Our Story
Mission
The mission of Midwest Environmental Advocates is to provide high quality legal services that support a multicultural, grassroots social movement; build local leadership; and implement innovative solutions to environmental problems.
The Genesis of Midwest Environmental Advocates
Midwesterners are a people rooted in their land. That bond can be traced from a time when lakes and rivers formed the backbone of villages and transportation for European settlers. This connection with the land is even more significant for the Native American communities that preceded European settlement.
Despite this connection, the region faces many environmental problems, from toxic fish to pollution from livestock factories. In Wisconsin, the 1990s were marked by an alarming demise in environmental protection. In 1995, the Governor eliminated the Office of the Public Intervenor, which was the only public interest environmental law presence in the state, and made the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources a cabinet position. This politicization of environmental regulation agencies has greatly reduced the enforcement of environmental laws.
Since the government has failed to protect public health and the ecosystem, citizen enforcement of environmental laws is essential. A group of concerned citizens saw the need to create an environmental law center in Wisconsin to do just this and began to plan how to make this center come to life. With the financial support of echoing green, the National Association for Public Interest Lawyers, and individual donors, Midwest Environmental Advocates opened its doors in September of 1999. MEA now provides legal and technical assistance to community-based groups, local governments, and tribal governments that are fighting for environmental justice.
Our Objectives
MEA believes that with access to public education and information, advocacy training, legal representation, and the building of coalitions, local communities can be empowered to be effective advocates.
The Four Primary Objectives of Midwest Environmental Advocates are to:
1. Increase legal support on environmental issues for lower income groups;
2. Enforce environmental laws, regulations, and agreements;
3. Strengthen a diverse coalition of communities impacted by environmental problems; and
4. Maximize community education and public participation in environmental decision-making.
1) Increase Legal Support on Environmental Issues for Lower Income Groups
In order to increase the amount of legal resources (both human and capital) available for environmental issues, MEA is building an Advocacy Network comprised of volunteer law students, lawyers, legal secretaries, and others. MEA serves as a clearinghouse that links groups in need of legal assistance with advocates. Law students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School participate through an externship program that trains them to use lawyering as a tool for social change. The short-term goal is to increase MEA's ability to provide high quality legal services. The long-term goal is to increase the resources available for public interest law and the opportunities for lawyers to work in the public interest.
2) Enforce Environmental Laws, Regulations, and Agreements
Our laws are only as good as their enforcement. MEA uses a variety of legal tools to protect the environment. MEA brings cases in administrative, state, and federal court. MEA often works with co-counsel from our Advocacy Network. The goal is to reduce the threats to public health, the environment, and Native lands and sovereignty by holding polluters accountable for their actions.
3) Strengthen a Diverse Coalition of Communities Impacted by Environmental Problems
Diverse coalitions help overcome the tendency of individual groups to be isolated and marginalized by their opponents. Multicultural coalitions are also a first step to overcoming racism. When addressing an environmental problem, MEA works with or brings together a multicultural coalition to develop grassroots organizing strategies, create public outreach messages, and determine which legal tools best fit their needs. The goal of building these coalitions is to increase collaboration among diverse groups in order to increase the effectiveness of our political and legal strategies and to reduce ethnic tension in the region.
4) Maximize Community Education and Public Participation in Environmental Decision-making
MEA creates legal and technical materials for non-lawyers and works with local leaders to conduct "know your rights" and public speaking workshops. These workshops aim to mobilize local leaders to speak at public hearings, events, and press conferences. The goal of this component is to build social capital by facilitating the emergence of local leaders and increasing the capacity of low-income groups to shape the policies that impact their lives.
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