The Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice held their sixth annual conference at the UConn School of Business on Saturday, October 16th. There were two keynote speakers — Wilma Subra and Lisa Garcia — and eight panels within two workshop sessions: Climate Change and Global Injustice; Oil: Hazardous to Your Health at Every Stage; History of Energy and Oil; Back to the Future of Transportation; Oil and Water Just Don’t Mix; Taking a Peek at Peak Oil; Petroleum and Food Production; and Ending Dependency: Exploring Options. Due to time constraints, I was only able to stay for invocation, one keynote speaker and one workshop session.
Wilma Subra
Wilma Subra of the Subra Company dedicated her speech to discussing the recent BP disaster which began on April 20, 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Subra shared with the audience a timeline of events during the oil spill, including a number that received no mainstream news coverage to speak of in this part of the country. She described the groups most affected by this disaster as Vietnamese, Laotian, Native American, and African-American populations who were living and working along the coast, many of whom are experiencing headaches, nausea, respiratory problems, and other symptoms due to their exposure to oil in aerosol form. Subra said that people living as far as one hundred miles inland are still being affected. What began in April was not just an oil spill, but a natural gas leak and consequent dispersant contamination. According to Subra, it was reported that one gallon of dispersant was used for every 93 gallons of oil, and what’s more, there has been propaganda teaching children that the dispersants used are no more harmful than dish detergent, when in reality, it is toxic enough for the CDC to develop a page of warnings about health problems that might appear after long exposure. Meanwhile, workers cleaning up the spill have been permitted use of gloves and boots, Subra said, but were told by BP not to wear respirators. OSHA was brought in, though Subra explained, regulators have been reluctant to force BP to comply. While workers and others exposed to the environmental problems had been experiencing acute health problems, the workers are already beginning to experience chronic health problems. She noted that these are chronic health issues that the workers will be faced with for the rest of their lives, just as some who helped clean up the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 are enduring now.
Gallup survey released Tuesday of almost 2,600 coastal residents showed that depression cases are up more than 25 percent since an explosion killed 11 people and unleashed a gusher of crude into the Gulf in April that ruined many livelihoods. The conclusions were consistent with trends seen in smaller studies and witnessed by mental health workers.
To meet this need, Subra suggested that individuals with the right expertise not set up office down there. Instead, they can chat on front porches and in kitchens to get a sense of the situation in that way, and then decide how to proceed.
Saturday’s environmental justice conference was given the timely theme Crude Oil: Dependence and Consequences. Environmental Justice, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is
equal protection under all environmental laws and regulations regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status. It includes fair and meaningful participation in the decision-making process and access to relief measures from excessive environmental burdens in proportion to the burdens for all people.
Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, led by a public health physician, is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse organizations in the area. They have been addressing issues like cadmium in toys, safe local fish consumption, recycling, and education in Bridgeport and Hartford about asthma. Among the nearly sixty CCEJ member organizations are 1000 Friends of Connecticut, Bridgeport Department of Health and Social Services, Capitol Region Conference of Churches, Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety and Health, Hartford 2000, Hispanic Health Council, NAACP, Urban League of Greater Hartford, and the Working Lands Alliance.
During the first Workshop Session, I attended a four-person panel called Back to the Future of Transportation. Professor Norman Garrick argued that transportation affects society, the economy, and the environment, as the infrastructure changes how a city functions. As evidence, Garrick showed photographs of Hartford before and after the highway was brought through downtown. He related this to similar developments in other cities and explained how car use/dependency exploded after World War II. A combination of cheap oil, the Housing Act of 1949, and the 1956 Highway Bill enabled the suburbanization of America. Single-use zoning and separation of activities — people work at X, live at Y, and move about at Z — further exacerbated car dependency. An example Garrick used was of Constitution Plaza, where the conference was happening. Aside from lunchtime during the week or during special events, Constitution Plaza is underutilized. The connection of parking garage to building discourages motorists/workers/students/visitors from ever really using the plaza as a pedestrian. There has been a recent push for mixed use development. The Front Street project was originally conceived as that, though any progress with this development has been quiet. Blue Back Square, despite all of its artifice and pretension, is an example of a mixed use development that is working. For those who can afford it ( $1,635 for the least expensive one-bedroom apartment) residential space is closely integrated with shopping, entertainment, and fitness. But, people living there are still likely to have a commute. Who working at REI or Whole Foods can afford to pay that kind of rent? Luckily, affordable mixed use neighborhoods already exist within city limits. They just lack yuppie appeal, and that’s fine by me.
