Environment

Screen Shot 2021 07 09 at 6.23.03 PM Amah Mutsun Tribal Chair Val Lopez and CSU Chico's Don Hankins explain the vital potential that controlled burning has, both in terms of the health of California's wildlands and its indigenous people. When people think of California Indian culture and cultural resources, they often look at tangible objects such as basketry, housing, clothing, food, and dance regalia such as feathers, whistles, skins, clapper sticks, etc. These are all important manifestations of Mutsun culture, but it is important to place these remarkable people in the present and not relegate them to the past.

For more information about the tribe:
http://amahmutsun.org

Watch the video here:
https://norcalpublicmedia.org/video/natural-heroes/bab504short4mutson

On this episode of Living Downstream: The Environmental Justice Podcast, Victoria Bouloubasis visits a rural county where the multicultural workforce kept America fed during the pandemic. We'll meet Esmeralda, who has become a community health worker, and her mother Marta, who works in a poultry plant.

In the face of blatant mistreatment and inadequate protection, food factory workers in North Carolina became sick, and died, in unacceptably high numbers. This mother-daughter team stepped up to protect the health of their neighbors and coworkers, efforts they continue today.

For decades, community members and allies have complained about the diesel truck traffic around the Port of Oakland. People who live in this neighborhood, between several freeways and backing up to one of the busiest ports in the nation, have elevated instances of asthma, and shorter life spans, than others in the county. We meet the activists who are trying to change this reality, and we hear about the complex politics and alliances that have resulted in some hope that change is coming. The phrase "diesel death zone" is used more often with areas in Southern California, but we believe it applies here as well. Sarah Holtz reports.

On this episode of Living Downstream, we visit Houston's Greater Fifth Ward, to learn how creosote contamination has degraded the health of people living near a rail yard. We talk with residents, who describe all the cancer cases in the neighborhood and with Dr. Robert Bullard, widely considered the father of environmental justice. Residents have organized to advocate for compensation from the railroad company that owns the yard. What will stay with you is the story of "Mister" — a young neighborhood resident who dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Laura Isensee reports.

The 40th anniversary of PCB protests in North Carolina is about to be commemorated. To mark the occasion, we revisit one of the most listened-to episodes from our first season. This story comes from Warren County. In the early 1980s, Warren County became a flash point in the fight for something that didn’t even have a commonly used name at the time: environmental justice.

These days, members of this community are not only marking that history, they are taking new approaches to raising environmental awareness. Their work begins with support for small farmers, particularly those of color.

Jereann King Johnson and Joe O’Connell have teamed up to tell the story of local environmentalism in the present day.

As we continue this second season of Living Downstream, make sure to subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave comments and rate us on your favorite app - it helps others to find us.

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Fire Stewardship with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

Chicken Country, North Carolina: Justice on the Factory Floor

West Oakland's 'Diesel Death Zone'

Generations in Houston's 5th Ward Contend With Contamination, Cancer Clusters

New Growth in the Birthplace of Environmental Justice - Encore