This browser does not support basic Web standards, preventing the display of our site's intended design. May we suggest that you upgrade your browser?

History class outside

Learning by Doing Extension Project 2008


Not in my Backyard: The Environmental Movement in Wisconsin

By: Jon Dodge

Lesson #1
An Introduction to Tyrone, WI
NSP and the locals who would
form a movement

Lesson Objectives-

SWBAT-
  • Summarize the historical story of the Tyrone Nuclear Power Plant and interpret the facts to describe how important it was that area residents organize and fight the plant.
  • Analyze the reasons why people became active in the environmental movement in the 1970s.
  • Begin to mentally construct a plan for how people may work together to form a movement.
  • Explain and understand WI History standard #10 and U.S. History standard #10

Materials Needed-

Teacher Responsibilities-

  • Read brief History of Tyrone area provided in order to gain strong background knowledge
  • Present the PowerPoint of the history of Tyrone provided
  • Lead a discussion at the end of class as a means of setting up the rest of the unit’s emphasis on Wisconsin’s environmental movement, the definition of an “environmental activist”, different forms of activism, and potential conflict that may arise when groups become active.

Student Responsibilities-

  • Take notes from PowerPoint presentation
  • Actively participate in discussion and class brainstorming at end of presentation
  • Ask questions!!

Lesson Content and Procedure-

It is extremely important that teachers and students understand that this unit is really focusing on WI History and US History standard #10. Additionally, it is important that students understand the “big ideas” of this unit. Those were listed for teachers in the introduction. By presenting the PowerPoint to students and spending time discussing the lesson and the images and documents presented in the PowerPoint students will being to see just how Wisconsinites reacted to this particular change (perceived increased need for energy production at great personal cost) and how they fought to find their personal prosperity in Cold War America. Teachers must remember that these vague standards are really not so difficult to teach to students. During this unit a daily reminder that Tyrone is metaphorically right down the road from anybody in this state is not a bad idea.

It may be helpful to teachers with limited background in environmentalism to have a generic definition of an environmental activist. Here is a definition- An environmental activist is one who believes in and is concerned for the importance of the environment within society. Environmentalists may be concerned with pollution, population growth, conservation and the effects of technology on the earth.

Suggested questions-

Pre-lesson: These questions are simply to get students thinking about some of the ideas to be covered this unit.

What is an activist? What is an environmental activist? Why might “normal “ people decide to become active in a movement like environmentalism?

Post-lesson:

What is an environmental activist? Could you see yourself participating in one of the protests we saw in the newspaper clippings?

Assessment-

Informal- Teacher should reflect on the day’s lecture and discussion regarding story of Tyrone and the analysis by students of the photos presented.

No Formal Assessment Exercise

REMEMBER- The first big theme of this unit is “What is an environmentalist?” This is an attempt to remove stereotypes from the minds of students about who works for change and justice. This theme is addressed by telling the Tyrone story and then following it up with lesson #2.

Background information for teacher review prior to Lesson #1

The story of the Tyrone Nuclear Power Plant has a great deal to do with the former community’s location along the Chippewa River with an unused railroad track right next to it. In addition, the area is remote from major metro areas, being about 20 miles downstream from Eau Claire and about 60 miles east of the Twin Cities metro area. It is not coincidental that Northern States Power Co., the developers of the Tyrone plant, has its headquarters located in Minneapolis. Here is the Tyrone tale-

Tyrone, WI was once the largest community in Dunn County. Originally founded by Irishman Hamilton Hubbard in 1856 Tyrone had a lot going for it. Set along the scenic Chippewa River, Tyrone was a perfect stopping place for river travelers between Durand and Eau Claire. There was a large lumber mill with a slough, a large hotel and many other thriving businesses. By 1880 350 people lived in Tyrone and it looked like it was a permanent fixture. However, times changed. River travelled diminished, the new railroad initially bypassed the area. When state highway 85 was built between Durand and Eau Claire it missed Tyrone. By the 1930s there was basically nothing left. Tyrone was absorbed into the local farming community. The people of this area where Dunn, Eau Claire and Pepin Counties meet were hard working, church going people who passed a strong Midwestern work ethic on to their kids and supported their government through thick and thin.

