Documentary Review: Green

Hey Everyone, sorry about the late post!

The Documentary “Green” is directed, produced, and edited be a graduate student; Laura Dunn. The film was produced in 2000, and focuses on “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana, formerly known as “Cancer Corridor”, which is an area about 100 miles between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Dunn travels from town to town between Baton Rouge and New Orleans to film the effects of petrochemical plants that are being dumped in the Mississippi river and also the effects of the chemical refineries in neighborhoods. In each town she reports personal stories of how people are affected by the environmental crisis in Louisiana.

Summary

She begins her journey in Baton Rouge. She shows an area in this town where there are organic vegetables being sold next to a toxic waste clean up. I was very shocked to find out how close people really live to these dangerous chemicals. In this town there is a 13-year-old girl who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare case of cancer that produced numerous tumors all over her body. The girl believes her diagnosis was caused by the environment she lives in.

Another story that stuck me in this film was the case of a 2-year-old boy who was diagnose with Rhabdomysarcoma, a rare case of brain tumor. This story takes place in Gonzales, just 30 miles from Baton Rouge. I was compelled believe this diagnosis had something to do with the area they live at after this case. I was even more certain when another child living just 3 miles from the 2-year-boy was diagnosed with the same type of cancer. Why aren’t doctors or community leaders taking note of this and taking actions? According to the video it seems like only average community members are doing something to get this crisis to be notice. And most of the government officials are just thinking about their pockets, considering that taking a step will be very costly. A lady interviewed in this film explains this very well by saying “They don’t see human being all the see is green; M.O.N.E.Y. Some people will sell their soul for a dollar”. The EPA isn’t doing much about this problem either.


In Convent, a town not too far from Gonzales there was a lady interviewed about the environmental situation in her town. I was really touched by her words. She says that most of these big manufacturers have brain washed consumers and that have become “consumeristic” and these companies convince us he have to buy their products to survive. For instance plastic, we all find it useful, but she argues we can live without just like we did before it was invented. Another lady mentions how we have become immune to this environmental crisis, passing it down from generation to generation.

My thoughts
I was touched by all the stories in the documentaries. I didn’t even know about “cancer alley” until I watched this film. It really heartbreaking to know that government officials aren’t doing much to help the people in these communities. It seems like there will always be conflicts over money and power everywhere. The EPA should be ashamed of themselves, can’t believe all they’re trying to do is to scrape two feet off a nine feet affected soil to make thing better; which is going to help at all in the long run.

Terms:
Environmental Racism: refers to intentional or unintentional racial discrimination in the enforcement of environmental rules and regulations, the intentional or unintentional targeting of minority communities[1] for the siting of polluting industries, or the exclusion of minority groups from public and private boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies.

Excutive Order 12898: (It was too long to write down) :)

Thanks for reading! Have a great week!