138. Audrea Lim with Elizabeth Alvarado: Stories and Lessons from America’s Unsung Environmental Movement

Town Hall Seattle Science Series

As the world’s scientists declare a “climate emergency,” the fight to protect our planet’s ecological resources and the people that depend on them is more urgent than ever, argues journalist Audrea Lim. But she believes that the real battles for our future are taking place far from the headlines and international conferences, in mostly forgotten American communities where the brutal realities of industrial pollution and environmental degradation have long been playing out.

She joined us, in conversation with writer and contributor to the collection Elizabeth Alvarado, to share from The World We Need: Stories and Lessons from America’s Unsung Environmental Movement, a collection she edited. With it, Lim provided a vivid introduction to the largely uncelebrated grassroots environmental groups—often led by activists of color and the poor—who are valiantly fighting back in America’s so-called sacrifice zones. She related what the journalists and writers who contributed discovered—these activist groups are devising creative new tactics, building sustainable projects to transform local economies, and organizing people long overlooked by the environmental movement. Join Lim and Alvarado for riveting stories and hard-won strategies that offer a powerful new model for the larger environmental movement and inspiration for concerned citizens everywhere.

Audrea Lim is a Brooklyn-based journalist who has written for the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, the New Republic, and The Nation.

Elizabeth Alvarado is a multimedia freelance journalist with a passion for exploring social issues within communities of color. Based in Washington State, she has covered the Latinx community around Seattle and has worked abroad in Mexico City reporting on women’s issues. Through her writing, she aspires to give a voice to those who feel they aren’t being heard.

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