One topic that will be covered at the May 19, 6 pm Building An Equitable Golden Valley forum on Environmental Justice is pollution and more specifically, living amongst pollution.
While having little access to green space can lead to an increase of health problems especially in densely populated areas, living in areas without clean air, water, and energy can be even more detrimental to one's health, according the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
For example, in some cases waste collection facilities have contaminated ground water that runs through or is used by adjacent residential areas and waste burning facilities have shown to contribute to air pollution, according to the MPCA. The residents living near those facility end up bearing the cost of air and water pollution, more than residents who don't.
For more information on Environmental Justice, attend the upcoming Building An Equitable Golden Valley forum May 19, 6 pm at City Hall. The event will also be streamed online via Cisco Webex. Learn more on the City's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion web page.