Introduction
A colored photo of a crowd seated on a lawn on a sunny day. Many are holding signs that read: “Say yes to climate action" and “Say yes to cutting carbon pollution.”
Federal laws safeguard the public and the environment against chemical contaminants and other forms of industrial pollution. You might have heard of some of these laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. But what can people do when laws fail to protect them from harmful exposures?
In this lesson, you will learn about several environmental issues and the different strategies used by student activists engaged in environmental justice and public health at the state and local levels. At the end of the lesson, you will be able to answer the essential question:
Essential Question
What civic engagement strategies and tactics can students use when state and federal laws (or lack of their enforcement) fail to address local and statewide problems?
