Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones

Well, Who do you consider to be a great, genuine environmentalist for the Black, African-American communities around the world today? Let’s take a look, for starters we have Audrey and Frank Peterman, Wangari Maathai, Nikki Silvestri, Norris McDonald, Barbara Hillary, and others. I can’t speak for anyone else but Anthony Kapel “Van” Jones has really taken a toll in my heart. Anthony Jones is an advocate for environmental, economical, political, social change for the African-American communities. Don’t let that sincere smile fool you, he is a “rowdy nationalist.” Anthony Jones also promotes injustice in the Black communities.

Anthony Jones was born September 20, 1968 in Jackson, Tennessee, approximately 90 miles east of Memphis. Anthony Jones parents are Loretta Jean (High School Teacher) and Willie Anthony Jones (Principal at a Middle School). Mr. Jones twin sister Angela described him as “the stereotypical geek -- he just kind of lived up in his head a lot.” Jones’ grandfather was a leader in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. And sometimes he would accompanied him to church. Anthony graduated in 1986, from Jackson central-Merry High School. Anthony Jones founded several non-profit organizations including; Color Of Change Mission, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and several others. During this time Anthony Jones really began promoting Eco-capitalism and Environmental justice. Anthony Jones is much more than a speaker, he is a proponent Black man who is not afraid of speaking his mind even though he may received criticism afterwards.

Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai is a politician and environmental activist from Kenya. She was born on April 1, 1940. She is the first women from the east and coastal part of Africa part of Africa to receive a Ph.D. for her contributions to environmental developments, peace, and democracy. The peace that the talks about are the ability to secure a living environment not just for the people that were living in Kenya at the moment but also for people that were still to be born. She was educated in the United States at the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied Veterinary Science. Later on, she went back to the University of Nairobi and became the chair of the Veterinary Department.  While working with the National Council of Women she developed the idea to improve the environment, this would slow the process of deforestation and desertification. Wangari Maathai is the founder of the Green Belt Movement in 1977, the purpose of this movement was to encourage the women to work together to seedling and plant trees to bind the soil, store rain, provide food and receive money for their work. She helped to mobilize African women in contributing to sustainable growth.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Around 1988 between North America and Japan there was tremendous amount of garbage in the Pacific Ocean. There was around 1.6 billion of marine debris in the ocean but it continuously grow by the day. This disaster is not only affecting the water it’s also affecting our animals and by this it’s affecting us humans as well. The reason why is because our sea creatures do not have brains like us so they think the garbage that is filled in the sea is their food which they are clearly wrong. These animals are dying because of this reason and it’s not look so good for us humans as well because we need these animals for us to live.

But there are some companies trying to prevent this disaster from increasing by take out some trash little by little. The reason why we have to take some part out instead of everything is because it’s too much trash. So by theory if one country try’s to this on their own they will unfortunately go bankrupt and that will be bad for a lot of people. The way to prevent this from happening again is that we recycle the right way instead of throwing the trash all over the place.

My Research of John Muir

Alexander Cruz
John Muir

John Muir was a writer, a lecturer, a geologist, a botanist, a glaciologist, an explorer, a school teacher, and an inventor. He also was known as “John of the Mountain” and “Father of the National parks”. He was known for protecting and bettering national parks. His family and him got emigrated to America where he began his life with observing nature. He had a philosophy had nature that God is revealing through nature. So when he was younger a tragedy happen which had him temporarily blind. John still however continued his dream, John was a writer and he would write about things he saw and life about nature. He used his writing to paint a picture to others. Him and a few others establish a Sierra Club which is a club where they protect and explore the wilderness.

The Disaster of 9/11

        On September 11 2001 nineteen terrorists belonging to the group Al-Qaeda hijacked four planes in mid flight. One plane destroyed part of the Pentagon.One plane landed in Shanksville,Pennsylvania. Two of the planes hit the world trade towers and destroyed them.
Nearly 3,000 people died.The air was not safe to breath for a week(supposedly). But the main thing that I am stressing is the health crisis and the pollution that was left behind that is affecting so many people today. When the towers fell the dust that was in the air was contaminated with so many dangerous pollutants and toxic chemicals. There was lead in the air as well as asbestos which can cause cancer. More than 400,000 breathed in that air. At least 1,000 people have died from the pollution so far and over 37,000 are reportedly sick from it. This is becoming a very serious health crisis that is affecting so many more people than the first attack did.

A City Gone Wrong: The Love Canal Disaster

Who knew that one entrepreneur's crushed dreams could stir the pot for one of the most horrifying environmental tragedies in American history? William T. Love came to the La Salle area of Niagara Falls, New York with the intentions of erecting a community as well as a canal. The community was to benefit from the canal through the production of hydroelectric power, utilizing the neighboring Niagara River. Unfortunately, due to an economic panic at the time, all funding for the project was pulled and Love was forced to completely abandon the project. 

After Mr. Love's tremendous failure, the canal sat idle for some time. At one point becoming a center of amusement for children, then later becoming a dump for the city's waste.

Soon after, the site of the canal was purchased in 1942 by Hooker Chemicals and Plastics Corporation. From the year of purchase to 1953, Hooker chemical was reported to have dumped an immense amount of mixed chemical waste into the canal (22,000+ tons). In 1953, Hooker Chemicals ceased operations. After a run in with the Niagara Falls Board of Education, a threat of eminent domain arose. With this threat, the school board had the right to take away private property for its own public use. Hooker Chemicals sold the canal for a dollar, capped up their dump and headed on their way. 

After the purchase, schools along with housing had been established to accompany the hundreds of families moving into the area.

 

Alas, tragedy struck for those 900+ families. Due to a vast amount of heavy rainfall and snow in the late 1970s, the poorly made Hooker landfill cap begins to weather. Because of this weathering, the 22,000+ tons of mixed chemical waste leaked all over the area and contaminated everything and effecting almost everyone. Of the effects were illnesses, property/environmental damage and a great number of birth defects/miscarriages. 

After an uphill battle between protesters and slow acting New York officials, word finally got through to President Jimmy Carter, who declared a state of emergency on two separate occasions. The first occasion (1978) was to relocate the 239 "at risk" families, and the second occasion (1981) was to relocate the other 700+ families seen as "not so at risk".

eminent domain- the government's right to take away private property for public use (usually involves payment).