Local Environmental Injustices

Where does the stuff go that you don't want? out of sight, out of mind, right? Well just outside of Philadelphia two other cities deal with all the garbage large cities from surrounding areas. Chester, PA and Camden, NJ are two very polluted areas dealing with racial environmental injustices effecting the health of individuals. Is the right to an adequate environment a genuine human right? Should these people be forced to suffer so millions can live healthy lifestyles?

What goes on in these two cities is a tragedy and a different kind of environmental concern, that is perhaps even harder to fix than some others.

Ursula K. Le Guin wrote an allegory titled "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas". It's a story of a beautiful thriving city with happy and healthy residents. However, everyone's happiness rests on one person's suffering. Residents that visit the suffering soul, often go back to their normal lives forgetting what they saw others leave Omelas not knowing where to, but that such injustices are inhumane.

Environmental injustices occur around the world and are of a similar nature, those suffering are doing so at the benefit of others living a healthier and safer life. Chester, Pa and Camden, NJ are two places where fighting large corporations from a grassroots level has been difficult and little gains made to help protect the city's residents. Below or two clips from YouTube about the injustices. A film was made in the 1990s called "Laid to Waste" about the environmental injustices in Chester, because it is one of the worst places and largest environmental justice case in the United States. Camden's issues were something I learned about while researching Chester. Both are interesting a deserve attention.

CHESTER



CAMDEN

Fighting Environmental Injustices

These days Van Jones is almost synonymous with the green economy and creation of green collar jobs.  However he has been fighting against environmental injustices for nearly two decades.  His ideals promote a very logical approach to the environmental movement and need to make itself relevant to low-income Americans.  

"Why should a single parent working two jobs care about greenhouse gases if there are far-more-immediate concerns at hand?"

Phrases like this one are key issues when trying to creating a greener future for everyone.  In order to really make a difference people of all socioeconomic levels need to be involved and have a way to create change. Green collar jobs is a way to transform blue collar jobs into employment thats benefits the worker, the earth, and creates positive externalities.  

Think about Chester, Pa and all the industries located there and amount of pollution created.  Now thinking about the people who live there, it is largely comprised of low income households and minorities.  Pollution affects the daily lives of these residents and a lot could change if the factories changed their business practices and higher the residents to help institute that change.  Solar panels need to be installed by someone, homes need to be weatherized by trained auditors, local farms need maintained by workers to produce food for the local residents.  Green collar jobs can fill in all these gaps while educating an individual, a family, and the future about our environment.

Here is a short video of Van Jones of the Colbert Report explaining what a green economy is and what it can do for our future.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/164563/april-01-2008/van-jones