Ecological Issues Come in All Colors : Environment: Mainstream groups are turning to issues affecting ethnic communities, and there is growing minority participation in the movement.

It has often struck me, as an environmental activist, that out of the hundreds of people I marched with against a nuclear power plant, or sat with in a boardroom protesting a decision where economics overruled the environment, I was in most cases the only Chicano and often the only person of color present.

The irony of this is that pollution does discriminate--in effect, it observes racial and economic lines and is considerably worse in the disadvantaged areas and ethnic communities of Southern California. Some people say that the environmental movement is racist and elitist. This is not at all true. Granted, the average income of a Sierra Club member is $76,000 per year and the World Wildlife Fund’s annual budget of $50 million is more than most county health-care programs. But organizations like these are now turning to grass-roots activities, applying their resources to assist in developing land-use and environmental issues affecting ethnic communities.

The Earth Day Fair in Exposition Park on April 22 was the first environmental event in the Los Angeles area where a majority of those on stage and of the 30,000 people attending were persons of color. This was ample evidence that the environmental movement is entering a new era.

This is how the movement should be structured, reflecting the need not only to preserve our natural resources, but also to restore the quality of life in the urban environment. In a county that is quickly moving close to an ethnic majority, it is crucial that the environmental movement penetrate and become assimilated into the ethnic communities of the region.

These groups will not only seek preservation of rivers and forests, but will struggle to preserve park space; pursue dialogue with land-use decision-makers to prevent insensitive developments; and mobilize communities to protest proposed developments that may have negative impact on health as well as the environment.

With the emergence of an urban environmental movement, the philosophy of conservation is appropriately expanding to include development. Inner-city communities are increasingly demanding the right to influence the landscapes of their neighborhoods.

Environmental issues are going beyond traditional economic and class lines. We now understand that an incinerator in East Los Angeles not only impacts the local community but the whole air basin. As more of these trans-class issues are identified and developed, we will also witness the marriage of Westside environmental support to Eastside issues and an increase of ethnic community participation in the mainstream environmental movement.

A case in point is Eastside support for Proposition 128, or “Big Green,” the Environmental Protection Act of 1990. Backed by such Latino leaders as state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) and Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre, the ballot measure is spreading concern about the environment in ethnic communities. Proposition 128 has support from groups like Mothers of East Los Angeles, which, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Defense Council, has filed a lawsuit to prevent construction of the proposed Vernon incinerator.

There has also been a strong show of support for politicians from both Westside and Eastside who oppose the Vernon and East Los Angeles incinerators as well as the East Los Angeles prison site. All three projects involve major land-use decisions, with large-scale environmental and health impacts. These types of development are not wanted in the community; they don’t provide the type of jobs needed to enhance the local economy.

In order to ensure a thriving economy that is environmentally sound, we must develop a common ground on urban environmental issues. The modern environmental movement must consider the social and economic impacts of environmental regulation on the ethnic community. In return, a whole new constituency will form to strengthen the movement.