Bucket Brigade Website

One part of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade website that I found interesting was how the state and industry were monitored. The page not only provides different forms of monitoring systems but also explains how samples are collected which each sample. A list is provided for where these samples are collected as well. This part of the website could be very helpful for people trying to observe or for people who want to know what is specifically occurring in their area. These lists also indicate the stations that are local/federal, national , or for special purpose monitoring.

Other monitoring activities, which is listed under “Ad hoc Sampling,” are also described. For instance, Summa Canister Sampling is when Suma canisters are used. This requires three samples to be taken and while it still yield results, they are not available right after the monitoring. Another instance is Monitoring with Direct-Reading Equipment. Those monitors give immediate results from their samples. They include tests that can indicate hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, flammability, and oxygen. If oxygen is below the regular level, this will let the responders know that that oxygen has been replaced by toxins.

What I also found quite interesting was the section underneath “Criteria Pollutants.” This section gives a list of what is regulated by National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This is to make sure that the pollutant levels are correct under federal standards and a group called the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Dually interesting was that most of the motoring sites are in Baton Rouge, but Baton Rouge does not meet the Ozone standards. Perhaps, this could be from the amount of pollutants in the area? That is merely a side note. Due to the fact that they do no meet the standard,  Baton Rouge is also monitored to make sure they have the enough of the organic compounds found in the Ozone.

Blog 2

The most interesting thing I found about the Bucket Brigade is how a simple bucket can be used to analyze air quality and cause major Fortune 500 companies to comply with environmental rules and regulations. It is a simple process where air is drawn into a fairly inexpressive bucket, approximately $75, sealed, and sent off for analysis to determine if local neighboring residents who live along the fence line of industrial plants are being adversely impacted by their activities. I also found it interesting that such a simple process was endorsed by the environmental regulatory agency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), while industry uses a more complicated and expensive process to determine environmental impacts. Prior to the Bucket Brigade, residents had none of their own data to use to support their claims that they were being impacted by industrial activities because the companies would say their data said otherwise. Another thing I found interesting was how the Bucket Brigade had significant impacts on Louisiana, specifically in the Calcasieu area. Here in our own state, local residents had a major impact using the simple bucket sampling process to force state and federal regulators of the environment to make many companies comply with rules and regulations after many years of complaining to them about health concerns they had as a result of pollution from their industrial neighbors. The chemicals the residents found in the air could pose significant risks of cancer to the neighboring residents. The EPA took samples and found larger quantities of pollution than the Bucket Brigade. What I found a little disturbing was that the information provided on the Bucket Brigade’s website was clear on sampling things they could see coming from their industrial neighbors. Although they indicated they are testing soil and water, I could not help but wonder about the things they could not see. I was left with the question, how do they test things that can impact them that they can not see?

iWitness Brigade

While navigating the Louisiana Bucket Brigade this past week I found absolutely nothing that interested me. I just opened the webpage and looked at a couple of tabs just to say that I did the assignment. This week I was lead to carefully read and actually discover something off of the Bucket Brigade website that really interested me. As I continued to click on every tab and sub link on the website there was something that stuck out to me like a sore thumb. This thing was the iWitness Pollution Map. The site stated that the purpose of his particular aspect of the Bucket Brigade is used so that fence line communities, workers and concerned citizens – can speak out about how petrochemical pollution is threatening their livelihood, their health and the ecosystems they rely on. It interested me that these reports could e submitted via text message, email, and/or web. I personally feel that the accessibility of things of this nature and giving member of the community hands on opportunity to get involved in the changes going on in their ecosystem is more than likely the best approach. It is a known fact that technology is something that interestes people a lot. What also interested me about the iWitness map is that there is a section on it soley for resports that were filed during the BP oil spill crisis. This shows that the Bucket Brigade is keeping a thorough record the things being reportedly going in the ecosystem and they are also concerned about helping the people. At first I though that the “Bucket Brigade” was a organization that was small and making a little noise from their seats. Now I know that the Bucket Brigade has the potential become a global threat to the world we live in. Their methods have been proven to be effective and the citizens and communicated being effected seem to of responded quite positively to the ability to voice their concerns.

Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s Earth Day

            The Louisiana Bucket Brigade is a very interesting and seemingly well put together organization. It is clear that the main purpose of this non-profit organization is to assist neighborhoods that surround oil refineries and chemical plants.  I found a few things on their website very interesting, but one thing in particular that caught my interest was the ‘New Orleans Earth Day Festival & Green Business Expo’.  One of the main reasons this caught my attention is because I am from the New Orleans area and I had absolutely no idea this festival even existed.  After reading about this history of the Earth Day Festival I learned that it started in 2009 and its main purpose is to expand the Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s mission to promote clean air, environmental justice, and sustainability.  In addition to its original mission it seemed as if the fest benefitted the citizens of Louisiana even more.  It celebrated the good work of environmental groups, educated citizens on alternative forms of energy, and made a stronger case for green economy to reduce pollution.  This does seem like a festival that fits in well with the citizens of Louisiana because it includes everything they love.  The festival has food vendors and live music while still instilling what it means and why it is important to protect the environment.  One additional attraction the bucket brigade has included in the festival that New Orleans citizens would love is its art it has recently introduced to the festival.  I think that this is a great festival for all citizens of New Orleans and the surrounding areas to be involved in.  I am surprised this festival doesn’t get as much attention as the more popular ones such ass Jazz Fest or the French Quarter Festival.  I can definitely see myself attending this festival in the near future.

The Art-To-Action Article

Blog 2 – Louisiana Bucket Brigade

While reading the LA Bucket Brigade, I learned about the oil industry’s accident problem, and I thought this was very interesting subject. I was not aware that the oil industry was so prone to accidents. People in Louisiana who live near refineries have suffered from explosions and accidents that left them seriously injured, sick, or dead. There are 17 refineries in Louisiana and they all average at least 1 an accident every day since 2005. Also from September 2010 to September 2011, more than 3,700 oil industry accidents occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil industry tends to get away with accidents in the Gulf, mainly because they are offshore where most people cannot see them. The LA Bucket Brigade offers links to articles that examine several accidents that took place in the Gulf. Some say the oil industry is so profitable because they are located in poor states like Louisiana. Last year, Exxon’s two refineries in Louisiana (one in Baton Rouge and the other in Chalmette) had 133 accidents. However, there profits still managed to exceed $30 billion. This shows that the oil industry is gaining money at our expense. I thought that this was interesting because I honestly never knew that so many accidents were occurring in this state. It seems highly unfair that innocent people are suffering from injuries and sickness caused by the oil industry while they just rake in money. However, there are many campaigns and programs we can join to aid in the fight against the building of oil refineries in poverty stricken areas.These campaigns include the Art-to-Action, Refinery Efficiency Initiative, Environmental Justice Corps, and many more. I also learned a lot about all of these campaigns while I was reading the LA Bucket Brigade. This helped me realize what I can do to get involved in the push for Environment Justice.

Deep inside the Bucket

I must be honest. When I first heard of the name “Bucket Brigade,” I didn’t know what to expect. The name itself is so simple and short, so I was not sure it was going to captivate my attention or be worthwhile studying. However, as I began reading through the different tabs and links, I started to realize that the idea of a “brigade” coupled with the actual imagery of the “bucket” makes this witty name interesting and complex. The bucket stands for more than an ordinary piece of garden utensils. Rather, it illustrates the idea of a people actively working together to achieve environmental justice in not only their neighborhoods, but also in the entire world. And in my opinion, the name is very fitting and gives an accurate depiction of what the Louisiana Bucket Brigade organization is all about.

