• Water

Residents Cautiously Hopeful as Waste Water Program Is Introduced in Alabama

• BIPOC
• clean water
• rural

by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer As the nation’s largest-ever infrastructure package makes waves in Congress, a smaller project is making waves in Lowndes County, Alabama. One hundred seventy-five homes are slated to receive new septic systems in the coming months, thanks to the Lowndes County Unincorporated Wastewater Project (LCUWP). About 80% of the region’s residents lack […]

• People

Interview of the Week: Shanna Edberg, Hispanic Access Foundation

• BIPOC
• conservation
• Latinos

This week is Latino Conservation Week–a yearly initiative of the Hispanic Access Foundation that helps support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources. While Latinos are a broad group, polls show they share a common concern for environmental protection, yet have traditionally been unrecognized for their […]

• Land

Banks Threaten “Less Access to Credit” In Response to Federal Debt Relief for Black Farmers

• American Relief Plan
• BIPOC
• farmers
• loans
• National Black Farmers Association
• USDA

Black farmers have been hit the hardest by industry consolidation, predatory loan terms, and high foreclosure rates. Now, an effort by the Biden administration to provide $4 billion in debt relief for minority farmers is being met with staunch opposition from banks, who don’t want the financial support to Black farmers to cut into their profits on the loans.

Why This Matters: Since 1920, the number of Black-owned farms has declined from one million to under 40,000.

• People

California’s Focus on Environmental Justice Creates Model for Other States

• BIPOC
• California
• Environmental Justice

by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer Since 2018, Californians have benefited from a new addition to the state government: the Bureau of Environmental Justice. Launched by Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the bureau is focused on protecting communities disproportionately harmed by pollution and contamination. The environmental justice bureau is the first of its kind, with six […]

• Politics

Virtual Organizing Reveals Young, Rural Latinx Voters’ Climate Change Concerns

• BIPOC
• climate change
• derecho
• Iowa
• NextGen America
• rural
• voters
• voting

Virtual organizing has allowed NGOs like NextGen America to focus their attention on rural, young BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voters — a demographic that has been historically underrepresented in elections in the U.S. These voters have brought climate change and sustainable farming to the forefront of the election in places rural Iowa.

Why this Matters:   In 2018, only 2 percent of rural voters ages 18 to 29 voted in the midterm elections.