•

Dearest Reader,

Thanks for picking up a copy of GreenLight! I hope youenjoy our sixth(!!!) issue.

KMV i i omiHMit ;> 1 Justice is tough subject. It's a littlehan any topics GreenLight has covered

important one. In our day-to-day• in ecological footprint, it's important

the bigger picture: you know thatluce electricity, and burning coal

ni'1 otl ^s pollutants, but where doeshow does it affect the people

I I I I mimin I I

Luckily, GreenLight is friends with some great writerswho offered to clear things up for us!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue,especially Jen, Kenny, and Sarah, who did some madproofreading.

In general GreenLight news... Our website is up andrunning and you should check it out if you haven't:greenlightzine.org! It has a blog, some diy projects, anevents calendar, and our guide to Cleveland! As time<|oe;i on, we'll probably be focusing more on the website,w i l l ) an occasional zine. I'd love to see the site become.1 plflco where young Clevelanders can go to get inspired.m<J irn what others are doing in the area. The firstt i t t ' i > realizing that vision is getting some inspiringM t o i : up on the website! Contact me if you have.myi ig you'd like to share.

lOOVE ,

P.O. Box 272Wickliffe, OH 44092

greenlightzine[at]gmail.com

J

• • *

|[What Is Environmental Justice^

Daniel Shea's Removin Mountains Project

Natural Gas

milial ste

Dearest Reader,

Thanks for picking up a copy of GreenLight! I hope youenjoy our sixth(!!!) issue.

KMV i i omiHMit ;> 1 Justice is tough subject. It's a littlehan any topics GreenLight has covered

important one. In our day-to-day• in ecological footprint, it's important

the bigger picture: you know thatluce electricity, and burning coal

ni'1 otl ^s pollutants, but where doeshow does it affect the people

I I I I mimin I I

Luckily, GreenLight is friends with some great writerswho offered to clear things up for us!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue,especially Jen, Kenny, and Sarah, who did some madproofreading.

In general GreenLight news... Our website is up andrunning and you should check it out if you haven't:greenlightzine.org! It has a blog, some diy projects, anevents calendar, and our guide to Cleveland! As time<|oe;i on, we'll probably be focusing more on the website,w i l l ) an occasional zine. I'd love to see the site become.1 plflco where young Clevelanders can go to get inspired.m<J irn what others are doing in the area. The firstt i t t ' i > realizing that vision is getting some inspiringM t o i : up on the website! Contact me if you have.myi ig you'd like to share.

lOOVE ,

P.O. Box 272Wickliffe, OH 44092

greenlightzine[at]gmail.com

J

• • *

|[What Is Environmental Justice^

Daniel Shea's Removin Mountains Project

Natural Gas

milial ste

What Is Environmental Justice?By Mattie Reitman, Ohio Student Environmental Coalition

Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA)

"Environmental justice is the fairtreatment and meaningfulinvolvement of all peopleregardless of race, color,national origin, or income withrespect to the development,implementation, andenforcement of environmentallaws, regulations, and policies."

- I'oison people equally.

1991 People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit

"A national and international movement of all peoples of colorto fight the destruction and taking of our lands andcommunities..., spiritual interdependence to the sacredness ofour Mother Earth; to respect and celebrate each of our cultures,languages and beliefs about the natural world and our roles inhealing ourselves;...to promote economic alternatives whichwould contribute to the development of environmentally safelivelihoods; and, to secure our political, economic and culturalliberation that has been denied for over 500 years ofcolonization and oppression, resulting in the poisoning of ourcommunities and land and the genocide of our peoples."

- Stop poisoning people.

Environmental justice means different things to different people. A long history of

people struggling with local environmental issues that went unrecognized by them.iinstream "environmental movement" culminated at the People of ColorI nvirnnmentnl Leadership Summit, held in October 1991 in Washington DC. Thisi (inference gave name to a growing movement called Environmental Justice (EJ), led byiirnl for people of color protecting their communities from environmental degradation.

Much has happened in the last 20 years for the environmental justice movement. TheEPA notably created an Office of Environmental Equity in 1992, which was renamed theOffice of Environmental justice in 1994. In some instances, government-fundedEnvironmental justice Advocates have done groundbreaking work to inform, empower,I ftf £|1 "" and protect otherwise[ I oppressed communities.

But a strong rift still existsbetween grassroots EJ

groups, various levels ofgovernment, and manyself-identifiedenvironmental groups.

fOOR

Environmental Justiceand the EPAI've heard the EPA calledany number of slanderousnicknames: Every PolluterAllowed, Everything'sPermitted Agency, etc.The fact remains that the

Environmental Protection Agency has very limited powers, as it only enforces the laws.And the laws are written to accommodate wealthy, destructive industries and thedestructive cultures that depend on them. Furthermore, particularly in hard-hit areaslike Central Appalachia, state branches of the EPA have miserable track records ofenforcing the rules.

A study performed by the Sludge Safety Project in southern West Virginia this Marchfound drinking water with Arsenic at 1 6,000 times the legal limit, and Antimony, Lead,Barium, Cadmium, and Chromium levels over 100 times the limit. The West Virginiabranch of the EPA, which was overdue in conducting these studies itself, had previouslydone the necessary sampling but failed to do any analysis, and continued to tell citizen:the drinking water was safe. These practices are morally corrupt and do not fall in linewith the mission of the EPA.

Environmental Justice and the "Environmental Movement"We're all in the same boat. Everyone has an interest in preserving the quality of ourenvironmental resources for human health and livelihood, and for those of futuregenerations. But the history of the "environmental movement" is one of struggles andinfighting and mistrust. Can't we all just get along?

It's a sad fact that our history is littered with, and almost defined by, examples of"mainstream" environmental groups, from local to international, missing or even sellingout the interests of oppressed people. Organizations operating in a racist and sexist

(and classist, and homophobic, etc.) society must work to dismantle oppression in theirorganizations and campaigns if they hope to be successful. Conflicts have led thePeople of Color Environmental Leadership Summit to adopt the Principles of WorkingTogether in 1991, and the Principles of Alliance with Green Groups in 2002,emphasizing such things as equal decision-making, mutual respect, written consent,and joint fundraising.

Many people who choose to get involved in environmental issues do so from 9place of privilege, because they genuinely want to contribute somethingmeaningful, but aren't aware of problems in their own lives. These folks oftenget involved in more abstract issues, like endangered species, global warming,etc. All this stands in stark contrast to people who are forced to get involvedin environmental issues because of where they live and how they are treatedin society. Community groups often form out of necessity, to defend theirhealth and property values from polluting industries.

Why Race and Class MatterIn 1984, a company called Cerrell Associates did a thorough evaluation of target

communities for California's Waste Management Board, to identify how likely differentcommunities are to resist a noxious facility, like the "waste-to-energy" incineratorsCalifornia was trying to build. The report says that 43 major trash incinerators wereplanned for California at the time. Only 3 were built, and remain in operation today -all in low-income/Latino communities. A leaked 1991 report conducted by a PR firmcalled Epley Associates, commissioned to identify nuclear waste dump sites, ruled outseveral towns described as "houses fairly wealthy" or "fairly affluent," yet recommended

What Is Environmental Justice?By Mattie Reitman, Ohio Student Environmental Coalition

Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA)

"Environmental justice is the fairtreatment and meaningfulinvolvement of all peopleregardless of race, color,national origin, or income withrespect to the development,implementation, andenforcement of environmentallaws, regulations, and policies."

- I'oison people equally.