But, back to the transportation future. Just how large of an explosion occurred in automobile use? Garrick noted that in 1946 the average American drove six miles every day; in 2004, the average American drove thirty miles every day. But, Garrick pointed out, there has been a sharp decrease since 2004 and the reasons for this change have yet to be determined, though he believes that we are perhaps entering an “era of transportation choices.”
Sandy Fry of the Capitol Region Council of Governments echoed some of Garrick’s ideas: our streets were more active and part of the community in years past. She provided slide-after-slide filled with reasons for why we should be investing in active forms of transportation. Fry said that 21% of older Americans do not drive. The statistics for older Hartford residents would probably be higher, since around 36% of city households do not own a car. Private car ownership is expensive– around $6500 per year to own and operate one. Given the prevalence of poverty in Hartford, it is no surprise that over one-third of households are without vehicles. Beyond meeting the mobility needs of children, families, and the elderly, besides helping those with low income, the need to support active transportation is evidenced in the environmental and health problems caused by motorized transportation. Fry said that 41% of air toxics comes from transportation sources and “physically inactive persons are two-to-three times more likely to die prematurely.” Coincidentally, 41% of children in Hartford have asthma.
A recent estimate indicates that in the City of Hartford, as many as 52% of adults and 32% of children are obese.
Obesity is linked to sedentary lifestyles.
With so much to gain, why the hesitation to put on some sneakers or wheel the bicycle out of the garage? Among the statistics flashing on the college projector screen were ones describing the high rate of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. Garrick and Fry both referred to the infrastructure that leaves much to be desired. One photograph showed a sidewalk that starts, stops abruptly, and then resumes several feet forward and to the right. In other cases, there are no crosswalks, or the roads are so wide that pedestrians run a risk of being hit by a car before they can finish crossing. A perfect example used in the discussion was of both the Bishop’s Corner area in West Hartford and that of the West Farms Mall. Both areas demand automobile use. There are few crosswalks in either location. Both areas have fast-moving traffic (except for the month of December when the mall region is gridlocked) and many lanes. With so many stores in close proximity, it seems foolish to drive from one parking lot to the next, but the area does not support pedestrians or cyclists.
This panel ended with brief words from Christopher Brown, a Hartford resident and local “bikemonger” who uses his bicycle as his primary means of transportation. He explained how he began by going car-free just one day each week. If he had an obligation that required he drive on that day, then he had to make it up on another. Soon, he was making most trips under five miles without his car, which, when it needed repairs, was barely missed. He said that he did most errands by bike, including grocery shopping. For the last year, he has been using a cargo bike, which is specially designed to haul heavier loads. He has moved filing cabinets and furniture this way. For those wanting to ride more, Brown advised them to get a good quality used bicycle, start slow, and ride.
Learning about environmental issues can have an immobilizing effect. In Sleeping Naked is Green (xi), the author, Vanessa Farquharson, shares the cycle of cynicism, from The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make a Big Difference:
Finding out about a problem
Wanting to do something to help
Not seeing how you can help
Not doing anything about it
Feeling sad, powerless, angry
Deciding that nothing can be done
Beginning to shut down
Wanting to know less about problems
(Repeat until apathy results)
Sounds dismal and perhaps familiar. While listening to someone from the Department of Transportation say “you’re going to need cars,” I may have passed through six or seven of those stages, feeling like problems are hard to address when the system resists forward thinking. On the next page, however, Farquharson provides the cycle of hope:
Taking personal responsibility for being a good person
Creating a vision of a better world based on your values
Seeking out quality information about the world’s problems
Discovering practical options for actions
Acting in line with your values
Recognizing that you can’t do everything
(Repeat until a better world results.)
