wfn.org | United Methodists join those examining environmental concerns

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

May 1, 1998  Contact: Linda Bloom*(212)870-3803*New York       {272}

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.

# # # 

*Martini is executive secretary of communications for the Women's
Division.

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