Chapter 1: A History of the Environmental Justice Movement

It was interesting to learn that there is not just one single environmental movement, but that there are several different kinds each with specific discrepancies. 

It makes sense that the environmental justice movement would be related to the civil rights movements, the toxics movement (which I was completely unaware of), and the native american's struggles. I did find it a little odd that they put the native americans as fourth for leading up to the environmental justice movements. It seems to me that their struggles came before the civil rights movement and the toxics issues. I almost felt like there could have been a bit of subconscious racism or discrimination on culture going on in the priority list.

Academia was not something I would have put in the list off the top of my head, but it makes complete sense that it contributed to the movement. Being knowledgeable can help to back up any cause. Educating people makes it harder for them to justify continuing a harmful practice that they may have been ignorant about before.

I was a little surprised to here about the first wave environmentalists in organizations such as the Sierra Club being so opposed to helping the degradation of poor people's environment. I would think that an environmental group would be concerned about all environments, not just environments that rich white people like to spend their time in.

"We see the Environmental Justice Movement as separate from and as transcending the environmental movement - as a movement based on environmental issues but situated within the movements for social justice." Part of me likes this quote but part of me has a small problem with it. This quote reminds me of the book we read in my ecopsychology class, "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. "Ishmael" makes the point that humans now view themselves as separate and superior from nature. Because of this, they have upset the natural balance and are the reason for the destruction of the planet. When they put the Environmental Justice Movement inside the movement for social justice, to me it seems that they are placing the environment as second to people, as just a benefit for people. To me the health of the whole planet (which includes people) is more important than the health of just the people. I know that this isn't necessarily what they were getting at, but that is a thought subtly seems to be apparent when I hear that statement. 

The quote also reminds me of Ishmael because the book says that the reason the social movements of the 60's didn't work was that people didn't understand they were following a cultural myth that led them to an incomplete conclusion. It seems like the environment was a major missing component. With the emergence of the environmental movement, it seems like people were becoming a missing component.

I think that since people are most concerned with their own well being it makes sense that the environmental justice movement would come from social justice. People's health depends on their environment. I am glad that people are becoming more aware that their own health depends on the health of their surroundings.