Blog Archive
The Real Dangers of PARTICULATE MATTER 2.5
The air quality we breathe has become an increasingly pressing issue in today’s world of fast industrialization. Although we may be mindful of air pollutants like smog and automobile emissions, particulate matter (PM2.5) poses an invisible hazard.
Bluestone Coke Violates Clean Water Act, Polluting Five Mile Creek
Black Warrior Riverkeeper, GASP, and SELC notify the company to clean up violations in 60 days or face another lawsuit.
What Is Ozone and Why You Need To Know
Ground-level ozone can reach unhealthy levels, particularly in urban environments on hot, sunny days. Populations exceptionally vulnerable to the harmful effects of ozone include children, older people, people with asthma, and people who engage in physical activity outdoors.
Q&A WITH SUMMER INTERN NISHA SHARMA
Being in a health care profession I wish to live in a society that breathes healthy and survives healthy. This being a serious motto my passion is to drive myself to work within a framework that helps the individuals to live freely, and GASP is one such platform that cater its sincere time and energy that aligns my interests. – Nisha Sharma
Community Chronicles #5: David Butler, Cahaba Riverkeeper
“We have this amazing biodiversity and Alabama, and unlike many things, when something goes extinct, you know, its near impossible to restore that species,” said Butler. “We’re running out of time to preserve some of what makes Alabama so biologically rich. And I think the biggest fear for us is that our children and their children won’t have the opportunities to experience the beauty of Alabama in the same way we have.” – David Butler, Staff Attorney and Riverkeeper for Cahaba Riverkeeper.
Community Climate Assembly to Address Equitable Investments in Birmingham’s Future
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — GASP is hosting a Community Climate Assembly on Equitable Investments on Thursday, June 22, 2023, at Harvest Roots Kombucha Taproom in Avondale. The event will bring together community members, stakeholders, and experts to explore strategies to...
Q&A with Summer Policy Intern Hannah Grace
What is your major and why did you choose it? I am double majoring in Environmental Studies and Global Liberal Studies, concentrating in Sustainability, Health, and the Environment at New York University. During a COVID quarantine, I only had a book for one of my...
Q&A with Summer Intern Leah Redd
What is your major, and why did you choose it? I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in data science! Data science is a combination of math, computer science, and statistics, often sprinkling a bit of social science. I chose data science because collecting and...
Code Orange Air Quality Alert for Birmingham, Alabama on June 9
Smoke from the wildfires in central Canada has been affecting a large portion of the eastern United States over the past several days, and now the Southeast, including Alabama, is experiencing the effects. The National Weather Service in Birmingham today said it...
Community Climate Assembly Slated to Address Transit Justice in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (May 15, 2023) — On Thursday, May 18, 2023, GASP will hold its fifth Community Climate Assembly as part of the Green New Deal for Birmingham (GND4BHM) campaign. The event focusing on transit justice will be held at Harvest Roots Ferments Taproom from...
Black History Month Town Hall: The Two Faces of Southern Company
Southern Company has a long, documented history of putting profits over people. They give money to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia while they greenwash their use of dirty coal that poisons our air, water, and...
Community Chronicles #4: Daniel Tait
Daniel Tait is the Executive Director of Energy Alabama and fits into his position as a reputable and environmentally conscious leader. His amiable disposition has made him an ally for communities and an influential educator on sustainable energy.
Landfill Fire Update: State Declares Emergency, Asks Feds for Help
Invoking the Alabama Emergency Management Act of 1955, Gov. Kay Ivey today declared a state of emergency due to the landfill fire in St. Clair County. The proclamation signed by Gov. Ivey states that the fire "poses extraordinary conditions of disaster and of extreme...
Meet Anastasia Cox, GASP’s Winter Intern
GASP: What is/was your major and why did you choose it? Anastasia: Three and a half years ago, when the decision of choosing a major was due to be added to my degree plan, truthfully I wasn’t sure what to major in. All I knew was I had made it to college and I wanted...
Proposed New Soot Standards Will Save Lives, But Don’t Go Far Enough
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a proposal to strengthen the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, from 12 micrograms per cubic meter (µ/m3) to a range of 9–10 µ/m3. The...
Moody Landfill Fire Pollutes Air, Threatens Public Health
On Friday, November 25 a large underground fire was reported to the Moody Fire Department. The source of the fire is a "green waste" landfill operating under the name Environmental Landfill, Inc. GASP has received dozens of complaints about the air quality as a result...
GASP, SELC secure nearly $1 million penalty against Bluestone Coke plant
Groups and Jefferson County Board of Health file consent decree to stop north Birmingham air pollution BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In an unprecedented step to improve air quality for Birmingham residents, GASP, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Jefferson County...
Community Chronicles #3: M. Dominique Villanueva (Fountain Heights Farms)
“Fountain Heights includes the civil rights district, it includes the historically Black Bussiness District, and it goes all the way down to the bus stations and Morris Avenue,” Said Dominique.”We are a diverse neighborhood that could be benefiting by sharing the resources we each have through reinvestments and people who are willing to listen.”
Community Chronicles 2: Gerica Cammack
“We were so close to it. I could taste it in my mouth. The smell was in the house. I felt like I couldn’t get away from it. I couldn’t let my window up; I couldn’t let my window down. It’s in the ground. It’s in the foundation.”
Green New Deal for Birmingham Hosts Community Climate Assembly
Sustainable development means economic development without the depletion of natural resources. Another way to think of it is; meeting the needs of today without creating problems tomorrow.