1991 People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit

"A national and international movement of all peoples of colorto fight the destruction and taking of our lands andcommunities..., spiritual interdependence to the sacredness ofour Mother Earth; to respect and celebrate each of our cultures,languages and beliefs about the natural world and our roles inhealing ourselves;...to promote economic alternatives whichwould contribute to the development of environmentally safelivelihoods; and, to secure our political, economic and culturalliberation that has been denied for over 500 years ofcolonization and oppression, resulting in the poisoning of ourcommunities and land and the genocide of our peoples."

- Stop poisoning people.

Environmental justice means different things to different people. A long history of

people struggling with local environmental issues that went unrecognized by them.iinstream "environmental movement" culminated at the People of ColorI nvirnnmentnl Leadership Summit, held in October 1991 in Washington DC. Thisi (inference gave name to a growing movement called Environmental Justice (EJ), led byiirnl for people of color protecting their communities from environmental degradation.

Much has happened in the last 20 years for the environmental justice movement. TheEPA notably created an Office of Environmental Equity in 1992, which was renamed theOffice of Environmental justice in 1994. In some instances, government-fundedEnvironmental justice Advocates have done groundbreaking work to inform, empower,I ftf £|1 "" and protect otherwise[ I oppressed communities.

But a strong rift still existsbetween grassroots EJ

groups, various levels ofgovernment, and manyself-identifiedenvironmental groups.

fOOR

Environmental Justiceand the EPAI've heard the EPA calledany number of slanderousnicknames: Every PolluterAllowed, Everything'sPermitted Agency, etc.The fact remains that the

Environmental Protection Agency has very limited powers, as it only enforces the laws.And the laws are written to accommodate wealthy, destructive industries and thedestructive cultures that depend on them. Furthermore, particularly in hard-hit areaslike Central Appalachia, state branches of the EPA have miserable track records ofenforcing the rules.

A study performed by the Sludge Safety Project in southern West Virginia this Marchfound drinking water with Arsenic at 1 6,000 times the legal limit, and Antimony, Lead,Barium, Cadmium, and Chromium levels over 100 times the limit. The West Virginiabranch of the EPA, which was overdue in conducting these studies itself, had previouslydone the necessary sampling but failed to do any analysis, and continued to tell citizen:the drinking water was safe. These practices are morally corrupt and do not fall in linewith the mission of the EPA.

Environmental Justice and the "Environmental Movement"We're all in the same boat. Everyone has an interest in preserving the quality of ourenvironmental resources for human health and livelihood, and for those of futuregenerations. But the history of the "environmental movement" is one of struggles andinfighting and mistrust. Can't we all just get along?

It's a sad fact that our history is littered with, and almost defined by, examples of"mainstream" environmental groups, from local to international, missing or even sellingout the interests of oppressed people. Organizations operating in a racist and sexist

(and classist, and homophobic, etc.) society must work to dismantle oppression in theirorganizations and campaigns if they hope to be successful. Conflicts have led thePeople of Color Environmental Leadership Summit to adopt the Principles of WorkingTogether in 1991, and the Principles of Alliance with Green Groups in 2002,emphasizing such things as equal decision-making, mutual respect, written consent,and joint fundraising.

Many people who choose to get involved in environmental issues do so from 9place of privilege, because they genuinely want to contribute somethingmeaningful, but aren't aware of problems in their own lives. These folks oftenget involved in more abstract issues, like endangered species, global warming,etc. All this stands in stark contrast to people who are forced to get involvedin environmental issues because of where they live and how they are treatedin society. Community groups often form out of necessity, to defend theirhealth and property values from polluting industries.

Why Race and Class MatterIn 1984, a company called Cerrell Associates did a thorough evaluation of target

communities for California's Waste Management Board, to identify how likely differentcommunities are to resist a noxious facility, like the "waste-to-energy" incineratorsCalifornia was trying to build. The report says that 43 major trash incinerators wereplanned for California at the time. Only 3 were built, and remain in operation today -all in low-income/Latino communities. A leaked 1991 report conducted by a PR firmcalled Epley Associates, commissioned to identify nuclear waste dump sites, ruled outseveral towns described as "houses fairly wealthy" or "fairly affluent," yet recommended

'M4m

m

g0'ng after communities identified as "distressed," "very depressed area", or "residencesof site minority-owned."

A recent report from the United Church of Christ entitled "Toxic Waste and Race atTwenty: 1987-2007" re-confirmed a 20 year old finding that, when controlling for allother variables, race is the single greatest factor in where toxic waste facilities arelocated. That means that, generally speaking, a middle-class neighborhood of colormay have a comparable chance of receiving a polluting facility as a working-class Whiteneighborhood.

What To Do About ItThe results of Toxic Waste and Race at Twenty are not necessarily our fault-theinstitutions that shape our society this way are beyond our individual control - but theyare our responsibility. There are countless communities, near and far, that need help inthe form of cash donations, professional and legal services, simple labor, turnout atevents, etc. You can get involved with a group near you, stand in solidarity with a groupfar away, ensure that things you consume don't depend on the destruction of others,and/or start to model responsible and sustainable policies and practices in yourcommunity that others can follow. Here are some good places to start:

• Ohioans for Health, Environment, and Justice, ohioej.org - Mary Clare Rietz,forumsfatlOhioElfdotlorg

• Neighborhood Leadership Institute (Cleveland) - Mark McClain,marklatlNeighborhoodLeadershipldotlorg

• Ohio Student Environmental Coalition -Tim Krueger,timothy.h.krueger[at]gmail.com

Further Resources:• Web Resources for Environmental justice Activists - http://ejnet.org• Energy and Environmental Justice - http://Energylustice.net/ej• Campus-Community Organizing Guide - http://Energvlustice.net/campus

by BeckyBob-Waksberg

I first became obsessed with Majora Carter when I heard her speak at OberlinCollege in 2007.1 had never been one to care about the environment much, but Itook Environmental Studies 101 just because our department had such a goodreputation. Majora was a guest speaker and she told us about what it was like togrow up in the South Bronx, about how much of New York City's waste gotdumped in her neighborhood, about the highways built through herneighborhood's parks, about the asthma and obesity from which the children ofthe South Bronx suffered, and about the ways she organized to fight the systemand make real changes. As I listened to her speak, I started to understand, muchmore deeply than I had before, the ways that environmental issues affectedpeople. I understood that my concerns about racism, poverty, a;nd otherinjustices had strong connections with environmental degradation. Thanks toMajora Carter, I am now an environmentalist.

If you have never heard of her before,you should definitely check out thevideo of her famous speech ongreening the ghetto, which you can findby searching "majora carter ted talk"on YouTube. She got started in themovement because she found out thatthe city was planning on dumping moretrash in her neighborhood, so she andher friends decided to mobilize theircommunity to stop that from .happening. She went on from there tospearhead a huge park project andnumerous environmental job trainingprograms.

The summer after I heard Majora speak,I taught math and science to 6thgraders in New Orleans. They weresupposed to learn about environmentalscience, and I figured we couldn't talk

'M4m

m

g0'ng after communities identified as "distressed," "very depressed area", or "residencesof site minority-owned."

A recent report from the United Church of Christ entitled "Toxic Waste and Race atTwenty: 1987-2007" re-confirmed a 20 year old finding that, when controlling for allother variables, race is the single greatest factor in where toxic waste facilities arelocated. That means that, generally speaking, a middle-class neighborhood of colormay have a comparable chance of receiving a polluting facility as a working-class Whiteneighborhood.

