Environmental Justice

Before reading "Environmentalism Was Once a Social-Justice Movement," I thought of environmentalism as what is described in the article as "mainstream environmentalism" versus what the article describes as the "environmental-justice movement." I thought environmentalism was all about protecting the beautiful, natural landscapes and scenery...the mountains, the valleys, the oceans, the forests, and so on and so forth. I never really thought of "environment" as our houses, schools, and workplaces. I now appreciate, understand and side with the case that these are the most important environments and the environments we should care most about. It is a disconcerting issue when the safety of these environments and distribution of harmful toxins are determined by poverty and race. I think an environmentalism that is closely tied to social justice, like the environmental-justice movement of the past, is best in addressing this issue and will require collaboration among various activist groups and movements.