By: Julia Weil, Organizing Intern While switching to green energy is typically beneficial for human health, a higher standard for what is classified as “green energy” is required to protect vulnerable communities. An example of this is the definition of renewable resources, which allows Europe, which pledged to decrease fossil fuel use, to consider biomass a viable renewable alternative, though it is not carbon neutral. What is Biomass? Biomass can be made up of wood, wood processing wastes, agricultural crops, agricultural waste, and manure. When this type of renewable material

By: Benjamin Silver, Science and Technology Intern Imagine suspecting that your drinking water is unsafe, but lacking the tools to verify your assumption. If the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota wants to obtain useful data about their drinking water, they must navigate to an online Water Quality Portal with multiple spreadsheets. Some of these datasets take hours to download and contain millions of samples with confusing, bureaucratic jargon. You might fall asleep on your keyboard before reaching any conclusions about your water… This case study is a prime example

By: Isabel Maternowski, Community Organizing Intern In the 1930s, the federal government redlined Black neighborhoods across the United States. A ‘Forgotten History’ Of How The U.S. Government Segregated America: NPR. These neighborhoods were labeled as “hazardous” and “risky” investments. People living in these areas were denied access to federally supported mortgages, bank loans, and other forms of credit. This perpetuated a cycle of disinvestment and abuse that has negatively impacted communities of color to this day. Richmond, Virginia is one example of the hundreds of American cities suffering from the

By: Simone Lewis, Communications Intern After years of activism from Indigenous, environmental, and community groups, TC Energy announced on June 9, 2021 that the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline project would finally be terminated. The announcement ends a more than decade-long battle over fossil fuel use and the right to protect land and water sources. I was in high school when the pipeline first started making national news because of the sustained protests from residents, farmers, and business owners along the proposed route from Montana to the Gulf Coast. The

By: Anabelle Farnham, Communications Intern Just over one week ago, on May 25th, activists gathered to mark the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, which was the spark for powerful anti-racist protests and calls to action across the country in 2020. The same day this year was marked by gatherings, marches, and celebrations of life to honor him and the fight for Racial Equality that his death has come to symbolize. As an intern with the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), Racial Justice and Equality are some things that I

By Judith Eppele, Community Organizing Intern Have you ever wished you were a tomato? Probably not, but in the context of health issues, you may change your mind. Think about how fast health authorities respond to E. coli outbreaks in lettuce, Listeria in milks and cheeses, or even Salmonella in–you guessed it–tomatoes. Now think about health issues caused by pollution. How long has Flint, Michigan been without clean drinking water? Objectively, way too long. The disparity between the length of these responses–or lack thereof–is obvious and appalling. Thankfully, CHEJ has