That all changed in the summer of 1972. Twenty-seven landowners in the Tyrone area began to receive visits from representatives of Northern States Power Company (NSP). NSP wanted to buy their farms for future development. Some sold immediately, some held out until NSP informed them that the land would be theirs whether the landowners wanted it so or not. Homeowners were informed of the law of eminent domain. Most of the rest eventually sold. Finally by November there were only three landowners holding out; Henry and Clara Falkner (40 acres), Joseph and Stanley Cider (960) acres, and Harold and Lucille Bauer (200 acres). The Falkners had a small plot and they mainly stayed out of the limelight. The Cider brothers were very reclusive and may be categorized as anti-social so they really did not get involved in the fight to stop the land buy. It came down to the Bauers. Harold and Lucille had purchased their farm in 1953 and had worked hard to eke out a living. Harold was a veteran with an eighth grade education, Clara a strong, self-assured farm wife who knew how to stand up for herself. They felt strongly that NSP was offering them much less than their land was worth. NSP began the condemnation and eminent domain process. It was at this point that NSP’s real intent was revealed. In early 1973 NSP displayed plans for the Tyrone Nuclear Energy Park, a 1150 kilowatt nuclear power plant and nuclear waste storage facility. Immediately the Bauers had allies.

For the next nine years the Bauers and to a lesser extent the Ciders and Falkners became spokespeople for a decidedly grassroots movement during a very turbulent decade. The energy crises of 1973 and 1979, the ever growing demand for cheap gas and power and chilling environmental findings such as Love Canal in New York (lesson #4) coincided with a growing awareness of the human impact on the environment which was rooted in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in the mid-1960s but took wing beginning with the first Earth Day celebration in 1970 met head to head in rural Tyrone, WI.

The area around Tyrone and the community of Durand, just a few miles downstream, were overrun with “hippie types” as the Bauers called them and dark suited NSP representatives and lawyers on a regular basis for the next decade. Two local environmental activist groups, Northern Thunder out of Eau Claire and Citizens For Tomorrow (CFT) a locally organized farmer led group, organized marches through town and annual picnics on the grounds of the old town. In the meantime, lawyers for both sides battled it out in both local and state court. In 1979 courts finally ruled NSP could not build their plant because the company could not prove that at least 30% of the power generated was going to be used locally. That was a state law and it was pretty evident that NSP intended to use Tyrone to help power the Twin Cities metro area. Incidentally, it was also in 1979 that the near meltdown at Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant in Pennsylvania led to a national moratorium on nuclear power that still exists today. NSP was able to keep the land they had already purchased for possible future development. The Ciders passed away and their heirs sold their 960 acres to NSP. The Falkners moved on. The only people still living in the Tyrone area are the Bauers. Now in their mid-80s the Bauers actually were not granted full ownership of their home until they received a letter from the state in 1992. At that point NSP decided to “forgive” them the $175 monthly rent the company had been charging them to live on land it claimed to own since 1973. The land locally known as Tyrone sits idly waiting for the political climate to improve for NSP to try again. There have been occasional rumblings of the company planning to build a coal burning plant at Tyrone.

The story of Tyrone really lends itself well to meeting Wisconsin History standard #10- Wisconsin’s Response to 20th Century change and U.S. History standard #10 – the search for prosperity and equal rights in Cold War and post-Cold War America, 1945 to the present. These standards are often not reached in many Wisconsin history classrooms. In addition, the environmental movement as an example of the two standards is almost never focused on. This brief unit beginning with this lesson will allow teachers and students alike to study a time of great social, economic and political change in our country in an unusual manner. The lessons are also very thought provoking and allow teachers to branch off into many different directions depending on their class’s skill and interest level. There are great opportunities for really advanced critical thinking.