What To Do About ItThe results of Toxic Waste and Race at Twenty are not necessarily our fault-theinstitutions that shape our society this way are beyond our individual control - but theyare our responsibility. There are countless communities, near and far, that need help inthe form of cash donations, professional and legal services, simple labor, turnout atevents, etc. You can get involved with a group near you, stand in solidarity with a groupfar away, ensure that things you consume don't depend on the destruction of others,and/or start to model responsible and sustainable policies and practices in yourcommunity that others can follow. Here are some good places to start:

• Ohioans for Health, Environment, and Justice, ohioej.org - Mary Clare Rietz,forumsfatlOhioElfdotlorg

• Neighborhood Leadership Institute (Cleveland) - Mark McClain,marklatlNeighborhoodLeadershipldotlorg

• Ohio Student Environmental Coalition -Tim Krueger,timothy.h.krueger[at]gmail.com

Further Resources:• Web Resources for Environmental justice Activists - http://ejnet.org• Energy and Environmental Justice - http://Energylustice.net/ej• Campus-Community Organizing Guide - http://Energvlustice.net/campus

by BeckyBob-Waksberg

I first became obsessed with Majora Carter when I heard her speak at OberlinCollege in 2007.1 had never been one to care about the environment much, but Itook Environmental Studies 101 just because our department had such a goodreputation. Majora was a guest speaker and she told us about what it was like togrow up in the South Bronx, about how much of New York City's waste gotdumped in her neighborhood, about the highways built through herneighborhood's parks, about the asthma and obesity from which the children ofthe South Bronx suffered, and about the ways she organized to fight the systemand make real changes. As I listened to her speak, I started to understand, muchmore deeply than I had before, the ways that environmental issues affectedpeople. I understood that my concerns about racism, poverty, a;nd otherinjustices had strong connections with environmental degradation. Thanks toMajora Carter, I am now an environmentalist.

If you have never heard of her before,you should definitely check out thevideo of her famous speech ongreening the ghetto, which you can findby searching "majora carter ted talk"on YouTube. She got started in themovement because she found out thatthe city was planning on dumping moretrash in her neighborhood, so she andher friends decided to mobilize theircommunity to stop that from .happening. She went on from there tospearhead a huge park project andnumerous environmental job trainingprograms.

The summer after I heard Majora speak,I taught math and science to 6thgraders in New Orleans. They weresupposed to learn about environmentalscience, and I figured we couldn't talk

about the environment in New Orleans without talking about issues ofenvironmental justice, and how different people were affected by environmentalissues. I taught them about Majora Carter and they identified with her story sostrongly that I decided to have them all write her letters about their reactions toher work as well as their own ideas and experiences in New Orleans. A fewweeks after I mailed them, I got a phone call from an unrecognized New Yorknumber. It turned out to be Majora Carter, calling to tell me how much sheappreciated the letters, and how she wanted to meet my students because theyseemed so amazing. I almost fainted. Getting a phone call from Majora was likehow others might feel after chatting with Miley Cyrus or Brad Pitt - she was mypersonal celebrity.

That phone call ended up being small potatoes compared to what came next -the next summer, she flew down to New Orleans to spend a whole day with mystudents to talk to them about New Orleans, help them design their dream forthe city (which ended up being a recycling center that would provide freerecycling as well as jobs and educational opportunities), and record them for hernew radio show. She came down immediately after touring the Arctic Circle withJimmy Carter and Ted Turner, and her visit meant the world to my students. Twoboys were sworn enemies but worked together to show Majora what their liveswere like after the hurricane. One student who struggled academically swelledwith pride when he heard that because of his heartfelt letter, Majora wanted aspecial interview with him. Majora showed me as well as my students what wecan do with our futures.

I asked one of my old students, Daniel C., to write something for GreenLightabout New Orleans and environmental justice:

"One thing that would be really nice to see down here in New Orleans is morepeople caring about the environment. You don't have to do something drastic.Like if everyone turned off their porch light when they went to bed or turned offthe computer monitor when the computer wasn't being used. I know that theyadvertise things like that on TV all the time but no one really does them. I want

people to care more."

For more from Becky, check out her new and fantastic blog: Notes from thePatriarchy, notesfromthepatriarchy.blogspot.com

Jin Introduction toMountaintop 3(fmovaCo aC Mining andgrassroots (Resistance

by Kyla and Dea

Diagram from MountainJustice.org

What is Mountain Top Removal?The abbreviation for West Virginia, WV, isa good approximation of the contours ofthe land there: ridge after ridge of steepmountains cut by sharp, narrow valleys...hollows just wide enough to fit a river, railline, road, and a row of houses before thewall of the next mountain begins toclimb. The Appalachian Mountains arecomposed of layers of sedimentary rock.Coal seams- stripes of ancient peat bogsthat solidified into rock with the help ofheat, time, and pressure- lie buriedbetween layers of limestone, shale, andsandstone. To get at the coal, miningcompanies have traditionally dug holesdown into the coal seams, and useunderground miners to haul out the stripeof coal, leaving the rest of the mountainfairly intact. As explosives and excavatingequipment have grown bigger andcheaper, mining companies have found iteasier to just scrape off the layers of rockabove the coal seam, strip mining thesides of mountains to expose the coalinside.

Eventually, someone realized that thecompanies could simply blow the peakright off the mountain, pushing the debris

into the valley next to it. Mountain Top Removal (MTR) mining exposes the entirecoal seam to be mined with just a few workers inside giant machines. Thelandscape is completely changed. With MTR, Appalachian forested hills areknocked over into its lush river valleys, creating long, even surfaces of exposedbedrock. These miles of land are often left bare or planted with invasive species

Original Profile

Mountain Forest High-wall mining is lessCoal seam intrusive. An auger and

I — / conveyor remove coal.

/ StreamMining

Community *"*"

Mountaintop removalMining companies strip forests and topsoil then blastthe mountain apart layer by layer to get to coal seams.

Coal seam

Mining waste is dumpedinto valleys and streams.Water runoff high in silt,iron and sulfur compounds,pollute water downstream.

Flooded stream

Reclamation

Mining waste is smoothed out and steep slopes areterraced. Even with chemical treatments, vegetationhas a hand time growing on the infertile and highlyacidic soil.

Mining spoil fills valley.

about the environment in New Orleans without talking about issues ofenvironmental justice, and how different people were affected by environmentalissues. I taught them about Majora Carter and they identified with her story sostrongly that I decided to have them all write her letters about their reactions toher work as well as their own ideas and experiences in New Orleans. A fewweeks after I mailed them, I got a phone call from an unrecognized New Yorknumber. It turned out to be Majora Carter, calling to tell me how much sheappreciated the letters, and how she wanted to meet my students because theyseemed so amazing. I almost fainted. Getting a phone call from Majora was likehow others might feel after chatting with Miley Cyrus or Brad Pitt - she was mypersonal celebrity.

That phone call ended up being small potatoes compared to what came next -the next summer, she flew down to New Orleans to spend a whole day with mystudents to talk to them about New Orleans, help them design their dream forthe city (which ended up being a recycling center that would provide freerecycling as well as jobs and educational opportunities), and record them for hernew radio show. She came down immediately after touring the Arctic Circle withJimmy Carter and Ted Turner, and her visit meant the world to my students. Twoboys were sworn enemies but worked together to show Majora what their liveswere like after the hurricane. One student who struggled academically swelledwith pride when he heard that because of his heartfelt letter, Majora wanted aspecial interview with him. Majora showed me as well as my students what wecan do with our futures.

I asked one of my old students, Daniel C., to write something for GreenLightabout New Orleans and environmental justice:

"One thing that would be really nice to see down here in New Orleans is morepeople caring about the environment. You don't have to do something drastic.Like if everyone turned off their porch light when they went to bed or turned offthe computer monitor when the computer wasn't being used. I know that theyadvertise things like that on TV all the time but no one really does them. I want

people to care more."

