On January 12, Take Action Minnesota, a group “working to realize racial and economic equity across Minnesota,” according to their website, hosted an event to discuss climate change in Minnesota and to educate the public about some of the issues regarding pollution around the state.
The event started out with a meet and greet followed by a presentation by Mahyar Sorour, Climate Justice Program Manager at Take Action Minnesota. Sorour helped to organize the event and she was also a presenter. She spoke of getting people involved in organizing around climate issues in the state.
The meeting touched on issues that the group saw as important, such as the HERC incinerator and Northern Metals Recycling, both of which bring pollution in Minneapolis and may negatively affect health outcomes for youth who live nearby.
“Asthma is the number-one reason children stay home from school in the area of the HERC Incinerator,” said Sorour. Other issues, such as farms that pollute in rural Minnesota as well as how to implement more green energies to replace fossil fuel that create greenhouse gasses were also discussed.
“Getting young people into the Senate hearings is very important,” said Sorour. “It sends a message to politicians that the community cares.”
After the presentation, people broke into groups for smaller discussions.
Photos and caption by Chris Juhn
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