Besides networking opportunities,the conference provided literature and information to help people to discover practical options for actions that would align with their values. One document included an explanation of what the labels on household products mean, so that consumers can determine the difference between “caution,” “warning,” “danger,” and “poison,” all terms which seem like they could mean about the same thing. On the reverse, healthy cleaners were listed, so that people not wanting to use toxic chemicals can still clean their ovens and toilet bowls. Another handout was an illustrated guide for recycling. Practical.
Crude Oil: Dependence and Consequences
Wilma Subra of the Subra Company dedicated her speech to discussing the recent BP disaster which began on April 20, 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Subra shared with the audience a timeline of events during the oil spill, including a number that received no mainstream news coverage to speak of in this part of the country. She described the groups most affected by this disaster as Vietnamese, Laotian, Native American, and African-American populations who were living and working along the coast, many of whom are experiencing headaches, nausea, respiratory problems, and other symptoms due to their exposure to oil in aerosol form. Subra said that people living as far as one hundred miles inland are still being affected. What began in April was not just an oil spill, but a natural gas leak and consequent dispersant contamination. According to Subra, it was reported that one gallon of dispersant was used for every 93 gallons of oil, and what’s more, there has been propaganda teaching children that the dispersants used are no more harmful than dish detergent, when in reality, it is toxic enough for the CDC to develop a page of warnings about health problems that might appear after long exposure. Meanwhile, workers cleaning up the spill have been permitted use of gloves and boots, Subra said, but were told by BP not to wear respirators. OSHA was brought in, though Subra explained, regulators have been reluctant to force BP to comply. While workers and others exposed to the environmental problems had been experiencing acute health problems, the workers are already beginning to experience chronic health problems. She noted that these are chronic health issues that the workers will be faced with for the rest of their lives, just as some who helped clean up the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 are enduring now.
When an audience member asked what people in this part of the country could do to help those along the Gulf Coast, Subra said that mental health counseling is very needed in those communities right now. Last month the Associated Press reported:
To meet this need, Subra suggested that individuals with the right expertise not set up office down there. Instead, they can chat on front porches and in kitchens to get a sense of the situation in that way, and then decide how to proceed.
Saturday’s environmental justice conference was given the timely theme Crude Oil: Dependence and Consequences. Environmental Justice, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is
Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, led by a public health physician, is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse organizations in the area. They have been addressing issues like cadmium in toys, safe local fish consumption, recycling, and education in Bridgeport and Hartford about asthma. Among the nearly sixty CCEJ member organizations are 1000 Friends of Connecticut, Bridgeport Department of Health and Social Services, Capitol Region Conference of Churches, Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety and Health, Hartford 2000, Hispanic Health Council, NAACP, Urban League of Greater Hartford, and the Working Lands Alliance.
During the first Workshop Session, I attended a four-person panel called Back to the Future of Transportation. Professor Norman Garrick argued that transportation affects society, the economy, and the environment, as the infrastructure changes how a city functions. As evidence, Garrick showed photographs of Hartford before and after the highway was brought through downtown. He related this to similar developments in other cities and explained how car use/dependency exploded after World War II. A combination of cheap oil, the Housing Act of 1949, and the 1956 Highway Bill enabled the suburbanization of America. Single-use zoning and separation of activities — people work at X, live at Y, and move about at Z — further exacerbated car dependency. An example Garrick used was of Constitution Plaza, where the conference was happening. Aside from lunchtime during the week or during special events, Constitution Plaza is underutilized. The connection of parking garage to building discourages motorists/workers/students/visitors from ever really using the plaza as a pedestrian. There has been a recent push for mixed use development. The Front Street project was originally conceived as that, though any progress with this development has been quiet. Blue Back Square, despite all of its artifice and pretension, is an example of a mixed use development that is working. For those who can afford it ( $1,635 for the least expensive one-bedroom apartment) residential space is closely integrated with shopping, entertainment, and fitness. But, people living there are still likely to have a commute. Who working at REI or Whole Foods can afford to pay that kind of rent? Luckily, affordable mixed use neighborhoods already exist within city limits. They just lack yuppie appeal, and that’s fine by me.