Lesson #2
Who is an “environmental activist”?
Brainstorming and Analysis of Primary Written Documents

Length of Lesson- 1 class period (approx. 45 min)

Lesson Objectives-

SWBAT-
  • Define the term “environmental activist”
  • Compare and contrast differing interpretations of the same events which impacted the environment of western Wisconsin in the 1970s
  • Explain why people come to different conclusions about the above mentioned events based on their generational perspective
  • Understand why Americans hold environmental protection at different levels of importance

Materials Needed-

Teacher Responsibilities-

  • Appoint groups (do not let students choose groups). Preferable group size is 3
  • Ask groups to brainstorm (10 MINUTES) the following questions (may adapt to please)
    • List as many words or phrases that come to mind when you hear the word “activist”.
    • List as many words or phrases that come to mind when you hear the word “environmentalist”.
    • List as many activities that an activist might engage in to push for change
    • What are some causes you may become involved in (8-10)?
    • Write one definition of the term “environmental activist”
  • List responses on board and discuss with all groups (10 minutes)
  • Distribute one letter and document analysis worksheet to each group for document analysis (7-8 minutes)
  • Assist students with analysis if necessary
  • Finish class with discussion of each letter (letters must be visible to all groups so project on screen or make overheads). Make sure to go through them chronologically. (15 minutes)
  • Finish with question- Are these letter writers activists? Is writing a letter something an activist would do?

Student Responsibilities-

  • Participate fully in group brainstorming activity and discussion
  • Complete NARA Document Analysis Worksheet

Lesson Content and Procedure-

In this lesson the teacher is trying to get students to reformulate what is an environmental activist in their minds. Most people have a pretty solid stereotype of the “environmental activist” embedded in their minds. Through the course of this lesson students may find out that activists take many shapes and activism takes many forms. Using two of our most sacred freedoms (speech and press) the people who wrote the letters in this lesson were trying to let everyone know that they were concerned enough to speak up and wanted to be heard. This is not to say that they held the same views on the subject of nuclear power and progress. Quite the contrary.

The letters take very different views of the Tyrone situation. The first is from a man who makes some interesting references to the New Deal Rural Electification program and eminent domain. The Leo Schaff letter makes reference to the trouble in Iran (an interesting side lesson) in 1979 and basically is saying that there must be sacrifices for progress. The third letter is from an activist nun, Sister Valerian Schuster. This can be very startling to kids these days who really do not have a prototype in their mind of nuns being politically active on more than one subject. This could also create opportunity for classes to research our nation’s various churches and their rich past of political activism for many causes, including environmental protection. The last letter is Clara Bauer’s response to Leo Schaff. This really emphasizes the “not in my backyard” theme of this unit.

Teacher should be sure to refresh class memory of what transpired in previous lesson. Emphasize the continuation of discovering the answers to the “big idea” questions of this unit. In addition, teachers must make sure that students know that letters written either to individuals or to the editor of newspapers convey the schema and context of the letterwriter’s life. This definitely affects the way the individual perceives events. One must always be cognizant of this fact and teach students to be on the lookout for this fact and allow it to help them understand the writing. The brainstorming and analysis of primary documents will only be successful if the teacher stays on task throughout the activity staying engaged with the groups to keep them focused and to make sure they realize the importance of the activity. The success of this lesson is also predicated on students already being able to effectively brainstorm in small groups and it is assumed that document analysis has already taken place. The National Archives analysis worksheets are incredible valuable in breaking down primary documents. With practice students do a lot of really high level analysis, synthesis and evaluation. However, be warned that it is not something that is done naturally. Students and teachers need to do analysis consistently throughout the year for best results.

Assessment-

  • Informal- teacher evaluation of Q/A and discussion
  • Formal assessment exercise- Scoring analysis worksheets (Teacher developed grade scale- suggest 10-12 pts)

Lesson #3
Hazardous Waste in Your Neighborhood

Length of Lesson- 1 class period (45 minutes)

Lesson Objectives-

SWBAT-
  • Understand that environmentalism is universal
  • Identify facilities in their neighborhoods that deal with hazardous chemicals.
  • Recognize local, state and federal agencies responsible for environmental hazards in their communities.
  • Explain the effects of chemicals on humans, animals and the environment