For more from Becky, check out her new and fantastic blog: Notes from thePatriarchy, notesfromthepatriarchy.blogspot.com

Jin Introduction toMountaintop 3(fmovaCo aC Mining andgrassroots (Resistance

by Kyla and Dea

Diagram from MountainJustice.org

What is Mountain Top Removal?The abbreviation for West Virginia, WV, isa good approximation of the contours ofthe land there: ridge after ridge of steepmountains cut by sharp, narrow valleys...hollows just wide enough to fit a river, railline, road, and a row of houses before thewall of the next mountain begins toclimb. The Appalachian Mountains arecomposed of layers of sedimentary rock.Coal seams- stripes of ancient peat bogsthat solidified into rock with the help ofheat, time, and pressure- lie buriedbetween layers of limestone, shale, andsandstone. To get at the coal, miningcompanies have traditionally dug holesdown into the coal seams, and useunderground miners to haul out the stripeof coal, leaving the rest of the mountainfairly intact. As explosives and excavatingequipment have grown bigger andcheaper, mining companies have found iteasier to just scrape off the layers of rockabove the coal seam, strip mining thesides of mountains to expose the coalinside.

Eventually, someone realized that thecompanies could simply blow the peakright off the mountain, pushing the debris

into the valley next to it. Mountain Top Removal (MTR) mining exposes the entirecoal seam to be mined with just a few workers inside giant machines. Thelandscape is completely changed. With MTR, Appalachian forested hills areknocked over into its lush river valleys, creating long, even surfaces of exposedbedrock. These miles of land are often left bare or planted with invasive species

Original Profile

Mountain Forest High-wall mining is lessCoal seam intrusive. An auger and

I — / conveyor remove coal.

/ StreamMining

Community *"*"

Mountaintop removalMining companies strip forests and topsoil then blastthe mountain apart layer by layer to get to coal seams.

Coal seam

Mining waste is dumpedinto valleys and streams.Water runoff high in silt,iron and sulfur compounds,pollute water downstream.

Flooded stream

Reclamation

Mining waste is smoothed out and steep slopes areterraced. Even with chemical treatments, vegetationhas a hand time growing on the infertile and highlyacidic soil.

Mining spoil fills valley.

izttnjLolthJtcttnmt

rH+

The impacts of MTR mining are in-your-face. Explosions from the mines knockdust and occasionally giant rocks into the valleys, affecting respiratory health,increasing noise pollution, and cracking building foundations. As valleys arefilled in, biologically crucial headwater streams are covered- over 1200 mileshave disappeared already. Without valley streams or mountain forests to absorbthem, normal rains become floods, washing out roads and in some cases homesand lives. Worse are the floods of coal slurry- the mixture of water, toxicchemicals, and the acidic, toxic byproducts of coal processing plants that areoften stored behind dams of unstable mining debris. Just last fall 1.1 billiongallons of coal waste spilled from a dam in Tennessee. Additionally, mine blastscan cause cracks underground, causing wells to go dry or allowing sludge storedin abandoned underground mines to poison drinking aquifers.

These environmental impacts are compounded by a general reliance on the landand aquifers for food and water. Despite Appalachia's abundance of naturalresources, from forests to coal, the area has remained one of the United State'spoorest, as most of the profits from mining and industry are funneled out ofstate. Many people lack access to basic needs like healthcare, treated water,and lawyers to hold mining companies accountable to regulations. Rich in soiland biodiversity, the Appalachian woods are lush with edible and medicinalplants, as well as game animals and fish to eat. Water in the hollows comesfrom backyard wells and homegrown gardens and chickens very oftensupplement store-bought food. As mountains are leveled and soils and waterspolluted, people lose this additional income and the impacts of poverty areintensified. At the same time, with MTR, mining jobs are being replaced bymachines, creating unemployment and competition.

jtgijrf You can learn more about the MTR process and its impacts atilovemountains.org and mountainjustice.org.

.r : Q : t + i q : r n - ; T : : a T [ r ,• -teB± 1 .S:::!:lJ:e;T:FRT^4fRtl-rri I ill..'!.< i ' ! n

TAKE ACTION! Here are some organizations that you can contact ifyou want to help keeping mountaintops right where they are.

Mountain Justice, mountainjustice.org: Mountain Justice sticks to non-violentcivil disobedience and does not engage in sabotage. MJ offers a volunteercoordination program that will match you up to organizations in Appalachia.

Coal River Mountain Watch: CRMW maintains a volunteer house in RockCreek, W.Va. and offers interns a variety of different community opportunities-including water testing, community outreach and involvement in legislativeprocesses, crmw.net

United Mountain Defense: United Mountain Defense (UMD) is a Knoxville,Tennessee nonprofit conducting activities in three areas: legal/policy advocacy,scientific monitoring and data collection, and public education, outreach andgrassroots organizing. They also publish the Tennessee Mountain Defender, anewspaper that covers coal mining and activism in Appalachia.unitedmountaindefense.org

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition: The Ohio Valley EnvironmentalCoalition works to develop and maintain a diverse grassroots organizationdedicated to the improvement and preservation of the environment througheducation, grassroots organizing and coalition building, leadership developmentand media outreach. Our work encompasses much of West Virginia. To getinvolved, visit ovec.org

Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards: SAMSVA is an organization ofconcerned community members and their allies who are working to stop thedestruction of Southwest Virginia communities by surface coal mining, toimprove the quality of life in our area, and to help rebuild sustainablecommunities. Get involved at http://www.samsva.org/

Climate Ground Zero, climategroundzero.org

izttnjLolthJtcttnmt

rH+

The impacts of MTR mining are in-your-face. Explosions from the mines knockdust and occasionally giant rocks into the valleys, affecting respiratory health,increasing noise pollution, and cracking building foundations. As valleys arefilled in, biologically crucial headwater streams are covered- over 1200 mileshave disappeared already. Without valley streams or mountain forests to absorbthem, normal rains become floods, washing out roads and in some cases homesand lives. Worse are the floods of coal slurry- the mixture of water, toxicchemicals, and the acidic, toxic byproducts of coal processing plants that areoften stored behind dams of unstable mining debris. Just last fall 1.1 billiongallons of coal waste spilled from a dam in Tennessee. Additionally, mine blastscan cause cracks underground, causing wells to go dry or allowing sludge storedin abandoned underground mines to poison drinking aquifers.

These environmental impacts are compounded by a general reliance on the landand aquifers for food and water. Despite Appalachia's abundance of naturalresources, from forests to coal, the area has remained one of the United State'spoorest, as most of the profits from mining and industry are funneled out ofstate. Many people lack access to basic needs like healthcare, treated water,and lawyers to hold mining companies accountable to regulations. Rich in soiland biodiversity, the Appalachian woods are lush with edible and medicinalplants, as well as game animals and fish to eat. Water in the hollows comesfrom backyard wells and homegrown gardens and chickens very oftensupplement store-bought food. As mountains are leveled and soils and waterspolluted, people lose this additional income and the impacts of poverty areintensified. At the same time, with MTR, mining jobs are being replaced bymachines, creating unemployment and competition.

jtgijrf You can learn more about the MTR process and its impacts atilovemountains.org and mountainjustice.org.

.r : Q : t + i q : r n - ; T : : a T [ r ,• -teB± 1 .S:::!:lJ:e;T:FRT^4fRtl-rri I ill..'!.< i ' ! n

TAKE ACTION! Here are some organizations that you can contact ifyou want to help keeping mountaintops right where they are.

Mountain Justice, mountainjustice.org: Mountain Justice sticks to non-violentcivil disobedience and does not engage in sabotage. MJ offers a volunteercoordination program that will match you up to organizations in Appalachia.

