Environmental Health Workshops
Environmental Health Workshops
Workshop One: The Gas Rush: Health Impacts and Campaigns
Speaker: Claire Miller, Toxics Action Center & Bev Edwards, NH Energy Impacts on Health Study Group
What will you learn?
Workshop Description:
They say opportunity is the flip side of crisis. As big gas tries to overbuild pipelines, compressor stations and LNG tanks- hear inspiring stories of how communities are fighting, and not only winning, but growing the movement for climate justice, energy democracy, and just transition.
Speaker Bio:
Claire B.W. Miller has been the Lead Community Organizer for Toxics Action Center since 2000. She provides organizing support, facilitation and training to more than thirty grassroots groups teaching community leaders to plan winning campaigns, hone their message and materials, build their group, fundraise, garner media attention and more. She is a founder and co-coordinator of the state-wide coalition of more than 150 groups Mass Power Forward working to pass climate justice legislation and foster local clean energy campaigns. She lives in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts with her partner and dog. She identifies as a queer, white, mixed-class person. In her free time she gardens, reads, and other introverted activities.
Bev Edwards acted as the chair for Temple’s Energy Committee and coordinated the Monadnock Energy Resources Initiative, focusing on GHG emission reductions and sustainability. Today, Bev is the chair of the NH Energy Impacts on Health Study Group and focuses on raising an awareness of the public health threats posed by the toxic emissions from fracked gas infrastructure, in addition to its escalation of climate change. Working with the NH Site Evaluation Committee, this group helped to establish appropriately restrictive New Rules and Regulations for any HV/HF pipeline application and are working with the Dept. of Environmental Services to upgrade NH's Toxic Air Statutes.
Speaker: Claire Miller, Toxics Action Center & Bev Edwards, NH Energy Impacts on Health Study Group
What will you learn?
- Participants will learn the health impacts of expanding fracked gas infrastructure in New England
- Hear stories how communities are organizing successfully to stop the overbuild
- How Mass Power Forward is organizing for a just transition to renewables from the bottom up.
Workshop Description:
They say opportunity is the flip side of crisis. As big gas tries to overbuild pipelines, compressor stations and LNG tanks- hear inspiring stories of how communities are fighting, and not only winning, but growing the movement for climate justice, energy democracy, and just transition.
Speaker Bio:
Claire B.W. Miller has been the Lead Community Organizer for Toxics Action Center since 2000. She provides organizing support, facilitation and training to more than thirty grassroots groups teaching community leaders to plan winning campaigns, hone their message and materials, build their group, fundraise, garner media attention and more. She is a founder and co-coordinator of the state-wide coalition of more than 150 groups Mass Power Forward working to pass climate justice legislation and foster local clean energy campaigns. She lives in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts with her partner and dog. She identifies as a queer, white, mixed-class person. In her free time she gardens, reads, and other introverted activities.
Bev Edwards acted as the chair for Temple’s Energy Committee and coordinated the Monadnock Energy Resources Initiative, focusing on GHG emission reductions and sustainability. Today, Bev is the chair of the NH Energy Impacts on Health Study Group and focuses on raising an awareness of the public health threats posed by the toxic emissions from fracked gas infrastructure, in addition to its escalation of climate change. Working with the NH Site Evaluation Committee, this group helped to establish appropriately restrictive New Rules and Regulations for any HV/HF pipeline application and are working with the Dept. of Environmental Services to upgrade NH's Toxic Air Statutes.
Workshop Two: Environmental Health and Noise Pollution
Speaker: Erica Walker
For many community residents, the environmental soundscape has been traditionally viewed as an inherent sacrifice for the conveniences associated with living near the hustle and bustle of urban life. Due to this pervasive attitude, the negative human response to this soundscape—namely noise—is routinely dismissed as a mere nuisance and not a significant stressor impacting human health as several recent studies have demonstrated. The goal of this talk is to examine how citizen science has become a powerful advocacy tool for dealing with community noise issues. Specifically, we will discuss the smartphone app NoiseScore and how it has been utilized to empower community members with a platform to voice and visualize both the objective and subjective aspects of community noise—in real time.
Speaker Bio:
Erica Walker is an environmental health scientist whose primary research interest is to gather a better understanding of what aspects of environmental noise negatively affects human health. She is particularly interested in less explored aspects of environmental noise, such as its frequency/pitch and the role human perception may have on modifying or mediating negative health resulting from noise exposure. She is a strong critic of the A-weighted decibel as she feels that it severely underestimates the sound experience—especially in poorer communities, which are often inundated with low frequency, sounds. She is the founder of Noise and the City, an organization whose primary mission is to provide residents with free, accessible, and relevant tools for community noise advocacy. The Noise and the City toolbox currently includes: NoiseScore, a smart-phone application that allows community residents to objectively and subjectively document their noise experiences in real-time, via a series of real-time heat maps; au·ral, an open-access community journal dedicated to highlighting innovative strategies to combat noise pollution; and The Neighborhood Noise Report Card, the Nation’s first noise report card. Erica’s Noise and the City work has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. Erica holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics, from Simmons College, a Master’s degree in environmental economics from Tufts University, and a doctorate in environmental health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Speaker: Erica Walker
For many community residents, the environmental soundscape has been traditionally viewed as an inherent sacrifice for the conveniences associated with living near the hustle and bustle of urban life. Due to this pervasive attitude, the negative human response to this soundscape—namely noise—is routinely dismissed as a mere nuisance and not a significant stressor impacting human health as several recent studies have demonstrated. The goal of this talk is to examine how citizen science has become a powerful advocacy tool for dealing with community noise issues. Specifically, we will discuss the smartphone app NoiseScore and how it has been utilized to empower community members with a platform to voice and visualize both the objective and subjective aspects of community noise—in real time.
