A CONVERGENT IMAGINING: Dr. King and Ms. Carson
Indeed, what bountiful collaboration would have occurred with the convergence of Dr. Martin Luther King and Rachel Carson? Could separate suddenly become conglomerate with a greater mission, asks writer J. Drew Lanham in his story published in Emergence in February 2021.
“Both movements, then and now, contain a prevailing desire for a better world built on sustaining good for all. Social justice and the movement to steward and protect nature rise from a similar foundation: a belief in building a better future by being selfless, by sharing and supporting the greater good through sacrifice, by planting the seeds of trees under whose shade you may never sit.”
An element of this is now called Environmental Justice: ensuring the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies as defined by the EPA. We at Loop Closing feel if there had been such a convergence in the early 1960s, we would’ve had a much-needed earlier initiation of the Environmental Justice movement.
Our work is deeply rooted in environmental justice; our founder, Jeffrey Neal, started Loop Closing to ensure that those disproportionately impacted by climate change are first in line to benefit from, lead, and create solutions. Food waste accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it one of the largest drivers of climate change. Hauling it to large industrial facilities exacerbates racial inequalities because they are disproportionately placed in and harm communities of color. Did you know that air pollution causes more deaths than murders and car crashes combined and that Black and Hispanic populations experience 60% more pollution than they create? Sources of air pollution are disproportionately placed near communities of color. Loop Closing prioritizes placement, providing on-ramps for living-wage jobs in this green industry, and reducing harms. Driven by community input, we partner with local workforce development programs dedicated to uplifting disenfranchised community members, through our green job training program, for forward-facing careers with self-agency. Moreover, our on-site systems are in the community, providing community self-agency and resilience by avoiding the one point of failure that can stop centralized systems, leaving communities without a backup option. Distributed systems enable resiliency by design.
Interested in learning more or placing an onsite composting machine at your business or organization? Contact us at admin@loopclosing.com or check us out here.