"The Changing Face of Environmentalism"

"The Changing Face of Environmentalism" is one of the magazine articles we read and discussed in class. This article illustrates many images of polluted landscapes in an urban setting (Baltimore City). We learn about one of Baltimore's urban evironmentalists Glenn Ross, and his innovative "Toxic Tours," in which he "showcases" the environmental problems one can observe in his community. The article goes on to suggest that poor minority neighborhoods are, far more often than their white upper-class counterparts, the victims of environmentally hazardous facilities and dirty, unsustainable living conditions. We also learn about the new wave of African American environmentalists, like Glenn Ross, who want to empower and engage the community to take action to create change city-wide and combat issues like public health, public space, and "environmental discrimination."