Speaker Bio:
Erica Walker is an environmental health scientist whose primary research interest is to gather a better understanding of what aspects of environmental noise negatively affects human health. She is particularly interested in less explored aspects of environmental noise, such as its frequency/pitch and the role human perception may have on modifying or mediating negative health resulting from noise exposure. She is a strong critic of the A-weighted decibel as she feels that it severely underestimates the sound experience—especially in poorer communities, which are often inundated with low frequency, sounds. She is the founder of Noise and the City, an organization whose primary mission is to provide residents with free, accessible, and relevant tools for community noise advocacy. The Noise and the City toolbox currently includes: NoiseScore, a smart-phone application that allows community residents to objectively and subjectively document their noise experiences in real-time, via a series of real-time heat maps; au·ral, an open-access community journal dedicated to highlighting innovative strategies to combat noise pollution; and The Neighborhood Noise Report Card, the Nation’s first noise report card. Erica’s Noise and the City work has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. Erica holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics, from Simmons College, a Master’s degree in environmental economics from Tufts University, and a doctorate in environmental health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Workshop Three: Climate Action & Bringing Health into the Equation
Speakers Ellen Tohn & Kaat Van Staeten
What will you learn?
Workshop Description:
Small towns can do big things. Wayland MA has achieved a 20% reduction in municipal energy use, installed nearly 2.5 MW of solar, and helped saved nearly $200,000 annually. Wayland's Energy and Climate Committee is now working with three neighboring towns to engage residents in a community driven effort, with tools we can share. Learn also about the “One Touch” program that helps to connect energy, housing and health programs to streamline delivery and create healthier and energy efficient homes in lower income communities.
Speaker Bio:
Ellen Tohn is an environmental health consultant with over 30 years of experience. Ellen acts as the co-chair of Wayland's Energy and Climate Committee and a coordinator of an exciting MassEnergize Wayland effort working with Kaat Van Straeten. Ellen is an Assistant Professor at Brown's School of Public Health and a nationally recognized expert in environmental health working to catalyze actions at the federal, state and local level. Kaat Van Staeten is a community organizer and frequent local speaker inspiring others to take action.
Speakers Ellen Tohn & Kaat Van Staeten
What will you learn?
- Approaches to structure resident engagement in climate actions
- Templates and tools to support resident engagement
- Strategies to bring health into delivery of energy efficiency programs with One Touch
Workshop Description:
Small towns can do big things. Wayland MA has achieved a 20% reduction in municipal energy use, installed nearly 2.5 MW of solar, and helped saved nearly $200,000 annually. Wayland's Energy and Climate Committee is now working with three neighboring towns to engage residents in a community driven effort, with tools we can share. Learn also about the “One Touch” program that helps to connect energy, housing and health programs to streamline delivery and create healthier and energy efficient homes in lower income communities.
Speaker Bio:
Ellen Tohn is an environmental health consultant with over 30 years of experience. Ellen acts as the co-chair of Wayland's Energy and Climate Committee and a coordinator of an exciting MassEnergize Wayland effort working with Kaat Van Straeten. Ellen is an Assistant Professor at Brown's School of Public Health and a nationally recognized expert in environmental health working to catalyze actions at the federal, state and local level. Kaat Van Staeten is a community organizer and frequent local speaker inspiring others to take action.
Workshop Four: Creative Pathways to Public and Individual Action
Speaker: LA Smith, journalist and author of Fukushima on the Hudson
The issues of environmental racism and nuclear waste converge at the Savannah River nuclear waste site in SC, the superfund site in New Madrid MO, communities throughout New Mexico — and far too many others in the US. This 90-minute workshop will begin by addressing the issue of environmental racism through a video montage that includes, but is not limited to, nuclear waste sites, in addition to superfund sites and increased peril after recent catastrophic hurricanes. The discussion will continue with relevant artistic and pop culture explorations of the nuclear waste issue, including a clip from a recent John Oliver broadcast, an important article in the September Vanity Fair, Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult, a Ted Talk clip on Art and its powerful ability to motivate and change minds, and the book, Fukushima on the Hudson.
This workshop will initiate a brief discussion with the audience on ways we can all communicate creatively on scary subjects. We can do more than just op-eds to make a difference! We can go into schools and work with kids on art projects and get them talking. We can have an impact, simply by sharing our art and our words.
Speaker: LA Smith, journalist and author of Fukushima on the Hudson
The issues of environmental racism and nuclear waste converge at the Savannah River nuclear waste site in SC, the superfund site in New Madrid MO, communities throughout New Mexico — and far too many others in the US. This 90-minute workshop will begin by addressing the issue of environmental racism through a video montage that includes, but is not limited to, nuclear waste sites, in addition to superfund sites and increased peril after recent catastrophic hurricanes. The discussion will continue with relevant artistic and pop culture explorations of the nuclear waste issue, including a clip from a recent John Oliver broadcast, an important article in the September Vanity Fair, Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult, a Ted Talk clip on Art and its powerful ability to motivate and change minds, and the book, Fukushima on the Hudson.
This workshop will initiate a brief discussion with the audience on ways we can all communicate creatively on scary subjects. We can do more than just op-eds to make a difference! We can go into schools and work with kids on art projects and get them talking. We can have an impact, simply by sharing our art and our words.