml
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/us/25sludge.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Public Transit

Communities for a Better Environment

Mountain Top Removal
http://www.ilovemountains.org/resources/#mtrcommunities
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2JSGVfP8Os&feature=player_embedded

Climate Change

Food

Questions to consider

What is environmental justice?
What connections can be drawn between environmental issues and problems in society?
Why aren’t environmental issues consider social justice issues many times?
What can we do to connect the environment to the broader social justice movement?

Exercise
Pick one issue (ie food, water, toxic waste, dumping grounds, etc) and see how many connections you can draw to social justice issues that stem from those sources, or lack there of.

Example: Water -> poor water quality (ie toxins in water) in poorer neighborhoods leads to more medical problems which leads to more trips to the doctor which leads to less money in the family which keeps people from moving, improving, or fixing their homes or neighborhoods and continuing the cycle.