our approach to environmentalism is missing the key factor to success of any persuasive argument – how does it affect me? why should i care? mainstream environmentalism really only caters to the rich and more affluent members of society who have the luxury to sit back and care for something more than just their daily struggle to survive. ironically enough, it is the poor communities that are disproportionately affected by most environmental issues. we must also consider that the average person does not have the means to live the “sustainable” lifestyle that environmentalists preach about. you can’t just shout at people and make them feel bad for their choices and actions. that kind of ignorance and hate only breeds more ignorance and hate.

this is why so many people view the environmental movement as a joke. how else would you expect people to react when you yell at them and tell them that they are bad for not buying a product that costs at least twice as much as the cheaper substitute that they can only barely afford? it’s like some sort of sick joke where these people tell you that you are destroying the environment and your health by purchasing inorganic foods that *gasp* contain gmo’s, yet these same people refuse to take into consideration the fact that you literally cannot afford to buy anything else. let’s face it, organic foods are extremely expensive, and fresh produce alone is already a luxury for most low-income families. starchy, processed foods are the main staples in their diets because they’re cheap and they will hopefully leave their families feeling full.

so how should we approach this issue? – with an open heart and an open mind. we need to actively listen to people, and i don’t mean listening just to respond. i mean truly listening so that you can better understand people. by listening, you’ll come to understand the issues that most people care about – having a roof over their head, food on their table, access to clean water, and the health and well-being of their friends and families. once you know what people care about, it’s only a matter of framing the environmental issue in a way that connects it back to the people and what they care about. we will get nowhere with our movement if we cannot make people care about the issue, so we need to find what our audience already cares about and connect that to the issue at hand.

warren county is home to 41,885 people as of 2013 (town charts, 2013). of that population, roughly 26% is under the age of 24 (town charts, 2013). the poverty rate of the county is 14.1%, whereas the state poverty rate is 13.6% (town charts, 2014). as of 2012, the child poverty rate was 46.1% of children living at 185% or below the federal poverty level (town charts, 2012). this is a poor, rural community, not unlike many others across the nation, that is battling this lead issue. one in five children under the age of seven has tested positively for elevated blood lead levels (aupperlee, 2016). comparing this to flint, michigan, warren county has elevated lead levels at rates that are twice as high (aupperlee, 2016). certain portions of warren county have rates as high as 36% of children that have elevated lead levels (aupperlee, 2016). lead exposure has been known to cause many developmental issues and can seriously harm children’s health. according to the cdc, “millions of children are being exposed to lead in their homes, increasing their risks for damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems (e.g., reduced iq, adhd, juvenile delinquency, and criminal behavior), and hearing and speech problems” (cdc, 2016). in warren county, 8.9% of babies are born with a low birth rate which could potentially be linked to the high rates of blood lead levels (town charts, 2014). though the future of this community seems bleak, there have been recent advances in science and technology that could possibly save warren and the many communities that are also adversely affected by lead.

recently, researchers have developed a new “green” foam that cleans water of up to 99% of mercury and lead ions if placed in the water for roughly 30 hours (chavan et al, 2016). this new foam utilizes used coffee grounds and reduces wastes while also cleaning water. the coffee grounds have been incorporated into a foam filter that can be used in a few different ways. it can be used as a block that sits in a container of water, and after around 30 hours, the lead and mercury ions will be greatly reduced and the water can potentially be used for drinking and cooking purposes (chavan et al, 2016). the foam filter can also be used as an actual filter that water is pumped through. when used in this way, it has been shown to remove up to 67% of the lead and mercury ions (chavan et al, 2016). this is an innovative and fairly cost effective solution to scrubbing the water of harmful ions. it incorporates used coffee grounds that would otherwise be thrown out, so it also is reducing wastes that are entering landfills (chavan et al, 2016). this new coffee infused foam could be the innovative solution that many communities across the nation, including both warren county and flint, michigan, have been waiting for. these communities need a cost effective solution quickly to help stop further harm to the members of these afflicted areas.

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references

aupperlee, a. (2016, february 11). lead pipes in home plumbing a worry in western pa. retrieved february 16, 2017, from http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/9912531-74/lead-percent-levels

chavan, a. a., pinto, j., liakos, i., bayer, i. s., lauciello, s., athanassiou, a., & fragouli, d. (2016). spent coffee bioelastomeric composite foams for the removal of pb2 and hg2 from water. acs sustainable chemistry & engineering, 4(10), 5495-5502. doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.6b01098

cdc childhood lead poisoning data, statistics, and surveillance. (2016, september 01). retrieved february 15, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/data/

reuters finds lead levels higher than flint’s in thousands of locales. (2016, december 19). retrieved february 15, 2017, from http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-lead-testing/

warren county pa demographics data. (n.d.). retrieved february 19, 2017, from http://www.towncharts.com/pennsylvania/demographics/warren-county-pa-demographics-data.html