Why Environmental Issues Matter to People Who Resist Discrimination and Promote Equal Opportunity!

Environmental organizations in the US are not very diverse in their membership, mostly white middle-class people, yet the health of the environment matters to everyone. Sadly, environmental degradation is much more likely to harm people of color, and those of limited means, than other groups. (See recent examples in http://grist.org/feature/the-unsustainable-whiteness-of-green/ and https://www.spinsheet.com/bay-people-fred-tutman-patuxent-riverkeeper .) This weekend's Earth Forum in Columbia, MD, on environmental justice and public health can help environmentalists and progressive activists identify common concerns and areas for action.

Intersection of Environmental Justice and Public Health January 21, 2:00-4:30PM:  If the currency of inequality is years of life, then the opposite of poverty is health. Environmental justice is a public health issue. Pollution, lead poisoning, and other environmental factors impact different populations differently. Dr. Leana Wen, in her role as Commissioner of Health for the City of Baltimore, is reimagining the role of local public health. She will help us see how public health and environmental health are linked, and will challenge those of us who care deeply about the environment to expand our understanding of care for the planet.

The Earth Forum is hosted by the First Presbyterian Church of Howard County, 9325 Presbyterian Circle, Columbia, MD.  It is free and open to all interested persons.  For more information contact earthforum@firstpreshc.org or call 410-730-3545 (church office).