Materials Needed-

Teacher Responsibilities-

  • Reserve Computer Lab
  • Test equipment to make sure everything works. All material can be made into a hard copy rather than done interactively if necessary.
  • Provide story of Love Canal. This can be distributed the day before as homework or can simply be discussed in class as website is projected for class
  • Introduce and lead students in discussion and search for information on internet and map
  • Ask the right questions

Student Responsibilities-

  • Participate fully in class discussion
  • Find a site or two in the map that intrigue and will be of interest over the next couple of days
  • Pay attention in the computer lab and respect equipment and classmates

Lesson Content-
A PRE-LESSON NOTE- THIS LESSON WOULD BE BEST TAUGHT WHERE A TEACHER HAS ACCESS TO A COMPUTER THAT PROJECTS FOR THE STUDENTS TO OBSERVE OR IT SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN A COMPUTER LAB, ESPECIALLY ONE WHERE THE TEACHER CAN CONTROL WHAT IS ON ALL SCREEENS FROM A MAIN TERMINAL.

This lesson is where the unit’s second big idea is addressed- the idea that Americans must always be vigilant about environmental protection because accidents can happen, waste can be dumped, factory farms can be built or water can be polluted right next door to anybody. First, the teachers must remind students of the story that has been told the previous two days. The people of Tyrone, WI were contentedly going about their lives when that all changed with one visit from a power company representative in 1972. This visit did not just change the lives of those families, but the lives of all people of Western Wisconsin. The teacher may want to ask students if the story of Tyrone could happen in their area. Maybe it already has. After perhaps five to ten minutes of discussion, the teacher should introduce the story of Love Canal (story may have been read as homework-SUGGESTED). After a discussion of Love Canal, justice, problems associated with toxic waste material and potential waste producers in the state of Wisconsin the teacher should once again project the map of Wisconsin on the big screen. This is the same map that was first introduced in lesson #1. Students should be interested in looking for possible environmental problem sites in their region of the state. The students may begin to look for particular sources on the web that will help them find information about past environmental hazards and areas deemed to be potential problem sites so therefore the state and other activist groups are watching them. This lesson is designed to get students to wake up from their complacency and begin to realize that it is the responsibility of all citizens to help monitor the wellbeing of our nation’s environment. This will lead into lesson #4.

IN THE LAST PHASE OF THIS LESSON (15-20 MINUTES) IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO JUST LET STUDENTS GOOGLE ON THE WEB. THIS IS NOT PRODUCTIVE. SOME SUGGESTED WEB SITES THAT WILL KEEP STUDENTS ON TASK ARE-

Main Website- www.epa.gov Specific URL- http://www.epa.gov/epahome/commsearch.htm (This is an EPA site where students can enter their zip code and find out if there are any EPA identified potential problem sites in their areas. It is startling)

Main Website- http://dnr.wi.gov Specific URL- http://dnr.wi.gov/environmentprotect (WI DNR Environmental Protection homepage. Students can go a lot of directions from this site. It really shows how important environmental protection is to our state and how much there is to manage)

Main Website- http://dnr.wi.gov Specific URL- http://dnr.wi.gov/runoff/ag/cafo.htm (WI DNR web site about managing run off from farms, possibly our state’s greatest environmental risk right now. Many people do not know about it or worry about it because it is not much in the news but, as shown on this site, it is a major concern.)

Main Website- http://www.fightingbob.com Specific URL- http://www.fightingbob.com/article.cfm?articleID=31 (An article on factory farms)

Main Website- http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org Specific URL- http://www.factoryfarmmap.org (This is a map that shows the number factory farms by type in each county in WI. It is interactive and takes a few minutes to load)

http://www.northernthunder.org (The Eau Claire based organization that helped fight the Tyrone plant as well as kept an eye on Flambeau and Crandon and was instrumental in initiating county-wide recycling in Eau Claire County. There is a nice history of western WI environmentalism on this site)

Main Website- http://www.treatycouncil.org Specific URL- http://www.treatycouncil.org/new_page_5244111121111.htm (Story of the successful fight against the Crandon Mine in Northeastern WI. The site is produced by Native American activists, but the story addresses how many groups rallied together, groups that might previously have been at odds with on another)

http://www.flambeaumine.com (Company produced look at the mine before and after reclamation). This is the main website.

