Jack and I had the great fortune to spend last weekend with supporters and staff from the Southern Environmental Law Center. The conference was held in a beautiful lodge adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and there was no more beautiful place to talk about the goals of SELC – place based action.
I was a little unsure just what “place based action” entailed so a quick search provided this definition: targeted action to a particular locality with combined actions to improve social, economic and environmental conditions.
Wow. That’s a goal I can fully and unconditionally support. Though the primary concern of SELC is the environment (obvious from the name), they are also advocates for social and economic justice within the southern states where they work – Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. And what makes them so effective is that they know the South with all our quirks and glories. They know the big companies and the small town mayors, they know the government agents and the legislators. And they know how to get things done.
A great example is their work in Adel, Georgia to provide greater protection from the impacts of wood pellet production. The Spectrum Energy plant is located next to primarily Black and Hispanic residential neighborhoods which, for years, have withstood the noise, pollution and traffic caused by the plant.
Along with the Concerned Citizens of Cook County, SELC filed a federal Title VI Civil Rights Act complaint. The settlement now provides protection for public health and limits any future expansion of the facility – both an environmental and social justice victory!
From fighting the proposed titanium mine that would have tremendous detrimental impact on the Okefenokee Swamp to securing protection for our wetlands, to working hard for clean energy for the south, SELC works tirelessly. They are dogged in their determination to protect our environment for the future.
I left the conference impressed, enthused and surprisingly optimistic. I have to admit, though, that the highlight of the weekend for me was an early morning hike up to Hemphill Bald in the National Park. It was a tough climb and when I got to the top I just stopped and took in the spectacular view, relishing being in this place.
Perhaps to best defend a place you have to know it and perhaps the best way to know it is to be in it. And then you’re ready for the fight because then you are defending home and for me, “home” will always be the South.
For more information about the Southern Environmental Law Center and the excellent work they do, go to https://www.southernenvironment.org