Coal River Mountain Watch: CRMW maintains a volunteer house in RockCreek, W.Va. and offers interns a variety of different community opportunities-including water testing, community outreach and involvement in legislativeprocesses, crmw.net

United Mountain Defense: United Mountain Defense (UMD) is a Knoxville,Tennessee nonprofit conducting activities in three areas: legal/policy advocacy,scientific monitoring and data collection, and public education, outreach andgrassroots organizing. They also publish the Tennessee Mountain Defender, anewspaper that covers coal mining and activism in Appalachia.unitedmountaindefense.org

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition: The Ohio Valley EnvironmentalCoalition works to develop and maintain a diverse grassroots organizationdedicated to the improvement and preservation of the environment througheducation, grassroots organizing and coalition building, leadership developmentand media outreach. Our work encompasses much of West Virginia. To getinvolved, visit ovec.org

Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards: SAMSVA is an organization ofconcerned community members and their allies who are working to stop thedestruction of Southwest Virginia communities by surface coal mining, toimprove the quality of life in our area, and to help rebuild sustainablecommunities. Get involved at http://www.samsva.org/

Climate Ground Zero, climategroundzero.org

Daniel Shea's /?emovm$ Mountains Project

In the summer and fall of 2007,1 began photographing the coal industry inAppalachia for a project entitled Removing Mountains. What started as aninterest in the modern coal mining process known as mountaintop removal,quickly evolved into an extensive study of the social/political institutionssurrounding these practices. Above all else, I became interested in surveyingthe cultural implications of extracting coal from the Appalachian Mountains.What I found over the course of the trip was that these coal-miningoperations had rapidly developed into one of the most destructive andpervasive forms of modern industry in the world.

However, the destructive extraction of coal from mountains is only thebeginning. From there, coal is washed (and the liquid by-products stored inslurry ponds), shipped to a power plant, burned for energy, and distributedthroughout the States. While making Removing Mountains in 2007,1 traveledto Ohio to investigate coal-fired power plants. Expecting similarities to WestVirginia, I found an entirely different force at work. The threads that connectmountaintop removal/coal extraction to the burning and energytransformation of the fossil fuel were only linear. At that point I realized thatmaking work about this region would be a necessary and complete follow upto Removing Mountains. Starting this fall, I will be spending time in Racineand Cheshire in Southeast Ohio, documenting the changed landscapes andcommunities being affected by a dense concentration of these coal-firedpower plants.

li

Mountaintop Removal, 2007

Check out dsheaphoto.net for more!

Daniel Shea's /?emovm$ Mountains Project

In the summer and fall of 2007,1 began photographing the coal industry inAppalachia for a project entitled Removing Mountains. What started as aninterest in the modern coal mining process known as mountaintop removal,quickly evolved into an extensive study of the social/political institutionssurrounding these practices. Above all else, I became interested in surveyingthe cultural implications of extracting coal from the Appalachian Mountains.What I found over the course of the trip was that these coal-miningoperations had rapidly developed into one of the most destructive andpervasive forms of modern industry in the world.

However, the destructive extraction of coal from mountains is only thebeginning. From there, coal is washed (and the liquid by-products stored inslurry ponds), shipped to a power plant, burned for energy, and distributedthroughout the States. While making Removing Mountains in 2007,1 traveledto Ohio to investigate coal-fired power plants. Expecting similarities to WestVirginia, I found an entirely different force at work. The threads that connectmountaintop removal/coal extraction to the burning and energytransformation of the fossil fuel were only linear. At that point I realized thatmaking work about this region would be a necessary and complete follow upto Removing Mountains. Starting this fall, I will be spending time in Racineand Cheshire in Southeast Ohio, documenting the changed landscapes andcommunities being affected by a dense concentration of these coal-firedpower plants.

li

Mountaintop Removal, 2007

Check out dsheaphoto.net for more!

Natural Gas Wells by Jake

I recently took a friend from Cleveland for a two-day camping trip to

Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest. Growing up in north-central

Pennsylvania, I was very familiar with the tumbling streams and steep ridges of the

area. My friend, though, was excited at the wildness of the place. In the two days

we spent in the ANF, we saw a host of Pennsylvania staples: brook trout, coyotes, <

bear, and at least a dozen natural gas wells.

Gas wells are very familiar to me. Natural gas has been extracted from PA's

Allegheny region for decades. But my companion from Cleveland was appalled.

The large, unsightly wells are scattered throughout the most secluded parts of the

forest. They are visible from rural roads, hiking trails, even scenic overlooks. The

roads, needed to maintain the wells, fragment the forest and become compacted

by heavy truck traffic after years of use. Often, even after the wells are gone, the

land has been compacted by the roads so much that trees will never grow there

again. Worse, though, are the effects on the local water supply. Since natural gas

drilling has increased, fish and other aquatic populations have declined. Thedrilling itself sometimes disrupts the water table, causing natural gas to enter thewater. In my hometown of Mt. Jewett, drilling has affected the town's water supply

on multiple occasions, once forcing residents to use only bottled water for over aweek. In a neighboring town, drilling on an adjacent hillside filled a water well witl

so much gas that it exploded, shooting flames and debris to the treetops.

Residents of Ohio could be seeing more natural gas wells on public lands soon.

Recent legislation has opened many of Ohio's state parks and public land to the

prospect of drilling, despite the fact that drilling was already legal in around

99.5% of Ohio. The recent discovery of the Marcellus shale (a large, deep pocket

of Natural gas covering areas of NY, PA, OH, and WV) has caused increasedinterest in drilling, as large companies seek to cash in by drilling new areas. The

most threatened area so far is Salt Fork State Park, where OH State Senator Keith

Faber is pushing a proposal to allow wells.

A number of environmental groups have taken up the cause of protecting publiclands from drilling. State parks, forests, etc. belong to us, not to big companies!

Learn more at: www.environmentohio.org, www.olleghenydefense.org, and

www.un-naturalgas.org

|p Got someone stinkin' up your 'hood? Here's what you can do about it! :

|gt Find out what they're polluting:\stfi.siffjf•V~=5

%8$!s!>sliH*§S#

H

Sfff

f£g«H&&

^If you call the Title V Department of the Ohio EPA with information of the name of ftthe company and county, they will email you reports on the following types of P

emissions: paniculate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, organic chemicals, |1mercury, lead, andvolatile organic compounds (VOCs). ' |f'

You can also contact the Toxic Release Inventory Department at the Ohio EPA to 9get more information on air, water, and land pollution, including what companies Ifare carting to landfills. <S5

'>&*i!H Find out who to complain to:

yZ.

If you're living next to a facility that's emitting when they shouldn't be, you can Hcontact a local agency (in Cleveland call the Cleveland Division of Air Quality, in '9,

Lake County call the Lake County Health Department). Any time you can see', smell ior feel pollution coming from an industrial site, you should give your local IIauthorities a call. It's important to be persistent and complain EVERY time there's a Ifproblem so that it will become a part of the public record. You can also request to §see a list of other neighbors that have complained about air pollution so you can |lform a neighborhood group if necessary. "**'''

Natural Gas Wells by Jake

I recently took a friend from Cleveland for a two-day camping trip to

Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest. Growing up in north-central

Pennsylvania, I was very familiar with the tumbling streams and steep ridges of the

area. My friend, though, was excited at the wildness of the place. In the two days

we spent in the ANF, we saw a host of Pennsylvania staples: brook trout, coyotes, <

bear, and at least a dozen natural gas wells.

Gas wells are very familiar to me. Natural gas has been extracted from PA's

Allegheny region for decades. But my companion from Cleveland was appalled.

