By Jeni Jenkins, Hoosier Environmental Council—
Delaware County, IN—The Hoosier Environmental Council, Keep Delaware County Clean, League of Women Voters of Muncie-Delaware County and local concerned citizens are partnering to host a free online public workshop for people concerned about the impacts of factory farms, also known as Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). This informational workshop, which focuses on education, action, and expanding the emerging local and statewide movement for a more sustainable food production system, will take place online on Saturday, December 5, 2020 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Kim Ferraro, the Hoosier Environmental Council’s Senior Staff Attorney and Director of Agricultural Policy, will lead the workshop. Ferraro will discuss the threats that CAFOs pose to Indiana’s air, waterways, drinking water, and communities. The workshop will also cover ways participants can protect their communities and families from these threats and how Hoosiers from all over the state can collectively move Indiana toward a sustainable food future that is good for their communities, the environment, animals and the economy.
“Many Hoosiers across our mostly rural state suffer from exposure to an array of dangerous air pollutants from factory farms and find their groundwater threatened by improper management of manure. Through our community workshops, we seek to empower our fellow Hoosiers to protect themselves and their communities from these hazards to their health and quality of life. After all, a healthier Indiana is ultimately a more prosperous Indiana,” said Ferraro.
Citizens in Delaware County, Indiana have a vital role to play in the growing movement to reduce the pollution impacts of our state’s factory farms. This workshop aims to expand that movement and provide participants with the tools needed to:
- Limit the irresponsible siting of new CAFOs
- Ensure that existing CAFOs are following the law
- Become effective advocates in pushing for more protective local and state policies
- Understand how food choice affects the environment, including its connection to climate change
- Understand citizens’ legal rights under zoning, land use, environmental, and public access laws as they relate to CAFOs
- Make positive change in a challenging political climate and build the local and statewide movement for a more sustainable food production system
Please register at https://DelawareCAFOWorkshop.eventbrite.com.
Contact HEC’s Senior Special Projects Coordinator, Jeni Jenkins, with questions about the event at jjenkins@hecweb.org. Contact HEC’s Senior Staff Attorney, Kim Ferraro, with questions about CAFOs at kferraro@hecweb.org.
About Hoosier Environmental Council
Founded thirty-five years ago, the Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) is the largest statewide environmental policy organization in Indiana. HEC aims to advance solutions that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Visit http://hecweb.org for more information. You can also follow HEC on Twitter: @hec_ed or follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/hecweb.
