Clean Air Journal
The energy in the room was infectious. It was more than a training session—it was a gathering of individuals ready to take on the responsibility of protecting our community’s air quality.
As the Grassroots Organizer it is important to give them tools, strategies and resources they can use that will help to build a supportive network that will foster resilience and growth despite the obstacles they are facing.
Jefferson County is home to one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the United States, the Alabama Power, James H. Miller Jr. Steam Plant, a coal-fired power plant. Birmingham is also home to several industrial facilities that produce materials like coke, steel, pipe, and concrete. These plants emit significant amounts of pollutants that harm the environment and contribute to climate change.
Contact: Jilisa Milton, GASP, [email protected] Birmingham, AL — GASP, alongside several leading environmental justice organizations, has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for...
Julianne Tharp’s journey into environmental advocacy is one of profound transformation, shaped by her commitment to service and a deep-seated passion for justice. As the Field and Advocacy Fellow for GASP and the Chair of the Central Alabama Chapter of the Climate Reality Project, Julianne stands at the forefront of the fight for environmental justice in Birmingham and beyond. Julianne’s professional journey began in healthcare, where she earned her BSN in nursing.
Before the creation of the Clean Air Act in 1970, “It used to just rain stuff on us. You know, it would be all on our houses.” Powell’s family would hang their clean clothes on a drying line outside and have to bring them back in before too long because soot would make them dirty again. “I believe up until this day, if any of our fathers knew they (were) bringing us into an environment like this here, they never would (have).” Powell will never understand how two coke plants (ABC Coke and Bluestone Coke) were able to be built three miles from each other.
The legacy of environmental injustice persists in our communities today, disproportionately impacting marginalized groups who bear the brunt of pollution, climate change, and industrial exploitation. May Day is a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights and environmental justice intertwined in a complex web of systemic inequality.