One page on the website that struck me was the “What to ask after a chemical leak” section. I thought this part of the website was significant because it gives an outlined protocol to follow in cases where a spill or a suspected spill has occurred. I enjoyed the simplicity of the style; it was easy to follow. There are detailed instructions such as “Ask the company if they took air sample. If the answer is no…If the answer is yes…” I believe this is a great, strategic way of laying out a rubric for people who are unsure of how to handle such situations. Also, I liked this because I feel like the authors/creators of the page thought about their target audience. Unfortunately, the main people who deal with environmental issues are those of a lower class and lower education, but because the layout is so simple and concise, I feel as though it can be accessed and understood by virtually all people.

Earth Day!

The Louisiana Bucket Brigade is helping the environment one step at a time. The organization is trying to improve the topic we are talking about this semester which is environmental injustice. They are working with the communities to stop pollution from affecting neighborhoods that factories are producing. As time goes on, the factories are hurting families and increasing the rate of health problems. The organization is continuing to educate communities about the industrial pollution that are affecting the families.

Look through the website, the first thing that caught my eye was the New Orleans Earth Day Festival because I enjoy going to different festivals to learn new things. The Earth Day Festival is on Sunday, April 21 and the festival starts at 9am. This year Earth Day will be held at Louis Armstrong Park! Armstrong Park is an very important historical area for the New Orleans Natives. To be a part of the festival, vendors can sell their items or participate as a volunteer. As an volunteer you will receive 5 free concerts, food, and drinks.

The day kicks off with yoga at 9am, where you can relax and start off the day right.  At 10am, the DJ comes where food and drinks will be served. An interesting part is kayaking at 11am because I always wanted to do that. I believe that is the most unique part about this festival! Later on in the day, they will bring New Orleans culture in and have a second line with the brass band. That will get the people in the mood to have a great time. Throughout that day, they will have activities others can participate in. They even have something for the kids so they can enjoy themselves also. I believe this festival will be a great way for the community to get involved with their environment, in a positive way.

Interesting Article on the L.A. Bucket Brigade

I found an interesting article on the L.A. Bucket Brigade titled: New Report Pollution from Louisiana Refineries Increasing. The article talked about the dangers of refineries producing pollution. Benzene is a chemical that is released into the air and it causes asthma attacks and produces other respiratory system. Citizens from the community call in to report accident reports to notify that some chemical has slipped into the air from the refinery. This is important that the citizens from the community call in because this a positive step to protecting the citizens and the refineries. This can protect the refineries because they can notify the refineries early about the chemicals being leaked into the air, and they can notify them early so chemicals do not affect the citizens or cause the citizens to get sick, and they will end up sewing the refinery company. The Norco Company, which is located in Louisiana, “had five of the ten largest accidents of the year.” According the information the Norco Company was not careful with the way the operated with the chemicals at the refinery. I found the article interesting because I live in Louisiana, and I was not fully aware of the danger to the environment from the refineries. The pollution does not only affect the people who live around the refineries but the pollution can travel throughout the area to other cities in that state. Refineries are built in rural areas where low-class income families live. This is an inequality to society because they have to suffer and put their health in danger just so the city or the company can keep up with its means. Accident reports are really helpful because it broadcast the issue and it gets the issue fixed faster. The injustice with the refineries should be reported in the newspapers so people can be notified about the environmental injustice issues.

Bucket Brigade

Louisiana is probably one of the most artistic states in the United States, if not one of the most artistic in the world and as I was looking around the Louisiana Bucket Brigade website and I stumbled across their art to action program. Their act to action program “embraces integrated approaches with diverse community partners to combine creative action, social media, storytelling, theater, video, journalism, visual art, dance, puppetry, music, street performance and interdisciplinary media for social change.” As an artist, I love when companies or programs incorporate artistry into what they are trying to accomplish. This Louisiana Bucket Brigade website talks about a lot of things that I have no idea about. Xavier university worked with them in the spring of 2013 as a part of their “down by the river” approach. They explored the relationships between race, culture and tourism along River Road and did research on the oral histories of River Road. They partner with different universities to spread the word about what these oil companies are doing and how they are destroying our environments and polluting our oceans. Xavier also explored the effects of industrial pollution on the people of Louisiana and The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts students create an environmental documentary on the effects of oil refineries on people.