United Methodists join those examining environmental concerns
5/1/1998 News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 · New York By Kelly Martini* Ten United Methodist women are among the participants in a national environmental justice training event April 30-May 3 in Columbia, Miss.
Focusing on environmental threats to women's health, the event is sponsored by the Eco-Justice Working Group of the National Council of Churches.
The Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, has helped support the event financially and has sponsored some of the participants.
"We're proud to bring together women's concerns, health and faith issues," said Pamela Sparr, Women's Division executive secretary for environmental justice, who served on the planning team.
"The planning committee and leaders in the environmental justice movement chose these women because of their potential for leadership in the church and community," she added.
Environmental justice activists from both faith-based and secular arenas will train the women on such topics as environmental trends, theological perspectives on environmental justice, economics behind pollution, leadership skills and community organizing.
They also will look at the current state of environmental clean-up in Columbia. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated the Reichhold Chemical plant site there for the National Priority List of the Superfund Cleanup Program.
"This area has a high rate of cancer and premature death," Sparr explained. Residents suffer from immune system disorders, respiratory diseases and skin rashes, she said, with women and children being the most vulnerable.
"The planning team chose Columbia, Mississippi, as the site because it is emblematic of low-income, mostly minority communities across the country that are experiencing severe environmental contamination," Sparr said. "It's not only an environmental issue, but a racial justice issue."
Jesus People Against Pollution is the local host for the training. The group organized in 1992 in response to concerns of residents living near the Reichhold site. The Mississippi Rural Center, a Board of Global Ministries' national mission institution, is the primary training site.
United Methodist participants at the meeting will be Diane Milburn, Houston; Kathleen Butler, Gainesville, Fla.; Betty Tesh, State Road, N.C.; Rebecca Pridmore, New York; Miriam Simmons of Mississippi; and Joyce Setpney, Lynette Hamilton, Bonnie Dillon, and Joyce and Stephanie Hamilton, all of Columbia.
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*Martini is executive secretary of communications for the Women's Division.
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