Assessment-

No Specific Formal Assessment Exercise

Informal- Teacher observation of on-task behavior and a post-class evaluation of success of lesson and level of discussion and questions for high level thinking.


Lesson #4
Environmental Activism must be a
Community Effort

Length of Lesson- One class period

Lesson Objectives-

SWBAT
  • Explain how environmental activism must be a community effort to suceed
  • Describe Alexis de Tocqueville’s explanation of American democracy as it relates to this unit.
  • Apply Tocqueville’s idea of American democracy in 1835 to the present.
  • Give examples of associations in our society that protect public welfare.
  • Distinguish between groups that protect or advance public welfare and those that do not.

Material needed-

Teacher responsibilities-

  • Organize classroom for fishbowl discussion
  • Select appropriate students for discussion. This is especially true if the class has never fish bowled before. If this is the first of this type of discussion it is imperative that it goes well.
  • Monitor time closely
  • Control students in and out of the fish bowl
  • Evaluate discussion and rate student performances

Student Responsibilities-

  • Read assigned reading
  • Thoughtfully prepare responses to accompanying questions
  • Respond and interact well in fishbowl if selected
  • Pay close attention and respect students in bowl if not selected

Lesson Content and Procedure-

This lesson focuses on Big Idea #3- Environmental activism must be a community effort to succeed. Tocqueville was enthralled with the nature of America’s settlement into small, generally rural communities. Of course, Wisconsin was not settled in 1835, but his study of the New England towns and the connections within and between those communities was a model which Wisconsin mirrors. Wisconsin is made up of many small towns within a few miles of one another. There is usually open communication between those towns. When one small town is effected by something major like a nuclear power plant it effects many small towns in the area. Individuals in those communities form associations and rally together to fight for what they believe in. This was unique in America in the 1830s and it is truly still unique to the region east of the Mississippi (generalization) today. Referring back to the historical eras and themes standards this unit is addressing, it is very important that students know that Wisconsinites would have responded very differently to 20th century changes had there not been such strong community bonds. It is also important that students see that community is central to seeking prosperity and supporting one another throughout Cold War and post-Cold War Wisconsin. This fish bowl discussion really takes a grand idea of Alexis de Tocqueville and makes it simple for kids to understand and take ownership in knowing.

Fish bowl lessons are incredibly effective and empowering for students, especially if organized and carried out consistently and thoroughly. A fish bowl works like this. The classroom should be organized with all desks or chairs around the perimeter of the room with space for 6-8 desks/chairs in the center of the room. All students should be given 15 minutes to read/write/think about what the teacher distributed. After silent time, 6-8 students are called to the center of the room. They pull their seats with them in a circle. The teacher begins the discussion by asking for a response to question #1. After the first volunteer speaks the rest of the students are expected to respond and discuss question #1 even if their response is the same as other students. The same process is followed for the remaining questions. The teacher’s only role is to keep the discussion progressing and keep the rest of the class involved and paying attention. If the discussion is good the first group may take up all of the class, if it lags the teacher may call in another group of students and follow the same process. It is important that students know that the teacher is going to be completing individual evaluation sheets on all participants immediately at the end of class. It is also important for students to know that they will all be participating in the fish bowl at some time or another and that it is always an important grade. The fish bowl works best when the school follows a block schedule. However, it can work on a traditional schedule. Readings and questions can be done as homework to speed thing up.

Assessment-

Informal-

  • Teacher evaluation of discussion

Formal Assessment Exercise-

Teacher created grading scale for fish bowl. Teacher should have a standard method of grading if using for different units.

The Student Reading and Questions are attached

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE FISH BOWL METHOD WAS PRESENTED BY A GROUP OF TEACHERS FROM WAUSAU WEST HIGH SCHOOL AT THE 2006 WISCONSIN SOCIAL STUDIES CONVENTION. THAT SCHOOL AND THOSE TEACHERS DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT FOR THIS WONDERFUL METHOD OF LEARNING.

