Do You Believe In Social Justice?
An annual survey by the American Lung Association highlights some of those differences on a local level. In its State of the Air report for 2008, the group said high levels of particulate matter - or soot from diesel engines or wood smoke - saddled Contra Costa, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties with F grades. San Mateo and Sonoma counties earned B’s.
Within those subregions are pockets of even more highly contaminated air around refining and transportation hubs. Weiner, the American Lung Association spokesman, is particularly concerned about poor and minority residents who live near such operations. Weiner cited truck traffic in West Oakland near the Port of Oakland and at large industrial operations in the southern section of San Francisco.
“In the Excelsior, there was a news conference the other day about one street corner in a residential neighborhood where they counted 110 big trucks passing by one corner - that’s a dense neighborhood,” Weiner said. “You don’t find as many toxic sites near Pacific Heights.”
Nobody on this blog is saying that you have to believe in social justice, but if you do, this is type of material that might keep you motivated to get on, and stay on, your bike. You can call it social justice, environmental justice, whatever - but it’s important, and too often, the least powerful and most vulnerable folks in our society end getting stuck holding the bag for our disastrous transportation policies.
Leave comment (0)[p.s. The Forums are open for participation.]
