Residents Shine a Light on Pollution in Long Beach

Jun. 6, 2013 / By

Long Beach residents currently live in air pollution, light pollution and water pollution. The Long Beach Port also plans to plant 6,000 trees by 2020 in an attempt to improve health quality this May. Unfortunately, this just may not be enough.

Those living near the ports, the 710 freeway and other high traffic areas have seen increasing number of birth defects and asthma rates and community members argue that a $500 million plan project proposed by Burlington northern Santa Fe Railway would increase health problems like birth defects and asthma rates.

This past weekend, residents were both participants and audience members at a show presented by The Great Leap, featuring stories written and performed by those affected by pollution in Long Beach.

Both youth and elders both worked together to form the cast, whose reactions and stories were captured in the video above.

For more information about The Great Leap and the work they do, go HERE.

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Adalhi Montes

As a teenager, Adalhi began volunteering at many programs helping our communities become healthier and safer to provide resources to people in need. He was involved with Weed and Seed in Central Long Beach and is a youth mentor for the California Conference for Equality and Justice. Adalhi is also in the process of completing the neighborhood leadership program at the Advanced Organizing Institute and is studying Radio and television broadcasting at LBCC. In the future, he looks forward to joining the Marine Corps and continuing his education.