Community Activism & Citizenship Reading

Since the very beginnings of the United States of America more than 200 years ago, active citizens have created, and continue to create, countless volunteer groups to do everything from preventing an old tree from being cut down by town workers or supporting a new sewer system to stopping a prisoner's execution; from promoting animal rights to abolishing slavery.

Many active citizens made American history by working to end injustice or to fill a public need.
They launched movements:

  • to legislate the 40-hour week and 8-hour day
  • to win the right to bargain collectively with employers
  • to gain for women the right to vote
  • to provide citizens with safer food
  • to win for African-Americans rights other Americans took for granted like the rights to vote and to eat at a diner
  • to protect our environment
  • to improve education for all

Many others work today on projects to make their communities, the nation, and the world a better place to live.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a French historian and a very perceptive observer of the United States, visited this country in the early 1830s and in 1835 produced a book, Democracy in America. In it he commented upon various American characteristics, including this one:

"I must say that I have often seen Americans make great and real sacrifices to the public welfare; and I have noticed a hundred instances in which they hardly ever failed to lend faithful support to one another. The free institutions which the inhabitants of the United States possess, and the political rights of which they make so much use, remind every citizen, and in a thousand ways, that he lives in society. They every instant impress upon his mind the notion that it is the duty as well as the interest of men to make themselves useful to their fellow creatures.”

"Americans of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions constantly form associations to give entertainments, to found seminaries, to build inns, to construct churches...[and to] found hospitals, prisons, and schools. If it is proposed to inculcate some truth or to foster some feeling by the encouragement of a great example, they form a society. Wherever at the head of some new undertaking you see the government in France, or a man of rank in England, in the United States you will be sure to find an association."

Fish Bowl Discussion Questions

  1. In your own words briefly explain what Tocqueville was saying in the reading.
  2. What questions do you have about the reading? What did you have a hard time understanding?
  3. How do our “free institutions” and “political rights” “remind every citizen, and in a thousand ways, that he lives in society”?
  4. What does Tocqueville mean by “society”? What are some things that active citizens do in your community do to remind everyone that they live in society?
  5. Tocqueville wrote “it is the duty as well as the interest of men to make themselves useful to their fellow creatures.” Do you agree that it is “a duty”? Why or why not. Do you agree that it is an “interest”? Support your opinion with examples.
  6. Do Tocqueville’s words about Americans being active still hold true today? Explain
  7. Are there any organizations that you belong to or know of that truly support the good of all citizens? Provide examples

Reading and questions adapted from a lesson by Alan Shapiro on the website teachablemoments.org


Lesson #5
Environmental Justice:
Creative Problem Solving for Success

Length of Lesson- 1 or 2 class periods

Lesson Objectives-

SWBAT
  • Define environmental discrimination and environmental justice
  • Apply the concept of environmental justice to a state or local environmental issue
  • Combine the ideas of several different individuals to find a common purpose and alliance

Material Needed-

Teacher Responsibilities-

  • Assist students in developing a group definition of environmental discrimination and environmental justice
  • Divide students into groups of four and give each of the four a character sketch
  • Completely cover the instructions for the day’s activities
  • Distribute the three short readings and group responsibilities
  • Evaluate the success of student products and lesson at the conclusion of class

Student Responsibilities-

  • Participate fully in group activity
  • Represent assigned character with authenticity and creativity
  • Share in all responsibilities
  • Turn in assigned work at end of class

Lesson Content-

It is beholden to every social studies teacher to make connect everything students are learning about the past to the present and their lives in general. The term “environmental justice” is really quite new in the world, but it really means a lot today all over the planet. However, it is generally unknown to most Americans because most do not see it happening under their noses and it is only reported to us in the media as happening to others, especially in Third World nations and severely impoverished regions of our own. As students will learn in this lesson environmental justice refers to the grand idea that all people have the right to live in a world that is clean and safe. That means the air, water and land we live on. When students are confronted with the fact that the vast majority of people in the world and actually many people in their own country do not live in an environmentally just world it can be very discomfiting. Students learn a couple of things from this exercise before even dealing with the big idea. They learn that in our nation most environmentally hazardous sites are located in predominantly rural, lower class or minority communities or neighborhoods. Students are forced to think about why this is so. The hope is that they realize that there are conflicting needs in these places. First there is the need for a safe, livable environment. But there is also the often overriding need for employment and the money that comes with it that may end the cycle of poverty. In addition, these places are often the ones with little or no political voice so it is easy to push a nuclear plant through the legislature or dump toxic sludge out in the river because authority figures rarely come to this neighborhood. When the activity is carried out students must weigh these thoughts along with their desire to protect their environment. Hopefully, the last big idea is addressed through the lesson’s content and methodology.

