Today on Sojourner Truth:
Is biomass fuel the answer to containing the spread of wildfires? Or is it simply another false solution taking away focus from the relationship between climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires? On Tuesday, November 24, environmental justice organizations around the world will mark the International Day of Action on Forest Biomass. What is biomass fuel? Why are environmental activists opposed to it? For our weekly Earth Watch, our guest is Rachel Smolker. She is co-director of Biofuelwatch, where she works to raise awareness of the impacts of large scale bioenergy on climate, the environment and human rights. Her work has spanned from local grassroots organizing to participation in the United Nations conventions on climate and biodiversity. She is on the steering committee of the Campaign to Stop GE Trees. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and worked previously as a field biologist. She lives in Vermont where she is organizing resistance to a fracked gas pipeline and to logging on public lands.
Across the U.S. South and Midwest, farm workers are waging labor struggles against corporate exploitation and toxic work environments. Farm workers are among the most underpaid workers in the United States and often work in perilous conditions. They're also forced to live in cramped quarters, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19. Our guest is Stephen Bartlett. Stephen is the Coordinator of Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville, which aims to create a joyous, diverse, and sustainable community of well-nourished people and well-compensated farmers and food workers. Stephen is also a member of Louisvillians Showing Up For Racial Justice.
Also, we speak with Eleanor Goldfield who made the brand new and well-reviewed film, "Hard Road of Hope." It tells the story of how migrants were brought to West Virginia to work in the coal mines and how they worked together against dangerous and oppressive working conditions.