The large, unsightly wells are scattered throughout the most secluded parts of the

forest. They are visible from rural roads, hiking trails, even scenic overlooks. The

roads, needed to maintain the wells, fragment the forest and become compacted

by heavy truck traffic after years of use. Often, even after the wells are gone, the

land has been compacted by the roads so much that trees will never grow there

again. Worse, though, are the effects on the local water supply. Since natural gas

drilling has increased, fish and other aquatic populations have declined. Thedrilling itself sometimes disrupts the water table, causing natural gas to enter thewater. In my hometown of Mt. Jewett, drilling has affected the town's water supply

on multiple occasions, once forcing residents to use only bottled water for over aweek. In a neighboring town, drilling on an adjacent hillside filled a water well witl

so much gas that it exploded, shooting flames and debris to the treetops.

Residents of Ohio could be seeing more natural gas wells on public lands soon.

Recent legislation has opened many of Ohio's state parks and public land to the

prospect of drilling, despite the fact that drilling was already legal in around

99.5% of Ohio. The recent discovery of the Marcellus shale (a large, deep pocket

of Natural gas covering areas of NY, PA, OH, and WV) has caused increasedinterest in drilling, as large companies seek to cash in by drilling new areas. The

most threatened area so far is Salt Fork State Park, where OH State Senator Keith

Faber is pushing a proposal to allow wells.

A number of environmental groups have taken up the cause of protecting publiclands from drilling. State parks, forests, etc. belong to us, not to big companies!

Learn more at: www.environmentohio.org, www.olleghenydefense.org, and

www.un-naturalgas.org

|p Got someone stinkin' up your 'hood? Here's what you can do about it! :

|gt Find out what they're polluting:\stfi.siffjf•V~=5

%8$!s!>sliH*§S#

H

Sfff

f£g«H&&

^If you call the Title V Department of the Ohio EPA with information of the name of ftthe company and county, they will email you reports on the following types of P

emissions: paniculate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, organic chemicals, |1mercury, lead, andvolatile organic compounds (VOCs). ' |f'

You can also contact the Toxic Release Inventory Department at the Ohio EPA to 9get more information on air, water, and land pollution, including what companies Ifare carting to landfills. <S5

'>&*i!H Find out who to complain to:

yZ.

If you're living next to a facility that's emitting when they shouldn't be, you can Hcontact a local agency (in Cleveland call the Cleveland Division of Air Quality, in '9,

Lake County call the Lake County Health Department). Any time you can see', smell ior feel pollution coming from an industrial site, you should give your local IIauthorities a call. It's important to be persistent and complain EVERY time there's a Ifproblem so that it will become a part of the public record. You can also request to §see a list of other neighbors that have complained about air pollution so you can |lform a neighborhood group if necessary. "**'''

mitlgl steel by Lora

The loo-year old Arcelor Mittal Steel Mill, located in the Cleveland's Flats, is themost urban steel mill in the country. Half of Cleveland's public schools and thehomes of 390,000 people are located within 5 miles of the plant. Most neighborsare familiar with the plant and its side effects: soot covering cars and homes, loudnoises at all hours of the day, and a rotten egg stench.

Ohio Citizen Action has been campaigning to get the plant to clean up its act foryears. They've done a lot of door-to-door canvassing, talking to neighbors of thesteel mill and bringing awareness to the pollution it emits. Most residents areaware of the mill, especially those that can see it from their house. Some residentswonder if their children's asthma or skin problems are related to the pollution andmany people have breathing problems around the mill. One doctor even told afamily to not let their kids play in the backyard to avoid the pollution. Because thesteel mill is located in a valley and many houses are located above the valley, thesmoke stacks release much of the pollution at the elevation of nearby houses.

The steel mill has been idle for about a year, but has Arcelor Mittal has recentlyannounced that the mill will be slowly starting up again in the coming months.With the restart, the company has a great opportunity to get off to a good startwith neighbors. They can install pollution prevention controls that would make theair cleaner and the community more livable. Installing such measures would be awin-win for the plant. Pollution prevention experts have told Ohio Citizen Actionthat companies almost always save money in the long-run by upgrading theirplants because they find ways to save energy and fine-tune their process. There isalso the added benefit of keeping workers healthy by having them breathe cleanair. Arcelor Mittal has not yet announced any intent to install further pollutioncontrols.

Illustrated by Max Stern

15 It*

mitlgl steel by Lora

The loo-year old Arcelor Mittal Steel Mill, located in the Cleveland's Flats, is themost urban steel mill in the country. Half of Cleveland's public schools and thehomes of 390,000 people are located within 5 miles of the plant. Most neighborsare familiar with the plant and its side effects: soot covering cars and homes, loudnoises at all hours of the day, and a rotten egg stench.

Ohio Citizen Action has been campaigning to get the plant to clean up its act foryears. They've done a lot of door-to-door canvassing, talking to neighbors of thesteel mill and bringing awareness to the pollution it emits. Most residents areaware of the mill, especially those that can see it from their house. Some residentswonder if their children's asthma or skin problems are related to the pollution andmany people have breathing problems around the mill. One doctor even told afamily to not let their kids play in the backyard to avoid the pollution. Because thesteel mill is located in a valley and many houses are located above the valley, thesmoke stacks release much of the pollution at the elevation of nearby houses.

The steel mill has been idle for about a year, but has Arcelor Mittal has recentlyannounced that the mill will be slowly starting up again in the coming months.With the restart, the company has a great opportunity to get off to a good startwith neighbors. They can install pollution prevention controls that would make theair cleaner and the community more livable. Installing such measures would be awin-win for the plant. Pollution prevention experts have told Ohio Citizen Actionthat companies almost always save money in the long-run by upgrading theirplants because they find ways to save energy and fine-tune their process. There isalso the added benefit of keeping workers healthy by having them breathe cleanair. Arcelor Mittal has not yet announced any intent to install further pollutioncontrols.

Illustrated by Max Stern

15 It*

Ken 5aro-Uwa by Ken Dix

On November 10,1995, Nigeria's government executedauthor/playwright/activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his colleagues. His lastwords spoken were, "Lord take my soul, but the struggle continues."

In the late 19505, Royal Dutch Shell (which you probably know as Shell gasstations) began extracting the crude oil that sits beneath the Niger Delta regionof Nigeria. This region is home to several different tribes of indigenous Africans,including the Ogoni, who are arguably the most affected by Shell's activities.Pollution directly linked to the company's oil refining and extraction hasdrastically changed the region and the lives of the people living there.

An estimated 1.5 million tons of oil has spilled in the Niger Delta ecosystem overthe past 50 years. This amount is equivalent to about one "Exxon Valdez" spill inthe Niger Delta each year. Most of the spills are believed to be the direct result ofpoorly maintained aboveground pipelines that run for miles all over the Deltaand surrounding area. Many of these spills are simply ignored and in some cases,when they occur on land, Shell's preferred method of cleaning up the spilled oil isto burn it, rendering the ground useless for years to come. The spills pollute localwater sources that people depend on for drinking, bathing, cooking, fishing, andcleaning clothes. These spills also release dangerous fumes into the air,sometimes leaving entire villages uninhabitable and causing serious illness tothose that have to stay.

vVikip

n

Natural gas is found everywhere that crude oil is found, and in most countries(the U.S .included) laws require the oil companies to either inject it back into theground or to refine and use it. Shell uses another process called "gas flaring,"which wreaks havoc on the Delta and its inhabitants. This process is devastatingto the surrounding environment because when the impure natural gas comes upShell simply "flares" or burns it. Because the gas is burned as it comes out, anytoxins or chemicals found within that gas are also burned and sent into the air,where they usually come back down in the form of acid rain and pollute theground and waterfor miles around.

