Chapter 24By Milin, Izzi, Joey, Chris C.

NGO NGO: Non-government Organization Have existed since 1900’s

Early NGOs were for anti-slavery and women’s rights

NGO - EHW Environmental Health Watch Have worked in Northeast Ohio to address

critical health concerns related to the environment since 1980

Mission: To offer information assistance and advocacy to help people protect themselves from significant environmental threats and to influence corporate government and personal actions that promote human health and environmental sustainability.

NRDC Natural Resource Defense Council Protect the habitat of the spirit bear

(Kermode Bear) member of black bear family

NRDC They protest mining operations in the

Great Bear Forest Movement to reject the North American

Pipeline

11. Describe the trend of educational institutions in the global sustainability movement. Cite specific examples. Does our school participate in any of these activities? What kind of programs could be put in place in our school in efforts of being more “green”?

-Most colleges and universities are requiring their students to take environmental courses within an emphasis on sustainability, ethic, and incorporate and social responsibility. At Northland College in Wisconsin, students pay a fee for instillation of “green” resident halls. They use the money to emplace solar panels, wind turbine, furniture made of recycles goods and materials and waterless toilet (composting). Currently, Briar Woods does not participate in any of these activities, we garden and have a recycling club; but we do not participate to the extent of these colleges. To improve this, we could start a “Be Green” program, where the students would use the courtyard as a garden and grow the vegetables that we eat during lunch. We could enhance our recycle club and use the concept of “reduce, reuse, and recycle”; meaning, we would use recycle items to make new materials.

12. Explain the significant of the concept map below.

-The significance of the concept map with environmental security, economic security and national security is that each aspect is dependent on each other in the certain way. If one aspect is off or not sustainable, it affects everything else in the cycle. For example, in the Middle West all the corn crops had a drought and because of this all the corn died. This would affect the economic security of the farmers and how much money they make off of their depleted crops and how much money they spend and put back into the economy. This would affect not only the national security but the farmers as well; because corn crops is are large portion of our economy

ALLIE MELISSINOS, KILIE ROSSON, HALLI MINOR, SIMONE

RACE, CHLOE ERAZO

Politics, Environment, and

Sustainability

Grassroot Groups

Grassroot groups are nonprofit, nongovernmental, small groups with just a few members

Thousands of these groupSpearhead of Global conservationUse influential international networks to spreadThese innovation groups focus on specific

environmental problem by bringing together governments, the private sector, international organizations, and NGO’s.

The groups are growing and combing their efforts with large environmental organizations in a global sustainability movement.

In combination with large groups, they have persuaded congress to pass environmental laws.

Grassroot Political Actions and Their Impact On Government Environmental

Policy

Grassroot Political Actions and Their Impact On Government Environmental Policy

Continued..

International Forum on Forests- Develops proposals for sustainable forest management

Earth Day Network-Broaden, diversify and activate the environmental movement worldwide, through a combo of education, public policy, and consumer campaigns.

Renewable Energy Policy Network-Develops policies to spur development of renwable energy

Global Water Partnership-Works towards integrated water resources management

Do you practice any of these actions?

Although we do not participate in these small groups we do our part every day to make the world a cleaner, better place.

Reasons Why Environmental Lawsuits Are Difficult To Win

First, plaintiffs must show they have suffered health or financial losses from some alleged environmental harm.

Second, bringing any lawsuit costs too much for most individuals.

Reasons Why Environmental Lawsuits Are Difficult To Win Continued…

Third, the legal playing field is uneven and put individuals and groups that are filing environmental lawsuits at a disadvantage.

Fourth, plaintiffs must establish that they have been harmed in some significant way and that the defendant caused the harm.

Reasons Why Environmental Lawsuits Are Difficult To Win Continued…

Fifth, statutes of limitation, laws that limit how long a plaintiff can take to sue after a particular event occurs, makes it almost impossible to win an environmental lawsuit. (Cancer victim)

Sixth, courts can take years to make a decision, and the defendant may continue the allegedly damaging action.

POLITICS AND THE ENVIORNMENT

Brought to you by the following:Justin PThomas OSumeet SBradley A

A General Overview of Lobbying

What is Lobbying? Special Interest Groups Using Public Pressure to persuade legislators to act in their favor.

Using Personal Contacts. Contributing to candidates to influence their decision making.

Lobbyists and Their Impact on Government Policy

Companies/Organizations pay lobbyist to advocate and push their agenda towards legislature

Companies/Organizations donate to politicians to manipulate their vote

Lobbying Power

“Data from the US Senate Office of Public Records showed that in 2009, more than 13,700 registered corporate lobbyists spent $3.49 billion on efforts to influence the 538 members of the U.S. Congress-an average of $6.5 million per member.”

“Effective proposals often are weakened by this fragmentation and lobbying”

Environmental PolicyIs it Enough?

Potential obstacles for getting environmental legislation passed in a democratic form of government:

Powerful lobbyists Economic Impact and Tradeoffs Implementation of Policies

An Example of an economic Tradeoff

Implementing Environmental Policy

Once a law is passed and put on the books it often becomes ignored or often thrown aside, steps can be taken to prevent this:

Hold companies that violate policy accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Have neutral and non-industry insiders running regulatory agencies.

Protect endangered areas, within reason, so that they can not be developed by industry.

A N V I T H A , S E P H O R A , A D R I E , S P E N C E R , H E C T O R

CIVIL SUITS

PLAIN SUIT

• One person vs. the court• Plaintiff, party that makes the claim, seeks to

collect damages from the defendant, the party being charged, for injuries to health and economic loss.

INJUNCTION

• Court hearing the case would order the defendant to stop whatever action is causing the nuisance. • Balance / compromise

CLASS ACTION SUIT

• Civil suit filed by a group, often a public interest, consumer, or environmental group, on behalf of a larger number of citizen• All claim to have experienced similar damages• Need not be represented or listed individually

NEGLIGENCE

• A party causes damage deliberately by acting in unlawful or unreasonable manner. • If a company handles waste in a way that violates

statutory law• Can also be charged if a person doesn’t do something

that is common sense.

LEGISLATIONS

LEGISLATION THAT SET STANDARDS OF POLLUTION

• Clean Air Act• Air Pollution Control Act of 1955

LEGISLATION THAT SET STANDARD FOR SUBSTANCE SCREENING AND SAFETY

• Safe Water Drinking Act• Water Quality Act

RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT

• Resource Conservation And Recovery Act (RCRA)• Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act 2011

PROTECTION OF SPECIES, RESOURCES AND ECOSYSTEMS

• Endangered Species Act• Marine Mammal Protection Act

REQUIRED EVALUATION OF IMPACT OF AN ACTIVITY TO AN ENVIRONMENT

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)