03 - Vera Scroggins, Defending Environmental and Human Rights

In this episode, Sharon Lavigne shares her experience fighting to stop petrochemical factories and other toxic industries in America’s Cancer Alley in St. James Parish, LA.

Sharon Lavigne is a recipient of the Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship, and won the 2021 Goldman prize for environmental defenders. She led a grassroots movement to delay the $9.4 billion Formosa plastic factory in her hometown. 

This podcast is a project of Halt the Harm Network, which can connect you with people who are working to protect families, communities, and the environment from the harms of fracking and the oil & gas industry.

As mentioned in this episode:

• Rise St. James
• Cancer Alley
• Stop Formosa Plastics

Bio:
Sharon Lavigne, a former special education teacher turned environmental activist, is the founder of Rise St. James, a faith-based environmental and social justice organization dedicated to protecting St. James parish from toxic, cancer causing industries. St. James parish is between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in an area that’s become known as America’s Cancer Alley. Numerous industrial complexes in this region have been attributed to causing the cancer clusters afflicting residents.  

Core Message:
“[The Formosa Plastics Plant] is about putting wealth before health. If you have the money but you don’t have the health, then you don’t have anything. So why let more chemical plants come into St. James and pollute us anymore? People are already sick. People are dying. ”

Credits:
This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from the oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net

The soundtrack to the Halt the Harm podcast is"One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears.

Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover and Jimmy Jordan in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca

In this episode, Allie Rosenbluth tells us about her work organizing rural communities across southern Oregon to stop the proposed Jordan Cove Liquified Natural Gas export terminal and Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline. 

The Jordan Cove LNG project would produce 15 times the climate pollution of Oregon’s last remaining coal plant and create enormous environmental impacts across 4 Oregon counties, including threatening drinking water for 160,000 people, increasing the danger of wildfires, and crossing through tribal lands. 

Bio:
Allie Rosenbluth is a recipient of the Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship. She is the Campaigns Director for Rogue Climate, a grassroots organization fighting for climate justice and clean energy in rural southern Oregon. 

About the Podcast:
This podcast is a project of Halt the Harm Network, which can connect you with people who are working to protect families, communities, and the environment from the harms of fracking and the oil & gas industry.

As mentioned in this episode:

• Stop Jordan Cove LNG Campaign - Rogue Climate
• Oregon Climate Action Plan

Core Message:
“People have been fighting the Jordan Cove Liquified Natural Gas export terminal project for over 15 years. Every year we’re fighting is a year that the project is failing. …There are so many reasons why people in southern Oregon are standing up against the Jordan Cove LNG project. It's really created a beautiful community of people who are building relationships with each other, which is so important in rural communities where things can feel so divided.“

Credits:
This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from the oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net

The soundtrack to the Halt the Harm podcast is "One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears.

Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover and Jimmy Jordan in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca

In this episode, Ron Gulla shares his experience being impacted by fracking and challenging the industry in PA. 

Ron Gulla is a recipient of the Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship, and one of the first voices to speak out against fracking in PA after his farm was contaminated by Range Resources.

This podcast is a project of Halt the Harm Network, which can connect you with people who are working to protect families, communities, and the environment from the harms of fracking and the oil & gas industry.

As mentioned in this episode:

• FracTracker Alliance
• 2019 Sentinel Awards
• Cancer cluster debate in Washington County 

Bio:

Ron Gulla, a former employee of the oil and gas industry, has been raising awareness around fracking’s destructive impacts on soil and water resources since he experienced them firsthand on his property in Pennsylvania;

Core Message:

“Fracking, and the oil & gas industry destroy people’s lives, environment, everything we love. Ask yourself, would I want my family to live on top of a contaminated site? We’re all involved in it whether you’re a doctor, lawyer, or undertaker. We all gotta drink water, we all gotta drink air, we all gotta eat food!”

Credits:

This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from the oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net

The soundtrack to the Halt the Harm podcast is "One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears.

Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover and Jimmy Jordan in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca

Hi Friends! It's been a while since we released an episode – but we're back with a new season!

This introductory episode introduces you to Krishna Roy, who will be hosting some of the upcoming episodes of the podcast. We talk about the value of getting to know people in the movement beyond what we hear at meetings, rallies, or press conferences.

This season you'll hear some new interviews by Krishna mixed in with some event recorded adapted for the podcast. Please join the conversation around this episode and the podcast in Halt the Harm Network at halttheharm.net

In this episode Travis London shares his story of taking leadership on environmental issues in his community in Donaldsonville Louisiana. We talk about networking, movement building, and learn about his experience fighting the Bayou Bridge Pipeline which would connect oil from the Bakken fields with refineries on the Gulf Coast.

