Category: Community engagement

Air Pollution Arrogance Cancer City of Madison Community engagement Dane County Denialism Development Doublespeak Ecology Environmental destruction Environmental health Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Fish Advisory Futility Hypocrisy Madison Martin Luther King Jr. Obfuscation Peace?? Privilege Public Participation Public Relations Racial disparities Racial Justice Racism

Reflections on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15, 2024 Jim Powell

MEJO founder Dr. Maria C. Powell wrote three essays on Dr. King and his views on the “giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism,” each posted on previous MLK Jr…

City of Madison Community engagement Environmental Justice PFCs or PFAS Public Participation

Mayor responds to Sustainable Madison Committee’s PFAS Recommendations

May 26, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Eken Park Resistance leaders and community members put jars of local waters in front of the City-County Building at the Water is Life event, April 2021 On May 23, Chris…

City of Madison Community engagement Environmental health Environmental Justice Madison Metro NEPA Oscar Mayer Public Participation Racial disparities Risk Assessment Toxic Chemicals Vapor intrusion Wisconsin DNR

Victory!! No Metro Bus Barn at the Poisoned Oscar Mayer site

February 3, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Oscar Mayer site in 1947 (photo from Wisconsin State Journal) Victory for Madison’s Northside! Madison’s Metro Transit authority has abandoned plans to buy the northern part of the highly-contaminated former…

Cancer City of Madison Community engagement Environmental health Environmental Justice Madison Metro Oscar Mayer Public Participation Racial disparities Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek TCE Toxic Chemicals Vapor intrusion Water Pollution

Madison Northsiders say NO to Metro Bus Barn!

November 22, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Madison Northsiders No Bus Barn is the Northside community’s voice for better land use at the previous Oscar Mayer site. We are dedicated to place-making in this new era…

City of Madison Community engagement Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish Madison Gas & Electric Oscar Mayer PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Wastewater Treatment Water quality

Utility to build over toxic sludge at former sewage plant on Madison’s Northside

November 13, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Above: Burke sewage plant “trickling filters” built around 1916. Photo from Wisconsin Historical Society ******* One of Madison’s long-standing corporate powerhouses, Madison Gas & Electric (MGE), plans to build a…

City of Madison Community engagement Racial disparities Racism

Madison Juneteenth rally today

June 19, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Madison Juneteenth rally Friday, June 19th, 7pm at Olin Park Read Natalie Yahr’s Cap Times article about the history of Juneteenth Day and the Madison event here and below. ********…

Air Pollution Cancer City of Madison Climate Change Community engagement coronavirus Environmental health Environmental Justice Privilege Racial disparities Racism Toxic Chemicals

Police brutality and environmental injustices are connected

June 11, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

(Image from The Nation) MEJO condemns the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer–and commends Black Lives Matter, other racial justice activists, and all…

City of Madison Community engagement Dane County East Madison Community Center Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Racial disparities Racism Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Water quality Wisconsin DNR

Northside teens push for creek clean-up after new sediment tests find high levels of PFAS — again

May 28, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Oona Mackesey-Green, Northside News (photo by Garth Olmanson) When the test results came back in February showing high levels of PFAS in the sediment at Starkweather Creek, a foot…

City of Madison Community engagement East Madison Community Center Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Water quality

Capital City Hues on MEJO & EMCC Starkweather PFAS testing (Part 2)

May 21, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

East Madison Community Center (EMCC) Starkweather project team members Mack Rimson, Kenyan Harper, and Elijah Smith (left to right) at a Starkweather Creek tributary, November 2019 (Photo: Maria Powell) **********…

City of Madison Community engagement East Madison Community Center Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution

Capital City Hues on MEJO & EMCC Starkweather PFAS testing (Part I)

May 6, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

MEJO and EMCC team meets to discuss Starkweather results in late February (Photo by Jim Powell) *********** Jonathan Gramling of Capital City Hues met with MEJO leaders and East Madison…

City of Madison Community engagement Dane County Earth Day Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Racism Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Water Pollution Water quality Wisconsin DNR

MEJO and East Madison Community Center teens find significantly elevated PFAS levels in Starkweather Creek sediments

April 21, 2020 Jim Powell

Earth Day 2020: Fifty years after first Earth Day, toxic environmental pollution still pervasive (Madison, Wis.)–New PFAS results, released before the COVID 19 lockdown, show significantly elevated levels of PFOS…

Cancer City of Madison Community engagement Environmental Justice Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Toxic Chemicals

Water Utility dismisses public concerns, puts public relations over public health

January 21, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

On January 9, 2020, the Isthmus published a cover story on PFAS: “The fight for safe drinking water; Will Madison officials pay attention to the science on PFAS?” I commend…

City of Madison City of Madison Parks Department Community engagement Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Public Participation Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Toxins Truax Water Pollution Water quality Wisconsin DHS Wisconsin DNR

PFAS Task Force RIP

December 21, 2019 Jim Powell

As we’ve experienced for twenty years in Madison, local government prefers to keep the public out of actions it takes–or does not take–regarding locally-occurring toxic pollution problems. The proposed Madison-Dane…

City of Madison City of Madison Parks Department Community engagement Environmental Justice PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Wisconsin DNR

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District releasing PFAS into Reindahl Park & Starkweather Creek —with City of Madison, Dane County and DNR approval

October 8, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Photo: Excavations for new sewer line on county land north of Reindahl Park on October 10, 2019 The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)–with permits from City of Madison and DNR–will…

Air National Guard City of Madison Community engagement Department of Defense Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Pentagon PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Racism Truax

Rep. Chris Taylor, 9 local officials: Strong community opposition needed to avoid harms of F-35s

September 18, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Photo: Protest at Air National Guard F-35 meeting, Sept. 12 2019 (Michelle Stocker). ***** The Cap Times By State Representative Chris Taylor and nine local elected officials We are honored…