For as long as most can remember, many people in our region have had to sacrifice their health for a job. For the past decade the coal industry has been in decline, yet many of our elected officials have failed to provide any leadership to diversify and create a transition plan for our local economies. It is clear that no one is going to come in and ensure our communities do not become ghost towns in the next decade, but we all have the power to work together and ensure that our kids have a healthy environment, good schools, and many economic options that will help them to stay in their hometowns.
"I am proud to be part of an organization that is not only working to identify the root causes of economic inequality, but is also willing to facilitate the difficult conversations we must have in order to achieve equity in our community." ~ Keith Fullerton
Harm Reduction, Treatment, and Recovery
For resources and information about harm reduction, treatment and recovery for addiction, please click the button below.
Our Economic Justice Work
All of our campaigns have begun by community members bringing an issue to our attention and working with them to build a strategic plan to stop impacts onto people and the environment.
Harm Reduction
Washington and Greene County have been impacted significantly by the opioid epidemic and we know that lack of economic options do not help. Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. This meets people where they are and can save many lives in our communities. We are engaging with partners in the two counties to improve policies that protect people’s lives.
Just Transition
The centuries of fossil fuel extraction in places like Appalachia have created extractive economies where communities’ labor, land, and culture are being exploited for the benefit of a few. This has left our region with poor educational systems, failing infrastructure, and poverty. In order to equitably address this issue, we can't just build new solar arrays and wind farms as sustainable energy solutions without also addressing the economic conditions that decades of fossil fuel extraction has left behind. For example, it is crucial that the people who work in fracking and coal mining are brought along: The jobs that are disappearing or will disappear need to be replaced with other well-paying full-time jobs. Ensuring that we have just transition principles built into our climate solutions is going to be critical for communities that have provided energy to this country for decades to not be left in the dark.
Protecting and Restoring Ryerson Station State Park
Protecting and restoring Ryerson Station State Park from the impacts of coal mining started over 15 years ago, when the community lost Duke Lake due to the impacts of longwall mining. We have protected the remaining streams in the park from being undermined and are engaging in the process to decide how to spend money to restore this state park to a thriving economic driver for Greene County again.
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