Over spring break, I went on a MOVE service trip to Kentucky. I was lucky to be there with an awesome crew of kids, both Saint Michaels students whom I traveled with and students from other colleges with whom we worked. We split into groups and spent five days working on different houses in rural, Appalachian Kentucky. We got to meet many of the local people who lived in the area and talk to them about their lives. I did not expect this trip to really relate to what we were researching for Environmental Justice, but it absolutely did.
Here are a couple of statistics that can help to outline the poverty issues that we were seeing on the trip. The average unemployment rate across the United States was 15.6% in 2014, according to a
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Sometimes water service gets randomly shut off because there is too much demand on the system. When the water shuts off, there is not enough water pressure prevent contaminants from getting into the water pipes and making the water undrinkable. Many water bills now come with the disclaimer that drinking tap water may increase risk of cancer. Because of this, many Kentuckians are forced to buy bottled water because they have no other options. Not only that, but coal spillages have been known to contaminate drinking water as well. Kentucky has a history of coal companies being protected and covered up for when something goes wrong, because coal is the primary source of income for many Kentuckians.
As you can see, the issues of Environmental Injustice run deep in Appalachian Kentucky. There are so many problems, all with different causes and deeply intertwined, that at times it seems impossible to solve. I believe that the only real answer has to come in the form of education. Increased education in schools, certainly, because it is important that students understand these problems from a young age, but also education in communities. We need to help show voters what is really going on so they can stop voting against their own interests. Many rural Kentuckians are so deeply religious that their beliefs can prevent them from seeing the issues clearly. They are so firmly against abortion that they will support any candidate that is also pro-life, even if that
Spring break is supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year: families go on vacation, students and employees can finally relax after months of hard work, and the horrible cold months are finally turning into beautiful, lively new ones. This is how most people would describe spring break, but for me and my family in April of 2010, this was not the case.
Hiking through Rocky Mountain National Park the beauty was overwhelming, the next day our team was serving in downtown Denver in a Street reach meal service to people suffering from homelessness. The beauty of the mountains was overwhelming but then we surrounded by this vast issue of homelessness. Both of these moving experiences, along with many other moments during the week, that made this trip personally impactful and helped me to see the world in a more vivid light.
While going to college I got to have the experience of a lifetime. Myself, and a group of 15 others went on a mission trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. We all got to see many cultural differences and help people in need. Helping people in need just
The poverty status in the last 12 months for all families, White alone is 8.3%, Black alone is 30.4%, American Indian and Alaska Native alone is 37.8%, Asian alone is 16.5%, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone is 30.8%, some other race alone is 35.9%, and two or more races alone is 32.0% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). (ADD NEW STUFF FROM CQ ALMANAC FOR VOTING AND CONSTIUENTS)
During the spring break of 2015, my brother who was 10 at the time of the traumatic event, had a grand mal seizure at 8:21 in the morning. When I saw him having the seizure I sat in the recliner and felt completely and utterly useless. As his older brother it was extremely traumatic for me because I couldn’t help him and I just sat there feeling as if it was my fault that this happened. All I could do was just watch him shake and writhe on the couch. We were staying at my grandparents’ house and my grandma had dealt with a child that had seizures. So my grandma told us we would wait fifteen minutes and if he didn’t come to his senses we would call the paramedics. Well low and behold he didn’t come out of it so we called 911 and we waited for
Report shows by 2010, 46.2 million Americans were officially in poverty, representing 15.1 percent of the population. Statistics show that the probability of being poor is greater for families headed by a female, racial and ethnic minorities, and for those under eighteen years of age (Lauder 2014). Poverty includes people of the working class and the homeless. Many people believe the position of the poor contradicts the American value of the right to life and the pursuit of happiness (Lauder 2014). Income equality is a major problem in the United States because as the richest nation in the world, we have some of the highest poverty levels in western society.
Poverty in the south part of the United States was 16.1% more than West, Midwest, and the Northeast side of the U.S, When you analyze poverty by race African Americans seen to be in the 27% in poverty while Hispanics make 23.5% of Poverty, But Whites and Asians don't increase higher than 12%. In 2014 this studies revealed that 46.7 million of people are in poverty since 2014 and it has risen 14.8% each year.
Poverty in the United States today has many faces. There’s the pleading face of a middle-aged man on a city street holding up a sign that says “Hungry, Need Help.” There’s the anxious face of a young child in a schoolroom somewhere, whose only real meal today will be a free school lunch. There’s the sad face of a single mother who doesn’t have enough money to buy clothes for her children. And there’s the frustrated face of a young man working at a minimum-wage job who can't afford to pay his rent.
When I was 14 my brother convinced me to sign up for the Mcconnel foundation Yosemite trip. I had to do a lot of community service which consisted of picking up trash on the side of the road and teaching the kids at my local elementary school about the environment and global warming. I got accepted and it was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I’m outdoorsy and love hiking but, this was a whole different level of hiking. The first couple days were really hard for me because of the extent of the hikes and hiking dozens of switchbacks a day. The yosemite made me realize how beautiful life is and I became a lot more outdoorsy. It helped me figure out who I am. I soon started spending most of my time outdoors fishing and hunting. The yosemite is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to and I’m extremely thankful that I had that experience.
During the months of June and July, I volunteered at the Gene Rodenberry Planetarium in El Paso, TX. Working as a Volunteer Leader during planetarium events (both indoor and on various locations in the El Paso region). I have actually volunteered at the Gene Rodenberry Planetarium for about 2 years, and every day I was able to learn something not only about the universe but also on how to improve myself as a leader.
In the 2015 United States Census, statistics showed that more than thirteen percent of the population were living in poverty. Twenty five percent of them are African American’s, the group with the highest poverty percentage in America. The second group with the highest percentage of poverty are those of hispanic descent. Although the rate has decreased slightly, overall, it is still extremely high for a well advanced country like itself.
How are you little human?! Have you grown yet? Did Mom finally let you get really long nails? Did you get into Honor Society? How’s dance going? Did the school year go well? How many competitions have you been to? Have you been to Orlando yet?
I hope you are doing well and had a great holiday last week. I am writing this quick note just to share with you that our team in Colorado Spring is looking forward to host you and the U.S. Courts team next week. Unfortunately I am not going to be present in Colorado Springs during your visit, like shared earlier I will be in Jerusalem with my graduate cohorts, but my director Rod Rodney will be in Colorado and he will meeting with you. I am confidence that you will have great discussion and in the end this visit will make our relationship stronger.
The environmental movement in the United States has typically focused its resources on public education, legislative lobbying and litigation. However, the movement’s success in the latter two is highly dependent on the quality and character of elected officials. Successful public education on behalf of the environment translates into greater environmentalist electoral success.
Environmental education would greatly increase the appreciation Kentucky citizens would have for the environment as well as their efforts