Travis wants all of us to know and remember the power of people when we connect with each other and defend our communities. He says “we’re the ones who give power to the president, to government agencies, to industry – so when people join together and organize we can win victories. “

As mentioned in this episode

• Travis London on LinkedIN
• CONFLUENCE - No Bayou Bridge Pipeline
• No Bayou Bridge Pipeline: bbp.org
• Facebook Group: No Bayou Bridge Pipeline!
• L'eau Est La Vie Camp - No Bayou Bridge

About Travis London

Travis London is a networker and business owner from Donaldsonville, Louisiana involved in a variety of environmental justice issues. His business is in computing, but the harms of oil and gas industry motivate Travis to take leadership in environmental action.

“In 2009, I was working as a library assistant. I met an activist by the name of Alberta Hasten, who was the founder of the Louisiana Environmental Justice Community Organization Coalition, client council board member of Capitol Area Legal Service, a board member of the school board, and a 35 year community activist that influenced me to get involved in everything as she showed people how everything related back to the environment. She had admire my networking skills as I helped her grew out her organization. She also took me along as her secretary/accountant in every type of fight that she was involved in. We did things from helping develop the Cancer Alley research in 2010 alongside Dr. Merril Singer of the University of Connecticut to doing usual environmental outreaches in different communities.”

Credits

This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website and resource that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net

The soundtrack Halt the Harm podcast is"One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears.

Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca

In this episode Andy Myers joins us to talk about using film as a tool for organizing and mobilizing around an issue.

Andy Myers is the Campaign Coordinator for Working Films. A longtime proponent of linking films and activists, he has coordinated several state and national film campaigns, facilitated cross-organizational coalitions, and led multiple trainings for NGO’s and grassroots leaders aimed at using documentary film to advance their work.

Andy’s shares tips on using films effectively, and sees them as an example of how arts & culture is integral to successful movements. He recommends using short films that spark discussions, and recognizing film makers who collaborate to tell stories.

As mentioned in this episode

• Sane Energy Project
• You Are Here Map 
• Working films
• Water warriors
• Contact info@storyline.media
• News, http://www.workingfilms.org/news/

About Andy Myers

Andy Myers is the Campaign Coordinator for Working Films, he holds a B.A in film studies and a B.A in environmental studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

A longtime proponent of connecting film with activism, he has coordinated various national campaigns which leverage the narrative in social issue documentaries to advance the efforts of organizations with shared goals.

Credits

This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website and resource that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net

The soundtrack Halt the Harm podcast is"One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears.

Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca

In this episode Dante Swinton, the coordinator of the Divert Baltimore Program talks about organizing and advocating for alternatives to developing a waste incinerator that would cause a public health crisis in Baltimore. By taking leadership and a design thinking approach, Dante is able to show that diverting the waste from incineration has social, environmental, and economic benefits.

Dante advocates for thinking outside of the box, instead of just focusing on what we’re against. He says it’s important to build a solution. With a strong solution we can be effective in our efforts.

As mentioned in this episode

• Energy Justice Network : About
• Baltimore Clean Air Act
• Clean Air Baltimore: A Campaign to Replace Waste Incineration with Zero-Waste Jobs
• Donate to the campaign
• Resources

About Dante Swinton

Dante has had an interest in environmental protection for 20 years, and has worked with Energy Justice Network since summer 2015. He has run for state and local office to raise waste/recycling, energy, transit, and domestic violence issues. He has a Bachelors in Environmental Studies from Winthrop University, and a Masters in Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Baltimore.

Dante is the Divert Baltimore Program Coordinator; Environmental Justice Researcher & Organizer with Clean Air Baltimore. More information at https://www.cleanairbmore.org

Credits

This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website and resource that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net

The soundtrack Halt the Harm podcast is"One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears.

Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca

In this episode you’ll hear a recording of a webinar presentation that Eliza Griswold, author of Amity and Prosperity brought to the network. The presentation is followed by a Q&A with Eliza.

In Amity and Prosperity, the prize-winning poet and journalist Eliza Griswold tells the story of the energy boom’s impact on a small town at the edge of Appalachia and one woman’s transformation from a struggling single parent to an unlikely activist.

“In her new book, Amity and Prosperity, journalist Eliza Griswold provides a deeply human counterpoint to this political fray. She takes on the decidedly fraught issue of energy extraction through a vivid, compassionate portrait of one family living in the long shadow of industry . . . Griswold chronicles these escalating horrors with disarming intimacy.”

— Meara Sharma, The Washington Post

As mentioned in this episode

• Amity and Prosperity : the book
• Webinar recording : Eliza Griswold, Amity and Prosperity
• Halt the Harm Webinar Series

Credits

This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website and resource that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net

The soundtrack Halt the Harm podcast is"One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears.

Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca

In this episode Raina Rippel from the Environmental Health Project talks about the Citizen Science Toolkit, a helpful resource for anyone who wants to protect their family and neighbors from the harms of fracking. This toolkit is an expansive document that details ways that anyone can participate in monitoring environmental health impacts.

We talk about the implications of health monitoring, how the toolkit was created, and provide some insight into the role of citizen science in protecting ourselves from industry that is looking for the cheapest and fastest way to extract gas and bring it to market.

Raina says we all need to be involved in protecting our family and neighbors from the potential harms associated with unconventional oil and gas development – there are tools at our disposal to do this right now.

As mentioned in this episode

• FracTracker Alliance
• Environmental Health Project
• Citizen Science Toolkit

About Raina Rippel

In 2011, Raina Rippel helped found the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project (EHP) in response to growing concerns associated with gas drilling activity and health impacts in Washington County, PA. Formerly Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility/Maine and the Center for Coalfield Justice, Rippel has on the job training in environmental public health, medical education and outreach, community organizing, strategic development and leadership.

Rippel heads up a team of fifteen staff and consultants and various interns with expertise in healthcare, public health research, toxicology, air and water quality, strategic development and community organizing, in conducting a targeted and timely public health response to unconventional shale development. EHP focuses their work on gathering data from residents of southwest PA and beyond on probable health impacts from oil and gas development, determining routes of exposures, and providing best-practice air and water monitoring tools and guidance, as well as accessible and effective interventions for individuals, households, and communities.

Citizen Scientist Toolkit

This Citizen Scientist toolkit will provide listeners with an easy-to-follow framework for taking steps to becoming a more informed, empowered member of your community. By carefully following the procedures and protocols that are defined in the toolkit, listeners will become a citizen scientist, and their efforts can have an impact that extends well beyond their community. Their data can be added to the findings of many others. Together, this information can help listeners, their community, researchers and scientists truly understand the type and level of fracking-related risks.

Credits

This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website and resource that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net

The soundtrack Halt the Harm podcast is"One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears.

Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca

Walter Hang from Toxics Targeting has led unprecedented victories against oil and gas projects in upstate NY – and in this interview he explains his strategy of balancing the message with an incredibly focused demand. The trick, he says, is that there is no trick – there are no shortcuts to the hard work, training, and commitment we need to win. What’s remarkable is that even though it’s challenging, the principles are actually quite simple, but we need to avoid the mistake of pouring effort into campaign strategies that are ineffective. In this episode you’ll gain some insight into how Walter has achieved so many victories, and in his words “crushed” pipeline project and other infrastructure demands of the oil & gas industry. 

As mentioned in this episode:

• Toxics Targeting at www.toxicstargeting.com
• Infrastructure Campaign Compilation
• www.facebook.com/ToxicsTargeting
• Despite FERC approval, groups in NY are still able to defeat the development of a massive regional storage hub for fracked gas.
• The political argument “how can you support additional infrastructure for a dying industry?”…
• great political argument, which is going to rally and build the movement… but it’s not the legal strategy.
• When you identify the regulatory pressure points, identify exactly who you need to pressure on exactly which legal point. The ASK needs to be focused… The ask is different than the message which is how we organize a campaign.
• Toxics targeting helps focus the activists legal strategies to be more effective. They help identify the points and focus the efforts like a battering ram to prevent infrastructure projects.

Bio: Walter Hang is the founder of Toxics Targeting, an consulting firm in Ithaca, NY that helps people understand toxic sites through New York State. He produces maps, reports, and publishes research with his team. You don’t need to be in New York State to be involved with Toxics Targeting campaigns, or to learn about their work  – just contact walter@toxicstargeting.com or go to the website www.toxicstargeting.com and look at the call to action in the bottom right of the page. 

Core Message: The trick is that there is no trick… to beat the fossil fuel industry and the politicians that favor them we need to work hard, build our network, and have a focused strategy with extremely clear demands. No tool, app, or social platform replaces the value of going door to door, building a campaign around a single (strategically sound) demand. 

Credits: This podcast is a project of halttheharm.net, a website and resource that connects you with leaders, activists, researchers, economists, legal experts, and funders to protect your community from oil & gas industry. Halt the Harm is a network of leaders who are taking action, sharing resources and information, and supporting each other’s campaigns. Find out more at halttheharm.net The soundtrack Halt the Harm podcast is"One of These Days" by Eilen Jewell from her album Sea of Tears. Recorded, produced, and published by Ryan Clover in the studios WRFI Watkins Glen, Ithaca