This lesson is the culmination of the week of learning about the environmental movement and its connection to WI History Standard #10- Wisconsin’s Response to 20th Century Change and U.S. History Standard #10- The Search for Prosperity and Equal Rights in Cold War and post-Cold War America, 1945-present. If one recalls the four big ideas of this unit were-

  1. What is an environmental activist? (addressed in lessons 1 &2)
  2. Anything can happen anywhere, any time. (addressed in lesson 2&3)
  3. Activism and free speech expression take many forms. (addressed in fish bowl lesson 4)
  4. Reform movements often conflict and must be negotiated in order for there to be justice for all. (addressed in lesson 5)

First, the teacher should begin by writing the term “environmental justice” on the board. One does not necessarily have to talk about it, but the term should always be prominent as students work.

Second, hand out the readings and allow students 10-15 minutes to read over the three readings. When the time is up ask if there are any questions, answer them and then assign students to groups.

Read over the instructions for students and then allow them to begin to discuss their group’s plans. Inform them that they are to turn in their responses to the questions at the end of the hour.

This final lesson gives the teacher and the class many directions to go in if desired. Students certainly could look more globally at environmental justice. They will find out that nearly half the population of the earth lives in an unsafe environment. They could study such places as Cancer Alley in Louisiana, the cataclysmic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the location of chemical plants in large urban areas or simply study the apparent lack of concern for the safety of rural Wisconsinites regarding factory farms and mining.

After discussing the groups’ responses the teacher should collect the answer sheets and decide at that point what direction to go in next. Actually creating an active environmental movement or joining an already existing one would seem to be the best application of what was learned about environmental activism and justice.

Assessment-

Informal-

  • Monitor discussion and evaluate questioning and level of thought

Formal-

  • Teacher should grade the response sheets in a way he/she sees fit. One may want to create a grading scale or just write responses to commentary. However, it is this teacher’s experience that students expect evaluation on a project of this magnitude.

Environmental Justice Lesson Group Responsibilities-

Each group member has been given a character sketch. You are all people with a particular interest in protecting something. Maybe your chief concern is maintaining control over land and water that is sacred to you. Maybe you are an avid outdoorsman who has seen the fish and wildlife disappear in the area around your home. Maybe you are an escaped city dweller who is trying to get in touch with nature and therefore believes we all need to live simply and practice sustainability. Maybe you are a leader of a local workers union, who is not only looking to protect and create jobs, but also wants to make sure that all workers have a safe working environment. You all come from very different backgrounds and have different ideals, but if you work together you may find that you have the same ultimate goal in mind.

As leaders of local civic organizations you have all come together to discuss four major environmental concerns that you feel need to be addressed. Here are the issues you need to prioritize-

  1. There has been an alarming growth in factory farms in your county. Along with this has been a great increase in animal waste. This is a concern because of potential runoff of manure into your lakes and rivers.
  2. It has recently been discovered that a no longer operating manufacturing company in Hometown (fictitious name), the county seat, had stored barrels of toxic waste in pits in the back of its property in the 1960s and 1970s. This toxic sludge is now leaking out and threatens the neighborhood’s drinking water. The neighborhood is Boondocks, clear on the other side of town from the new developments and the line of motels and waterparks.
  3. With the need in our country for cheap energy the wealthy power company is in discussion with county officials and state DNR representatives to possibly build a coal or nuclear power plant in a remote area of the county along the Raging River (fictitious name).
  4. A large sand mine has been proposed on land owned by a prosperous farmer near Hometown. Sand mining has become quite popular and there are many unknowns about it. It seems that there is a full steam ahead attitude about sand mining and there has not been much done as far as environmental impact studies.

