Community and Environmental Justice

A closeup shot of two hands holding a clump of dirt with plant roots in it. The person is leaning over close to the ground to hold the dirt, and rows of crops are visible behind them.

A new farming (re)generation
Mississippi Delta program encourages healthier soil, sustainable farms

An aerial view of a curved coastline with sand mounds dotted through the water. Homes are visible on the spit of land in the background.

Marsh insurance
Can shoreline restoration rein in rising flood insurance prices?

Plant Barry's buildings and smokestacks are visible in the distance. In front of them is a field with large power lines across it.

Changes at EPA mean uncertainty for dealing with Alabama coal ash

A group of people sit on chairs in a wooded clearing, facing a man speaking on an open stage in front of a cross.

The evidence of things not seen
Samford professor explores how religious faith shapes trust in science

Two women stand at a table and hollow out squash. One wears a lanyard that says "Choctaw," while the other has a shirt that says "Love One Another."

More value than gold
UA digital seed bank helps preserve Choctaw heritage

Children and adults surround a raised garden bed, built out of cinder blocks, where they are digging and doing other preparation work.

‘Fight for it to be better’
Volunteer science ‘hub’ helps communities tackle environmental injustices

An abandoned brick building sits on a small bend in a river, lifted at least 10 feet above the water line.

Elba dam removal offers possibilities for fish migration, community-building

An excavator and a bulldozer move piles of dirt on a flat construction site, with hills and trees visible behind them.

Dig deep
New funding to turn former mines into ecological, development opportunities

A two-story red building sits in front of a broken asphalt road with a gravel parking lot next to it. The building appears to have been part of a row of shops at one point, which are no longer there. A few houses are visible behind it. Over the front door awning, a sign reads "Belle Mina."

‘Demise’ of a community
Belle Mina residents fear proposed quarry will cause irreversible damage

Two men in a small motorboat, one sitting and one standing, fish on a still lake with the forested shoreline visible behind them.

SHOR Act on the rocks
Fishing advisory bill stalls two years in a row

A young Black girl sits on a kayak looking away from the camera, out over the water, with her paddle resting across her lap. She's wearing a life jacket. In the background, several other kayaks are visible.

Environment in the classroom
Program teaches kids about science, justice in Africatown

A row of wooden pews with stained glass and columns visible in the background.

Faith for the future
Religious climate activists focus on energy, justice in the Southeast

An overhead view of three rows of solar panels, with crops beneath them.

Greening Union Springs
Proposed solar campus would bring job training, renewable energy to Black Belt town

A group of four people carry fallen tree limbs from a large pile of brush. A warped and damaged sheet of metal can be partially seen in the foreground.

Come together
Small towns need funding, partnership in the face of climate disasters

The photo is taken from slightly below the road level of the bridge, which travels from the right foreground to the left background. The iconic white arch shape of the bridge is visible, as well as the sign calling it the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It's a sunny day and the trees on both banks of the river are dense and leafy. The river below is clouded.

‘Transformative’
Black Belt Heritage Area to bring together nature, culture, history

State to begin door-to-door survey on Lowndes sewage issues
First step in agreement with U.S. Justice Department

An electric power plant with three red-and-white-striped smokestacks, sits on the bank of Mobile River, which is brown and cloudy.

The burning problem
Will new coal ash regulations make Alabama safer?

Eight people stand in two rows on a staircase.

Where climate meets health
UAB professor brings expertise in aging, natural disasters to national scholar program

A pile of logs and other trash lying on bare dirt, with smoke rising off of it. Construction equipment to move dirt on top of the fire is visible in the background.

What to know about the Moody landfill fire
EPA cleanup underway, but air quality concerns continue

Water flows into a storm drain on the left side of the image. The drain is set in the curb of a street, and some grass is visible above the drain.

When it rains, it floods
FEMA assistance grant is first step in fixing persistent Birmingham stormwater issues

The foreground includes several low-lying industrial buildings. In the background, a row of different smokestacks emit smoke into the air. The entire photo has a pinkish-orange hue.

‘A sad way to live’
Industrial pollution leaves deep scars

Ripples from a drop of water.

Fighting ‘forever’
Health concerns over PFAS chemicals put in the spotlight

Abandoned railroad tracks, with rotted ties and weeds growing, lead to a pile of black waste from the neighboring coke plant.

Birmingham’s pollution ‘master class’
Industry, lack of accountability permanently poison neighborhoods

Rural wastewater program loses USDA grant
Program to replace ‘straight-pipe’ systems on hold after losing $2 million in funding

‘Absolutely the wrong place’
A proposed Clay quarry could cause decades of consequences for neighbors, local waterways

Sewage and soil
New wastewater projects seek to solve “alarming” Black Belt sewage conditions

A bioswale between a road and parking lot in Birmingham.

Red lines, green spaces
Historical inequities create modern “heat islands”

A green investment
New park brings more than just an amenity to Titusville

The power of the lens

Generational change
Alabama Environmental Youth Council advocates for statewide green efforts