The Ogoni people have long been aware that not only have they seen almost nomoney from the oil that has been basically stolen from them, but that their landand livelihood has also been slowly deteriorating. Although protests andopposition to Shell and Shell's close relationship with the ruling Nigeriandictatorship had been going on for decades prior, things really began to heat upin the late 8os and early 905. Near the end of the 8os, the Ogoni people foundthemselves more active and stronger than ever before, but lacking in structureand with out a clear-cut leader. Then, in the early 905, a man named Ken Saro-Wiwa rose up and lead the Ogoni people in their fight against the oil companiesand the Nigerian dictatorship that protected them.

Saro-Wiwa helped to found the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People(MOSOP) both to combat Shell's destruction of their homeland through non-violent protests and boycotts and to seek financial reparations from the oil-company and basic human rights for the Ogoni and other indigenous tribes inNigeria. The protests and tension grew with such fervor that in 1993 Shelldecided to cease all operations in the Ogoni region of the Nigerian Delta. The oilcompany cited the rapidly growing civil unrest as the main reason, saying it wasnot possible for them to continue operations in Ogoniland until the governmentcould ensure the safety of Shell and Shell employees. Instead of being a victoryfor the Ogoni people, this led to a swift and brutal retaliation from the Nigeriandictatorship of General Sani Abacha, whose main source of revenue was nowbeing threatened. Ogoniland was placed under a virtual lockdown and becameruled as a police state. At least twenty-seven villages were attacked and burnedby government forces, leaving an estimated 2000 dead thousands morehomeless. Yet in spite of the military intimidation, the opposition to Shell in theOgoniland remained high.

In the spring of 1994, four of Saro-Wiwa's MOSOP colleagues and party rivalswere brutally murdered on their way to a protest. Saro-Wiwa was accused ofbeing a conspirator in the suspiciously military-style assassination. Saro-Wiwaand several of his peers were detained without charge for several months beforethey were formally charged with conspiracy and murder. A date was set and thecase went before not a court of law, but a military tribunal. Keeping in mind that

Ken 5aro-Uwa by Ken Dix

On November 10,1995, Nigeria's government executedauthor/playwright/activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his colleagues. His lastwords spoken were, "Lord take my soul, but the struggle continues."

In the late 19505, Royal Dutch Shell (which you probably know as Shell gasstations) began extracting the crude oil that sits beneath the Niger Delta regionof Nigeria. This region is home to several different tribes of indigenous Africans,including the Ogoni, who are arguably the most affected by Shell's activities.Pollution directly linked to the company's oil refining and extraction hasdrastically changed the region and the lives of the people living there.

An estimated 1.5 million tons of oil has spilled in the Niger Delta ecosystem overthe past 50 years. This amount is equivalent to about one "Exxon Valdez" spill inthe Niger Delta each year. Most of the spills are believed to be the direct result ofpoorly maintained aboveground pipelines that run for miles all over the Deltaand surrounding area. Many of these spills are simply ignored and in some cases,when they occur on land, Shell's preferred method of cleaning up the spilled oil isto burn it, rendering the ground useless for years to come. The spills pollute localwater sources that people depend on for drinking, bathing, cooking, fishing, andcleaning clothes. These spills also release dangerous fumes into the air,sometimes leaving entire villages uninhabitable and causing serious illness tothose that have to stay.

vVikip

n

Natural gas is found everywhere that crude oil is found, and in most countries(the U.S .included) laws require the oil companies to either inject it back into theground or to refine and use it. Shell uses another process called "gas flaring,"which wreaks havoc on the Delta and its inhabitants. This process is devastatingto the surrounding environment because when the impure natural gas comes upShell simply "flares" or burns it. Because the gas is burned as it comes out, anytoxins or chemicals found within that gas are also burned and sent into the air,where they usually come back down in the form of acid rain and pollute theground and waterfor miles around.

The Ogoni people have long been aware that not only have they seen almost nomoney from the oil that has been basically stolen from them, but that their landand livelihood has also been slowly deteriorating. Although protests andopposition to Shell and Shell's close relationship with the ruling Nigeriandictatorship had been going on for decades prior, things really began to heat upin the late 8os and early 905. Near the end of the 8os, the Ogoni people foundthemselves more active and stronger than ever before, but lacking in structureand with out a clear-cut leader. Then, in the early 905, a man named Ken Saro-Wiwa rose up and lead the Ogoni people in their fight against the oil companiesand the Nigerian dictatorship that protected them.

Saro-Wiwa helped to found the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People(MOSOP) both to combat Shell's destruction of their homeland through non-violent protests and boycotts and to seek financial reparations from the oil-company and basic human rights for the Ogoni and other indigenous tribes inNigeria. The protests and tension grew with such fervor that in 1993 Shelldecided to cease all operations in the Ogoni region of the Nigerian Delta. The oilcompany cited the rapidly growing civil unrest as the main reason, saying it wasnot possible for them to continue operations in Ogoniland until the governmentcould ensure the safety of Shell and Shell employees. Instead of being a victoryfor the Ogoni people, this led to a swift and brutal retaliation from the Nigeriandictatorship of General Sani Abacha, whose main source of revenue was nowbeing threatened. Ogoniland was placed under a virtual lockdown and becameruled as a police state. At least twenty-seven villages were attacked and burnedby government forces, leaving an estimated 2000 dead thousands morehomeless. Yet in spite of the military intimidation, the opposition to Shell in theOgoniland remained high.

In the spring of 1994, four of Saro-Wiwa's MOSOP colleagues and party rivalswere brutally murdered on their way to a protest. Saro-Wiwa was accused ofbeing a conspirator in the suspiciously military-style assassination. Saro-Wiwaand several of his peers were detained without charge for several months beforethey were formally charged with conspiracy and murder. A date was set and thecase went before not a court of law, but a military tribunal. Keeping in mind that

geria's federal government is a military dictatorship, the entire trial reeked of ||

S||f|vffoul play, but a guilty verdict was found and a sentence of death was given to all ||y-jM^nine defencjants. Knowing that the trial would come to no other conclusion than^V

if his execution, Saro-Wiwa decided to make a statement about the sad state of Iff.

?|the corrupt government in Nigeria by saying, "I and my colleagues are not the jjjj$.;?£only ones on trial... Shell is here on trial and... there is no doubt in my mind i§i::••"•:•; »sfe'.,-s that the ecological war that the company has waged in the Delta will be called |&p" '? . .• » 8$8s•\o question... ' g$|;

<;.||.|̂ Protests took place all over the world and officials from many nations, including |p|::

f-fipll then-President Bill Clinton, contacted the Nigerian Government to ask for Saro- jjjjfr;

$$f! Wiwa's pardon and release. The effort to save Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues, lp|£

;;|:|̂ |i however, was in vein. On November 10,1995, the government of Nigeria hanged|^•

HfHi Ken Saro-Wiwa and eieht̂ tJ~»r members of the MOSOP, Although Saro-Wiwa '-"""

gone, the struggle against Shell and their££.£F~'.:-- -.. -

by Amanda Schneider

Imagine all the grocery stores in your area slowly but surely going out of

business because their customers cannot afford conducive to a healthy dietThe result is a phenomenon called food deserts. You may be wondering what thisterm means... or thinking to yourself, "DUH. It's like a desert. No food." You maybe surprised to learn, however, that food deserts don't necessarily imply acomplete absence of food. A region is considered in a "food desert" if there is little

to no access to nutritious and healthy foods. While the area can have abooming fast food industry, without fresh produce and other nutritious food, it is

somewhat worthless on the food pyramid.

