BURNT brochure for the NAACP convention

The real environmental fight is the multiple chemicals in our bodies, water, food, and air. Each of us has more than a hundred chemicals in our bodies that did not even exist 70 years ago.

Environmental racism-or environmental injustice--is very much a fact. Pollution in every form, from dog pounds to landfills, migrates to poor and minority communities.

Environmental justice is a strategic opportunity for citizens to win victories for clean air, water and living space. The NAACP recognizes environmental justice and environmental health as issues but are campaigns regularly built in your Branch?

Environmental justice allows specific neighborhoods and cities to work on issues important to them. We offer (inside this brochure) an initial method to analyze environmental justice issues and strategies.

Model Legislation For Solid Waste Planning. -- Tennessee State University and Middle Tennessee State University were funded by the Tennessee State Legislature to do a joint study on how to reduce landfills by using solid waste as the raw material for commercial composting and also in business.

[insert here, link to [SB 3835]]

Landfills and environmental injustice. -- Landfills are classic examples of environmental racism. Trucks hauling waste, long term environmental damage from dumped garbage, and no consideration of positive alternatives-good recycling and composting. The easy solution: open a landfill in where poor and black people live.

Poor and minority African-American farmers of Dickson, Tennessee (just outside Nashville) suffered decades of liquid hazardous waste dumped in a landfill built on leaky [karst] geology. Wells and springs tested high in benzene, dichloroethane, trichlorethane, vinyl chloride, and other industrial wastes.

Local NAACP Branches in Nashville and Dickson and the Tennessee State NAACP Convention formed the Tennessee Coalition for Environmental Justice (TCEJ) which also includes spiritual, peace, and environmental groups. Large urban branches can work with rural branches.

The TCEJ is campaigning for US EPA intervention as a Superfund site and for aggressive pursuit of responsible party businesses and governments to pay up.

Environmental justice issues - a starting point. Environmental racism-or justice-may concern a permit, landfill, or other activity regulated by government. Follow the trail of government laws and regulations to develop your issues.

research technical information on the issue- actual pollution levels, landfill history [violations], or pesticides used in schools or day care.
research the legal basis for how the regulatory decision is made.
research the environmental protections in the law. The law can define your demands and goals
develop positive solutions [composting, recycling, cleaning up landfills]. Positive demands based on facts and the law give credibility.
work on multiple targets. Do not just concentrate on the Agency or Legislators
activate the neighborhood and you activate your Branch.

Successful Campaigns May Take ....Years.

Solid waste - a positive solution possible. All landfills leak which pollutes water. But, look at Solid Waste-

food waste (10%) and yard waste (13%) can be composted NOT decompose into dangerous methane gas in the landfill. Plastics (10%) and metals (9%) have high value. Paper (38%) can be recycled or composted. Glass (6%) has value. [other waste 15%] Source: EPA. See also this EPA web page.

Tennessee Coalition for Environmental Justice
Member Organizations:

Bordeaux Beautiful, BURNT, Dickson Branch of the NAACP, Missionary State Baptist Convention of Tennessee, Nashville Branch of the NAACP, Nashville Branch of the NAACP, Nashville Peace and Justice Center, Tennessee State Convention of the NAACP, Truth and Reconciliation Project

Our needs

water engineers and landfill rehab
what to expect from EPA Superfund
let us know your experiences
make a dedicated donation