Category: Eco
Confronting Climate Change with Direct Action: Hundreds Converge for 44th Annual Earth First! Gathering
Walking up the path to the Kirkridge Retreat Center outside Bangor, Pennsylvania in early July, you may have sensed something was afoot. Cars with license plates from far-flung states lined the driveway and wild-haired twenty-somethings mingled with kids, tweens and adults in their 30s, 40s…
Minneapolis Polluter Smith Foundry Will Cease East Phillips Operation August 15
A century-old metal foundry will close this month, bringing relief to residents after years of pollution concerns. Smith Foundry announced it will cease all operations by August 15. This decision follows a settlement with the EPA and an $80,000 fine.
RNC Protesters Speak on Immigration, LGBT Rights, Climate, Palestine & More
Under sweltering heat, thousands of protesters rallied and marched through the RNC's outer "soft" security zone.
Activists Attempt to Storm Tesla Gigafactory in Germany
Grünheide, Germany — Over a thousand environmental protesters broke through lines of polizei and reached the outside of Tesla’s only European factory on May 10 in an action opposing Tesla’s extreme water usage and planned expansion in the area.
The protest was organized by a…
‘Teslastoppen’ Elon Musk’s Water War in the Heart of Europe
“Welcome to the Utopian Gigafactory,” reads a banner hung across a path in a Brandenburg Forest outside Berlin, Germany. At the end of the path, Tesla’s -very real- Gigafactory is visible behind the trees. The banner has been hung by activists of the “Teslastoppen” (Stop…
Forest Defenders Declare Victory After 22-Day Tree Sit
Josephine County, OR – Environmentalists are declaring victory after occupying a stand of old growth forest for three weeks to prevent trees from being logged.
Forest defenders launched a tree sit on April 1 to prevent Boise Cascade Wood Products, the timber company who bought…
Indigenous Human Rights Hearing in DC Scrutinizes Uranium Industry
Washington, D.C. — Members of multiple Indigenous tribes testified on February 28, 2024 during a thematic hearing on the impacts of uranium exploitation on the human rights of Indigenous peoples in the United States. The hearing was held by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights…
Protests Against Smith Foundry, Ex-EPA Scientist Calls Pollution Regulations a ‘Smokescreen’
Minneapolis, MN -- On January 11, 2024, community members gathered to discuss the future of the Smith Foundry in Minneapolis’ East Phillips neighborhood. The iron-casting facility has been found to violate health regulations, thereby likely threatening the well-being of people living nearby. In November, residents had called for the closure of the foundry after discovering records from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicating that the company had been exceeding Minnesota emission limits of particulate matter since 2018 — without notifying the state.
One Year Since Tortuguita’s Killing: A Reflection on our Coverage of the Movement Against ‘Cop City’ and the First Eco-Activist Killed in the US
Thursday, January 18, 2024, marks one year since Manuel “Tortuguita” Esteban Paez Terán was killed by police in the South River Forest outside Atlanta. A 26-year-old queer anarchist, Tortuguita had been an active participant in the movement against “Cop City” for months before Georgia State…
Contentious Copper-Nickel Mine Gets Permit Approval from MN Appeals Court
Saint Paul, MN — On Monday, December 18, the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld a key air permit issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for a proposed copper-nickel mine formerly known as PolyMet. The company — NewRange Copper Nickel — views the decision as…
From Demolition Plans to Neighborhood Ownership: East Phillips Begins Transformation of Roof Depot into a Community Haven
Minneapolis, MN — It’s been a long road to ownership of the hotly contested Roof Depot site for the residents of the East Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, and they recently cleared one more hurdle in their way.
On November 8, the City of Minneapolis accepted…
Standing Rock Tribe Opposes New Draft Environmental Impact Statement on DAPL
Fort Yates, ND — An environmental review of the Dakota Access Pipeline conducted by a consulting firm connected to the pipeline is raising concerns. More than two years after the owner of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) was court ordered to conduct a new environmental…
International Solidarity Fostered at the First Ever ‘World Congress for Climate Justice’
Milan, Italy — For many years, transnational movements like “Fridays for Future” or “Extinction Rebellion” have tried to push governments to comply with the 1.5 C climate threshold set in 2015 by the Paris Agreement, yet activists believe not enough has changed. The struggles against…
‘Cop City’ Defendant Victor Puertas Has Been Held For Months Without Trial, but His Community Hasn’t Forgotten Him
November 12 marked Victor Puertas’ 46th birthday. But while family and friends throughout the region gathered in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Victor spent the day behind bars.
For more than seven months, Puertas has been in pretrial detention after he was arrested and…
Protests Against Line 5 Continue in Wisconsin and the Courtrooms
“We need to avert an oil disaster in Lake Superior. We need to save our water and our future.” That was water protector Gina Peltier’s message this summer. Peltier is one of many water protectors in the Midwest organizing against Line 5 tar sands oil…
No Charges For Georgia Troopers Who Killed Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán
Stone Mountain, GA — A Georgia prosecutor announced Friday, Oct. 6, that six Georgia State Patrol SWAT troopers – Brylend Myers, Jerry Parrish, Jonathan Salcedo, Mark Lamb, Ronaldo Kegel, and Royce Zah – will not face criminal charges in the January 18, 2023 shooting death…
Repurposed Rubber: Tire Recycling in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip, Palestine — In the besieged and blockaded Gaza Strip, a 27-year-old Palestinian created a car tire recycling project aimed at reducing environmental damage. In light of the difficulties getting rid of tires in Gaza with the Israeli blockade imposed on the Strip, Madian…
Enbridge Ordered to Shutdown Line 5 and Pay Bad River Band $5.1M
Ashland, WI — Canadian oil corporation Enbridge has been ordered to shut down its Line 5 tar sands oil pipeline and pay the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians $5.1 million. Chief Judge William M. Conley of the U.S. District…
‘Stop Cop City’ Week of Action Day 8: Youth Rally; Atlanta Police Vehicles Torched
Atlanta, GA — The sixth ‘Stop Cop City’ “Week of Action” concluded on Saturday, July 1. The day’s main event was a planned ‘Youth Rally’ in Brownwood Park in the East Atlanta Village (EAV) neighborhood, which had served as the main hub for gatherings and…
6th ‘Stop Cop City’ Week of Action – Unicorn Riot Coverage
Atlanta, GA — During the week of June 24 – July 1, activists, organizers, and community members opposed to ‘Cop City’ are converging in Atlanta for a “Week of Action” against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. People gathered in and around Atlanta to mobilize…
‘Stop Cop City’ Week of Action Day 7: Cadence Bank ‘Drop The Loan’ Protest, Panel on Overpolicing
Atlanta, GA — The ‘Week of Action’ against ‘Cop City’ continued Friday with a protest outside the offices of Cadence Bank in Midtown Atlanta, which is providing a construction loan to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the building of ‘Cop City.’ Friday evening, a panel…