S2E74: Sanitation and EJ concerns grow with climate change—w/ Catherine Coleman Flowers, MacArthur Genius

Do you take having a working sanitation system for granted? What if you didn’t have access to a public wastewater treatment plant? What if you lived with sewage running back into your home? And what if your failing septic system made YOU a criminal? MacArthur Fellow Catherine Coleman Flowers is the founder of The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ) and author of Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Catherine joins Ross to discuss the neglect of water and wastewater infrastructure in rural America, explaining why septic systems are failing and how that impacts public health. Catherine offers insight on the disparities in access to sanitation for poor rural communities and people of color, describing how corrupt government officials and bad policy can contribute to the inequity. Listen in for Catherine’s advice on collaborating with people who don’t necessarily share your values and find out what CREEJ is doing to design a solution that will allow people to treat wastewater affordably—wherever they are. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori’s book club on Patreon Nori’s website Sign up for Nori’s weekly Newsletter, The Nori Wrap Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret by Catherine Coleman Flowers CREEJ & The Guardian’s Sanitation Self-Report Form Catherine on Twitter Catherine on Facebook Catherine on Instagram American Society of Civil Engineering Report Card for America’s Infrastructure Lowndes Interpretive Center President Biden’s Climate Task Force White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council Pamela Rush