Protection from Pollution

It's easy to worry about air pollution, water pollution, toxic waste, and climate change. Pollution is something that it is hard to be protected from.

So what can we do? For starters, we can stop supporting businesses that produce this pollution. It's not easy to do. Everytime we buy some cheap thing from a big box store, everytime we buy something with plastic packaging, everytime we turn on our lights, we are buying into things that pollute our environment. A major source of pollution that people don't even think about are computers (like the one you are on now) and other electronic equipment (TVs, microwaves, etc). Where does it go when you are done with it? Does it become electronic waste?

Much of the pollution and toxic waste is dumped on third world countries or in communities of poor or working class people or people of color. This is sometimes called eco-racism--although poor white communities, such as Appalachia, are also often victims.

The environmental justice movement is challenging this. One of the best ways to protect everyone from pollution is to stand together and insist the polluters stop--not only polluting our neighborhood, but all pollution everywhere. In an interconnected world, pollution crosses all boundary lines eventually.


Resources:
Greenpeace--An international organization dedicated to protecting the environment by direct action since 1971
Rising Tide--A radical, grassroots, anti-corporate movement to oppose climate change
The Sludge Safety Project--A West Virginia group fighting the ways the coal industry is poisoning their water
The 350 Network--An organization of organizations working to build a grassroots network to oppose climate change

Also see my posts on Air (5/3), Water (5/10), and Waste (5/25) for more resources dealing with pollution

Quote of the Day: "While the Earth is poisoned, everything it supports is poisoned. While the Earth is enslaved, none of us is free." - Alice Walker