But, back to the transportation future. Just how large of an explosion occurred in automobile use? Garrick noted that in 1946 the average American drove six miles every day; in 2004, the average American drove thirty miles every day. But, Garrick pointed out, there has been a sharp decrease since 2004 and the reasons for this change have yet to be determined, though he believes that we are perhaps entering an “era of transportation choices.”
Sandy Fry of the Capitol Region Council of Governments echoed some of Garrick’s ideas: our streets were more active and part of the community in years past. She provided slide-after-slide filled with reasons for why we should be investing in active forms of transportation. Fry said that 21% of older Americans do not drive. The statistics for older Hartford residents would probably be higher, since around 36% of city households do not own a car. Private car ownership is expensive– around $6500 per year to own and operate one. Given the prevalence of poverty in Hartford, it is no surprise that over one-third of households are without vehicles. Beyond meeting the mobility needs of children, families, and the elderly, besides helping those with low income, the need to support active transportation is evidenced in the environmental and health problems caused by motorized transportation. Fry said that 41% of air toxics comes from transportation sources and “physically inactive persons are two-to-three times more likely to die prematurely.” Coincidentally, 41% of children in Hartford have asthma.
Fry showed two maps with overlapping data relating passive transportation to the skyrocketing obesity rates. In a CRCOG document, it is stated that:
Obesity is linked to sedentary lifestyles.
With so much to gain, why the hesitation to put on some sneakers or wheel the bicycle out of the garage? Among the statistics flashing on the college projector screen were ones describing the high rate of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. Garrick and Fry both referred to the infrastructure that leaves much to be desired. One photograph showed a sidewalk that starts, stops abruptly, and then resumes several feet forward and to the right. In other cases, there are no crosswalks, or the roads are so wide that pedestrians run a risk of being hit by a car before they can finish crossing. A perfect example used in the discussion was of both the Bishop’s Corner area in West Hartford and that of the West Farms Mall. Both areas demand automobile use. There are few crosswalks in either location. Both areas have fast-moving traffic (except for the month of December when the mall region is gridlocked) and many lanes. With so many stores in close proximity, it seems foolish to drive from one parking lot to the next, but the area does not support pedestrians or cyclists.
This panel ended with brief words from Christopher Brown, a Hartford resident and local “bikemonger” who uses his bicycle as his primary means of transportation. He explained how he began by going car-free just one day each week. If he had an obligation that required he drive on that day, then he had to make it up on another. Soon, he was making most trips under five miles without his car, which, when it needed repairs, was barely missed. He said that he did most errands by bike, including grocery shopping. For the last year, he has been using a cargo bike, which is specially designed to haul heavier loads. He has moved filing cabinets and furniture this way. For those wanting to ride more, Brown advised them to get a good quality used bicycle, start slow, and ride.
Learning about environmental issues can have an immobilizing effect. In Sleeping Naked is Green (xi), the author, Vanessa Farquharson, shares the cycle of cynicism, from The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make a Big Difference:
Sounds dismal and perhaps familiar. While listening to someone from the Department of Transportation say “you’re going to need cars,” I may have passed through six or seven of those stages, feeling like problems are hard to address when the system resists forward thinking. On the next page, however, Farquharson provides the cycle of hope:
Besides networking opportunities,the conference provided literature and information to help people to discover practical options for actions that would align with their values. One document included an explanation of what the labels on household products mean, so that consumers can determine the difference between “caution,” “warning,” “danger,” and “poison,” all terms which seem like they could mean about the same thing. On the reverse, healthy cleaners were listed, so that people not wanting to use toxic chemicals can still clean their ovens and toilet bowls. Another handout was an illustrated guide for recycling. Practical.
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