Lacy Cagle

I need to combine trips, which would be easier to do for me than others since I work remotely and can work from anywhere. I drive or take the train when I can. I wish we had more trains that actually had reasonable trips times. From St Louis, it only really makes sense to take Amtrak to Kansas City or Chicago, maybe Milwaukee.

The people most impacted by environmental degradation in my community are black and brown children and poorer people. Black children have significantly higher asthma rates and instances of lead poisoning than white children in the same neighborhoods do. Black communities/neighborhoods have much higher rates of illegal dumping happening in their neighborhoods and less safe access to parks and green spaces. Poorer neighborhoods have higher cancer rates and more exposure to lead through water pipes and paint.

YES! Spending less time outdoors means we are less connected to the biotic community, less resilient, and less aware of our impact on this place we call home. Spending time outdoors surrounded by things other than the ones we have made can make us more humble, more connected, and more grounded.

I should always carry a foldable/collapsible bag in my car and purse -- I used to!

I'm not going to lie - meat tastes good and makes me full much faster than eating fruits and veggies. Eating a  lot of meat used to be a cultural marker for having enough money to eat more meat, and now it is associated with Western cultural standards. 

CAFOs offer inhumane living conditions for animals, but people are also poorly affected by working in slaughter houses and by pollution from manure holding ponds.