The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission assessed our region's access to full-service grocers and found that it has become increasingly difficult for families tohave stable access to the foods they need to support a healthy family. They tookinto account a "food balance" ratio that shows the distance of fast food outletscompared to full service grocers. The best ratio would be 1:1, meaning you couldtravel the same distance to get to either destination. The current ratio in Cleveland

is 1:4.5, so residents of the city have to travel 4.5 times further to find healthy foodoptions. This issue is compounded by decreased access to reliable transportation inlower income communities.

The Urban Planning department of Cleveland State has found that from the 50acres of land devoted to public gardens, about a $1.5 million profit wasgenerated. There is a lot of momentum around urban community gardens becausethey provide low-cost access to fresh produce. Not only could local food solutionsvastly decrease the distance needed to travel to get to healthy food in

underprivileged neighborhoods, but schools that have community gardens can also

use them to teach their students about healthy food choices and science.

Food deserts are not a necessary evil. We have the ability to change our region'ssituation by being smart about it. Community collaboration and cooperation is, ofcourse, essential. To get involved with the fight against food deserts, look intoCityFresh, the US Department of Agriculture's Community Food Program, or theCleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition.

to ,j

geria's federal government is a military dictatorship, the entire trial reeked of ||

S||f|vffoul play, but a guilty verdict was found and a sentence of death was given to all ||y-jM^nine defencjants. Knowing that the trial would come to no other conclusion than^V

if his execution, Saro-Wiwa decided to make a statement about the sad state of Iff.

?|the corrupt government in Nigeria by saying, "I and my colleagues are not the jjjj$.;?£only ones on trial... Shell is here on trial and... there is no doubt in my mind i§i::••"•:•; »sfe'.,-s that the ecological war that the company has waged in the Delta will be called |&p" '? . .• » 8$8s•\o question... ' g$|;

<;.||.|̂ Protests took place all over the world and officials from many nations, including |p|::

f-fipll then-President Bill Clinton, contacted the Nigerian Government to ask for Saro- jjjjfr;

$$f! Wiwa's pardon and release. The effort to save Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues, lp|£

;;|:|̂ |i however, was in vein. On November 10,1995, the government of Nigeria hanged|^•

HfHi Ken Saro-Wiwa and eieht̂ tJ~»r members of the MOSOP, Although Saro-Wiwa '-"""

gone, the struggle against Shell and their££.£F~'.:-- -.. -

by Amanda Schneider

Imagine all the grocery stores in your area slowly but surely going out of

business because their customers cannot afford conducive to a healthy dietThe result is a phenomenon called food deserts. You may be wondering what thisterm means... or thinking to yourself, "DUH. It's like a desert. No food." You maybe surprised to learn, however, that food deserts don't necessarily imply acomplete absence of food. A region is considered in a "food desert" if there is little

to no access to nutritious and healthy foods. While the area can have abooming fast food industry, without fresh produce and other nutritious food, it is

somewhat worthless on the food pyramid.

The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission assessed our region's access to full-service grocers and found that it has become increasingly difficult for families tohave stable access to the foods they need to support a healthy family. They tookinto account a "food balance" ratio that shows the distance of fast food outletscompared to full service grocers. The best ratio would be 1:1, meaning you couldtravel the same distance to get to either destination. The current ratio in Cleveland

is 1:4.5, so residents of the city have to travel 4.5 times further to find healthy foodoptions. This issue is compounded by decreased access to reliable transportation inlower income communities.

The Urban Planning department of Cleveland State has found that from the 50acres of land devoted to public gardens, about a $1.5 million profit wasgenerated. There is a lot of momentum around urban community gardens becausethey provide low-cost access to fresh produce. Not only could local food solutionsvastly decrease the distance needed to travel to get to healthy food in

underprivileged neighborhoods, but schools that have community gardens can also

use them to teach their students about healthy food choices and science.

Food deserts are not a necessary evil. We have the ability to change our region'ssituation by being smart about it. Community collaboration and cooperation is, ofcourse, essential. To get involved with the fight against food deserts, look intoCityFresh, the US Department of Agriculture's Community Food Program, or theCleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition.

to ,j

CsTYby BryanRobinson

Produce travels an average of 1,500 miles before it arrives at our local supermarket.That's a little more than the distance between Cleveland and Denver. Along the way, ourfruits and vegetables utilize enough modes of transportation to create a plot for Planes,Trains and Automobiles 2. This journey often leads to an eight-daytime frame betweenharvest and consumption, not to mention emissions from transport.

City Fresh would like to take about 1,425 miles off our produce's voyage. With the goal ofbuilding "a more just and sustainable local food system in Northeast Ohio," theorganization is helping to reduce emissions and provide fresher fruits and vegetables tothe communities of Cleveland.

City Fresh employs "community supported agriculture," where a group of neighborspurchases a share of produce from local farmers. The farmers receive payment upfrontfor a bounty of produce throughout the growing season. Food is picked-up directly from afarm within 75 miles of the neighborhood and brought to a local Fresh Stop station on thesame day. Weekly "share bags" are constructed based on the growing season and what isavailable locally. Bags contain at least one fruit item and several servings of vegetables, inaddition to recipes and nutritional information. Participants pay within one week of thepick-up date, and portions that are not taken are donated to food banks. Two shares areavailable: a single share feeds 1-2, and a family share feeds 3-4, ranging in price from$6.00 to $24.00. The program runs between June and October.

City Fresh assists both urban and rural communities. It improves access to fresh, locallygrown food for urban residents, but also provides marketing opportunities to localfarmers.

City Fresh is in need of volunteers to do tasks ranging from unloading trucks and settingout food to taking orders and accounting, so give them a call!

To learn more or sign up for the program visit: http://citvfresh.org

^\w long does it take to get from the factory to the smaller, lower-

income house? How long does it take to get to the McMansion? Why?

Maze from glassgiant.com

CsTYby BryanRobinson

Produce travels an average of 1,500 miles before it arrives at our local supermarket.That's a little more than the distance between Cleveland and Denver. Along the way, ourfruits and vegetables utilize enough modes of transportation to create a plot for Planes,Trains and Automobiles 2. This journey often leads to an eight-daytime frame betweenharvest and consumption, not to mention emissions from transport.

City Fresh would like to take about 1,425 miles off our produce's voyage. With the goal ofbuilding "a more just and sustainable local food system in Northeast Ohio," theorganization is helping to reduce emissions and provide fresher fruits and vegetables tothe communities of Cleveland.

City Fresh employs "community supported agriculture," where a group of neighborspurchases a share of produce from local farmers. The farmers receive payment upfrontfor a bounty of produce throughout the growing season. Food is picked-up directly from afarm within 75 miles of the neighborhood and brought to a local Fresh Stop station on thesame day. Weekly "share bags" are constructed based on the growing season and what isavailable locally. Bags contain at least one fruit item and several servings of vegetables, inaddition to recipes and nutritional information. Participants pay within one week of thepick-up date, and portions that are not taken are donated to food banks. Two shares areavailable: a single share feeds 1-2, and a family share feeds 3-4, ranging in price from$6.00 to $24.00. The program runs between June and October.

City Fresh assists both urban and rural communities. It improves access to fresh, locallygrown food for urban residents, but also provides marketing opportunities to localfarmers.

City Fresh is in need of volunteers to do tasks ranging from unloading trucks and settingout food to taking orders and accounting, so give them a call!

To learn more or sign up for the program visit: http://citvfresh.org

^\w long does it take to get from the factory to the smaller, lower-

income house? How long does it take to get to the McMansion? Why?

Maze from glassgiant.com

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