Local Voices and Impact

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Swan SONGS: Nonprofit Warns Locals

The Samuel Lawrence Foundation screened the 2023 film "SOS: San Onofre Syndrome" for a crowd of concerned citizens at the La Paloma Theater on October 5, 2025. The film was made by James Heddle, Mary Beth Brangan, and Morgan Peterson, and it covers the various events that have led to the current state of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). 

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11 Oct

Protect Trestles Paddle-Out

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: San Clemente State Beach

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Youth Powering Change: Inside the Climate Tech Classrooms of Tomorrow

In California, where climate change collides daily with droughts, wildfires, and rising seas, a new generation is stepping forward with innovation in hand. Across the state, classrooms are evolving into climate tech incubators, equipping young people not just to understand the crisis, but to engineer solutions.

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Mental Health in the Shadow of Disaster

For communities living near high-risk industrial or environmental sites, the threat of disaster is not a distant possibility but a daily reality. The psychological toll of this proximity, a constant, low-grade fear that simmers beneath the surface, is often a forgotten consequence of environmental injustice.

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The Price of Living Near Progress: Health Costs of Industry on Marginalized Neighborhood’s

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From Protests to Policy: The Environmental Justice Movement Goes Mainstream

For decades, the fight for environmental justice has been waged on a local level, in community centers, at city council meetings, and on the front lines of protests against toxic facilities. This grassroots activism, born from the simple truth that all people deserve a clean and healthy environment, has historically been a ground-up movement. Now, we are witnessing a pivotal and powerful shift: the environmental justice movement is going mainstream, influencing state and federal policy in unprecedented ways.

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Over 70% of U.S. Physicians Believe Climate Change is Impacting Patient Health

In a striking revelation, more than 70% of U.S. physicians agree that climate change is already having a significant impact on patient health, according to the Medical Society Consortium. This acknowledgment highlights the growing awareness among healthcare professionals about the direct links between environmental issues and public health.

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Air Pollution Impacts Fetal DNA and Genes

Studies have revealed significant public health implications of prenatal exposure to air pollution. Research indicates that such exposure can alter DNA methylation in newborns (Baccarelli et al., 2020). This crucial finding underscores the enduring impacts of environmental factors on epigenetic processes, with the potential to affect health outcomes across generations.

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How Communities Prepare for a Disaster

When nuclear plants shut down but the waste stays behind, what happens to the people who trained for catastrophe?