Join the MSWAB on December 16th, 2020 for a screening of The Sacrifice Zone followed by a conversation on Just Transitions.
New York City’s garbage is exported and incinerated, harming residents of local communities like Newark, New Jersey. For the MSWAB’s annual fundraiser, we are screening The Sacrifice Zone, a film that showcases efforts to halt the environmental injustice.
Watch the 30-Minute Film: Any time Wednesday, December 16th between 4 PM and 6 PM via a Vimeo link (password provided upon registration).
Join the conversation of Just Transitions: Wednesday, December 16th at 6:30 PM via Zoom link and password provided upon registration. MSWAB Chair Matt Civello will moderate a discussion with environmental justice activist Maria Lopez-Nuñez and lawyer Paul Casowitz.
The Film: The Sacrifice Zone
Between 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Honduran-American Maria Lopez-Nuñez, a resident of Newark’s Ironbound district, is waging a war for environmental justice. The Sacrifice Zone follows Maria as she leads local activists and politicians in a fight to break the cycle of poor communities of color serving as dumping grounds so the rest of us can live in comfortable ignorance.
The Conversation: Just Transitions
6:30 - 7:30 PM
Maria Lopez-Nuñez
Maria is Deputy Director of Advocacy and Organizing of the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC). She has committed herself to holding power brokers and polluters accountable and fights for environmental, housing, immigrant, and racial justice. She has organized and helped the passage of historic and landmark city and state legislation such as the Right to Council, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the Environmental Justice Cumulative Impacts.
“Garbage is a universal issue. Policy is often decided at the local level. I learned a lot of political science during my tenure in City government. How a community deals with garbage is a good indicator of its capability to manage other public issues.”
Paul Casowitz
Paul graduated from New York Law School, magna cum laude in 1989, where he was a John Ben Snow Scholar. He served as Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Department of Sanitation responsible for engineering and planning for the City’s waste disposal system. Paul was admitted to the practice of law in NY and NJ and while working for New York City was extensively involved in issues of environmental policy, risk communication, as well as, all aspects of municipal procurement and contracting. He currently serves as counsel with Sive, Paget & Riesel.