Each of the four members of the group comes from different backgrounds. However, they are all part of the community of concerned citizens as well as part of their local community.

Person #1-Native American
You are a member of the local Native American tribe. You believe humans have a sacred relationship with the earth and it is everyone’s responsibility to be a good steward for the earth. Your ancestors farmed, hunted and fished this land for hundreds of years. You want to protect the land that is on your reservation, but also all of the land. In the past you have been very active in the fight for equal treatment for Native Americans. You were a local spokesperson for the media during the spearfishing controversy in the 1980s and 1990s. You were integral in a casino being built locally, despite non-native community objection. You are on the tribal school board. You are sincerely interested in what you see as the best future for your people.

Person #2-Sportsman
You are the president of your local Fur, Fish and Game chapter. You are a card carrying member of the National Rifle Association and a firm believer in individual responsibility and small government. In your many years of living in the area you have been shocked with the changes that have occurred. There seems to be much more green algae and weed growth in the lakes. Really good fishing is getting harder and harder to find and it seems like the forests are shrinking every year. You used to think that the lack of fish was due to Native American spearing. In fact, you led boatlanding protests. However, you have seen firsthand the tribe’s efforts at restocking and have begun to rethink your long-held preconceptions. Now you are wondering if the hunting and fishing is changing for another reason.

Person #3-Environmentalist
You are the stereotypical environmentalist. You graduated from State University with a degree in Environmental Studies. You moved to Hometown about three years ago to take over the county recycling program. You try your best to live a simple life. You grow your own produce, are a strict vegetarian and drive a hybrid car. However, you try to ride your bicycle as much as possible. Your straw bale house is heated by solar panels. In the past year you have become much more vocal about what you consider to be environmental neglect on the part of state and local officials. Sometimes you come across a little strong. However, you are determined to temper your personality. You know that you cannot do it alone and the people you are meeting with have a lot of influence even if you consider them your intellectual inferiors.

Person #4-Labor Organizer
You spent the first ten years of your working life working at the manufacturing company that now stands accused of dumping toxic waste in the ground. You fought long and hard to get the plant to locate in Hometown and were seen as a heroic figure once. That is until you became a voice for the other people working at the plant who seemed to be suffering from a disproportionate number of health related issues. While at the plant you became very active in the local union’s efforts to gain safer working conditions for the employees at the plant. Your union work succeeded in getting better conditions. However, a grim lesson was learned when the plant closed down and relocated to a third world nation where there are no labor or environmental protections. Undaunted, you continued to advocate for better working conditions for local laborers in agriculture, logging, manufacturing, and construction. People know you well as a champion for the cause of the working man. You have also been blamed for some companies deciding not to locate in your county. Some community leaders even blame you for lost jobs over time. This is a fine line a labor activist must walk.

Group Task-

The four members of the group have different ideas and come from very different backgrounds. However, they all have the same big picture goal in mind. All four want to protect the land, water and air of their home and still provide what they consider the best lives for their families and neighbors. Using what you have learned about environmentalism, citizen activism and democracy along with the readings distributed to you in class today you four are to respond to the following questions and statements. Remember, because of your different backgrounds and missions you will need to negotiate, compromise (everyone gives up something), form a consensus (a solution everyone is okay with) and hopefully creatively problem solve (a solution that is better than anyone thought possible).

  1. Define in your own words environmental discrimination.
  2. Define in your own words environmental justice.
  3. You are to prioritize the issues you want to deal with. In other words as a group decide which of the four issues listed earlier need to be dealt with first, second, third and fourth.
  4. Create a group name and mission statement or platform based on what you have read and discussed. Remember all different perspectives should be considered and addressed. Feel free to borrow from the readings, especially the “What is Environmental Justice?” reading.
  5. List at least five things that your group can do to advance your cause.
  6. What did your group members learn about forming environmental activist groups and the environmentalist movement in general over the past five days?


Excellence. Our Measure. Our Motto. Our Goal.