The Latest
Mar 16, 2019
HBCU Climate Change Consortium participate in The Climate Reality Leadership Training Corps
HBCU Climate Change Consortium Co-Director, Dr. Beverly Wright organized a delegation of members from the HBCU Climate Change Consortium to participate in the 2019 Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training in Atlanta, GA from March 14 – March 16, 2019. The Consortium’s partnership with the Climate Reality Project helped bring a diverse group into the Climate Reality Project training space. This year, the focus of the training came from an environmental justice lens. Environmental justice experts, faith leaders, students, and people of color community leaders gave heartfelt and sobering presentations about the devastating impact that climate change is having on vulnerable communities in the southeast region of the United States and around the world. HBCU Climate Change Consortium, Co-Director and Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University, Dr. Robert Bullard, facilitated a breakout session, “A Safe Place to Live, Work, Play and Pray: 30 Years of the US Environmental Justice Movement” and participated on a panel with Former Vice President Al Gore, Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences and Dr. Kim Cobb, Georgia Power Chair, “The Climate Crisis and Its Solutions,” session. Al Gore said, “We all live in this house (Earth), we can’t ignore the fire in the bedroom or kitchen. The fire impacts all of us. We should not just say, Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY) but NOPE, Not On Planet Earth.” Members of the Consortium had an opportunity to network and expand their knowledge about renewable energy, community resilience, and green jobs to equip environmental justice communities with the resources and knowledge to develop sustainable and resilient neighborhoods for all. Climate Reality Leadership Training ...
Apr 17, 2019
Congratulations 2019 Environmental Career Worker Training Program Graduates!
The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) Spring 2019 Environmental Career Worker Training Program (ECWTP) was held at 9801 Lake Forest Blvd in New Orleans East, January 21 – April 10, 2019. The twelve week training consisted of a six-week basic skills training that utilizes a work-based learning curriculum and six-weeks of technical skills training. On April 12, 2019, twenty-five (25) aspiring young men and women graduated from the training receiving certificates in forty (40) hours hazardous waste operator, thirty-two (32) hours Asbestos Abatement Worker, sixteen (16) hours Mold Remediation, sixteen (16) hours Lead Abatement Worker, ten (10) hours OSHA General Industry, forty (40) hours Construction, and forty (40) hours Weatherization Installer. The graduation ceremony was held at City Park, Park View Terrace. The ceremony featured trophies and gifts for graduates who were recognized for significant achievement by their instructors, counselors, and program staff. Joshua Mitchel was named “Best All Around Student" for his excellent performance in all aspects of the training. The guest speaker this year was, Hakim Kashif, a Motivational Speaker and Life Coach. Job placement efforts are underway to place graduates into viable and sustainable employment. The DSCEJ has trained young men and women in environmental health and safety for over twenty-four years. The next New Orleans ECWTP training will be held in the Spring of 2020. The Environmental Career Worker Training Program is funded by the National Institutes for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). For more information about our training, please call 504-272-0956 or visit our website at http://www.dscej.org/our-work/worker-health-and-safety-training. Environmental Career Worker Training Program ...
Apr 11, 2019
Rolling Hills Still Plaguing Wedgewood Residents 5 Years Later
Five years after the Rolling Hills Construction and Demolition Facility had its permit revoked by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the pit is still, at best, a headache for its neighbors. At worst, it's an ongoing health hazard. The pit is polluting nearby ground and surface water and emitting "objectionable odors," according to the DEP. Additionally, residents of the surrounding Wedgewood, Olive Heights and Rolling Hills neighborhoods assert toxins from the pit are causing them respiratory disease, cancer and early deaths. To help give residents the most up-to-date information on the pit's status, the DEP will host an informational open house 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the Marie K. Young-Wedgewood Community Center, 6405 Wagner Road. There will be no formal presentation at the two-hour open house. Instead, DEP subject matter experts will be on hand to share information on the status of the pit's closure, the next steps in the process, the state's ongoing enforcement actions and the groundwater and surface water impacts from the facility. Representatives from Escambia County and Department of Health will also be available to speak to residents. Read More ...