EDA News Spring Edition 2024

For EDA, participation in Earth Day events provides an opportunity to meet with like-minded people and introduce ourselves to the community. Last year, EDA members in North Carolina, Colorado and Ohio reserved space at events in their cities. The At-Large Trustees created an event kit that was used at events. This year, they have updated the kit to include a table-runner, large-sized banners that focus on food, energy and water, and tabletop material. The kit includes PDF templates for collecting attendees' contact information and other tips for EDA volunteers who participate in Earth Day.

EDA members will be participating in an Earth Day event in Columbus Ohio, and several other locations. If you would like to participate in this event, or schedule an event in your area, please contact the At-Large Trustees to arrange receiving the Earth Day kit for your event: Geoff Schaber or James Kolb.

NOTE: Using the above EDA material is not only for Earth Day. If you would like to introduce EDA to a group in your community for any event throughout the year, please contact the At-Large Trustees to have this material sent to you.

Help your community learn more about EDA!

For the past three years, EDA's state legislation teams have been evaluating legislation around the country. Once again, they have started posting legislation dealing with food, water and energy on our website.

What’s new this year is very exciting. The team has begun to create a scorecard that will rank legislation for greater equitability and sustainability of food, water and energy within each district of each state. This scorecard will clearly show the public which state districts are seriously committed to real solutions. More information will be posted in our next newsletter.

Take a look at the latest updates on legislation in your state.

It’s no wonder water that companies are focusing their marketing efforts on the Black and Latino market, as well as immigrants from countries where tap water may not be safe.

Several years ago, the Detroit water company shut off the water to families in many predominantly Black areas due to non-payment of water bills. These families then had to buy bottled water for cooking and drinking, not realizing that the Dasani water they bought came from the Detroit municipal water supply that was maintained by their tax dollars. This meant they were now paying hundreds of times more for the same water that was cut off.

North Carolina's state government has enacted legislation to curb the adverse impacts of hog farming on nearby communities. Measures such as moratoriums on new hog farm permits in certain areas and requirements for better waste management practices have been put into place to safeguard public health and the environment. However, although there are ways to significantly reduce green-house gas emissions, these solutions are very costly and the burden to pay for these upgrades falls upon the contract farmer, not the factory farm group.

Progress has been slow and challenges persist. Despite regulatory efforts, the concentration of hog farms in already marginalized communities continues, perpetuating environmental injustices. And to make matters worse, there is a political side. Meat companies, meat trade groups and individuals have contributed more than $5.6 million to pro-hog farm candidates in North Carolina .

Moreover, enforcement and oversight mechanisms need strengthening to ensure compliance with regulations to hold accountable those responsible for environmental harm. Addressing the complex interplay of economic interests, political dynamics, and environmental justice requires a multifaceted approach. It will take meaningful engagement with affected communities, empowering them to participate in decision-making processes that directly impact their lives.

In 1963, a significant conference took place in the United States bringing together climate experts who raised concerns about the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on the climate. It was hosted by the Conservation Foundation, a philanthropic organization that hoped to bring knowledge of CO2 emissions into national awareness. The conference took place on March 12th in Manhatten's Rockefeller Institute and was attended by six scientists who were experts in the Earth's natural systems.

Remarkably, these experts foresaw the looming threat of climate change, recognizing the correlation between CO2 emissions and the rise in global temperatures. However, despite this early warning, decisive action was not taken to address the issue. Why did society fail to act on this crucial information?

In the early 1960s, the environmental movement was still in its infancy, and the concept of human-induced climate change was not widely recognized. Industries were booming, and there was a prevailing belief in limitless resources and technological solutions to any environmental challenges that arose. In addition, scientific understanding of climate change was not as advanced as it is today. While the experts at the 1963 conference had valuable insights, the complexities of the Earth's climate system were not fully understood.

The general consensus was that we would be able to develop a way of controlling the unwanted by-products of air pollution and that air pollution issues would be solved once everyone was aware of the problem. But the fossil fuel industry was able to campaign against climate science. There were powerful vested interests at play. Fossil fuel industries, which were major contributors to CO2 emissions, wielded significant political and economic influence. Any measures to curb emissions were met with fierce resistance from these industries, who prioritized short-term profits over long-term environmental concerns.

There was also a lack of public awareness and political will to address global warming. Unlike today, where climate change is a prominent issue in global discourse, in the 1960s, it was largely overlooked by policymakers and the public alike. Without public pressure and political leadership, there was little impetus for action.

If decisive action had been taken on the warnings from the 1963 conference to curb CO2 emissions and invest in renewable energy alternatives, we might have been able to mitigate the worst effects of climate change that we are now experiencing.

However, it's not too late to learn from the mistakes of the past. The urgency of the climate crisis demands immediate action from governments, industries, and individuals worldwide. By heeding the warnings of history and prioritizing sustainable solutions, we can still mitigate the impacts of climate change and safeguard the planet for future generations.

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