Freedom to Breathe is driving across 9 states over 21 days to highlight the links between climate justice and social justice. The tour speaks with local leaders and residents who are organizing for solutions and connecting the dots about how climate change threatens their communities.

Justice First
Saturday, 8/25

Choosing between clean air and water and a good job isn’t much of a choice, but communities in Georgia face this catch-22 every day. Coal, nuclear or natural gas power plants offer near-term economic benefits, but pose enormous health challenges. Freedom to Breathe kicks off with a town hall featuring Georgia organizers and leaders fighting for equity and cleaner air, specifically as they pertain to the role of nuclear power in Atlanta.

Partner: Georgia WAND and Justice First Tour
Learn more: Townhall RSVP | Nuclear Harm Reduction by Georgia WAND

Living with Nuclear
Saturday, 8/25

The continued race for nuclear dominance is bringing more nuclear power plants to Georgia’s rural Shell Bluff community. This also means heightened health risks for residents. Home to the Plant Vogtle nuclear facility, local residents suffer from higher cancer rates than the average Georgian. Concern has grown recently after a plan was announced to expand the nuclear plant, especially because Georgia WAND links the expansion to an increasing demand for nuclear weapons.

Partner: Georgia WAND
Learn more: Locals Condemn Expansion of Nuclear Power Plant, Courthouse News | Nuclear Energy in the U.S., Climate Nexus

Farming in a Changing Climate
Sunday, 8/26

Climate change is creating dangerous conditions for outdoor workers. Farm workers risk unsafe levels of heat exposure and are being asked not to work when temperatures soar -- meaning fewer work days and less income. We will go on a walking tour with farmworkers in Florida to discuss this threat along with the destruction caused by pesticides that have made Lake Apopka one of the most polluted large lakes in Florida.

Partner: Farmworker Association of Florida
Learn more: Information Sheets about Farmworkers, Farmworker Association of America | Scorching Heat is Driving Down Economic Productivity Around the World, Washington Post

Gentrification & Climate Resilience
Monday, 8/27

Communities of color and low income neighborhoods are losing their homes as sea level rise drives coastal residents to move further inland. With cities across the country grappling with the impacts of climate change, the town hall will focus on the rise of gentrification as South Florida prepares for a future of extreme weather and sea level rise. The Miami visit will also include a walking tour in Little Haiti, home to many Haitian immigrant residents who are facing displacement from sea level rise.

Partner: CLEO Institute
Learn more: Town Hall RSVP, CLEO | Climate Gentrification Will Deepen Urban Inequality, City Lab

Katrina 13
Wednesday, 8/29

In the 13 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans residents, what environmental issues still exist and who are the people working to solve them? This town hall focuses on women-led efforts for climate justice, reproductive rights, and more.

Partner: Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy
Learn more: Why Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Matter after Katrina, Understanding Katrina

Racist Placements of Fossil Fuel Infrastructure
Thursday, 8/30

Towns in Cancer Alley, a stretch of land in the Gulf Coast filled with fossil fuel infrastructure, suffer from some of the highest rates of cancer in the country. Many of these communities have large black, brown and indigenous populations, highlighting the racial and unjust underpinnings of where fossil fuel infrastructure is located. Hear from residents about how they are working to make life safer in Africatown.

Partner: Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy
Learn more: Toxic Tensions in the Heart of Cancer Alley, CNN

When Refineries Flood: Health Harm from Hurricanes
Sunday, 9/2

From Africatown to Port Arthur in Texas, Americans across the country live in communities filled with power plants or refineries. Port Arthur refineries flooded during Hurricane Harvey, creating additional health risks for residents.

Partner: WE ACT
Learn more: Harvey Victims Face Toxic Pollution as Hurricane Recovery Begins, The Intercept

Infrastructure and Immigration: Overlapping Spheres of Justice
Wednesday, 9/5

We visit Karnes City and Odessa to meet with local residents about living so close to fracked oil and gas sites. While some people are organizing to protect health and improve air quality in Karnes, others are fighting to close an immigration detention facility, linking immigration and climate change together.

Partner: Earthworks
Learn more: Oil and Gas Health Effects, Earth Works

This Land Is Our Land: Carlsbad Caverns
Thursday, 9/6

With the Trump Administration’s efforts to roll back the Endangered Species Act and sell public lands to oil and gas companies, public lands in the country are under threat like never before. Join us as we drive the bus into a national park to deliver the message that all Americans should have the freedom to breathe.

Learn more: Land Managers Defer Drilling Near Carlsbad Caverns, Associated Press

Growing Climate Solutions
Friday, 9/7

With a low greenhouse gas footprint and healthy food to feed to local residents, small farms offer near-term solutions to curbing the rate of climate change. In Albuquerque, urban Chispas Farms highlights how local action can drive solutions.

Partner: Chispas Farms
Learn more: Organic Farming 'Could be Key to Feeding the World as Global Warming Takes Hold,' The Independent

Colorado Climate, Jobs and Justice Summit
Saturday, 9/8

People will rise for climate, jobs, and justice in a mass mobilization across the country on September 8. The Freedom to Breathe tour will participate in the Denver event, where there will be a particular focus on creating a “just transition” for workers as the world continues to shift production away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.

Partner: Colorado People’s Alliance and People’s Climate Movement
Learn more: Event Registration, CO People’s Alliance

Saving Money and the Planet with Solar
Monday, 9/10

Renewable energy, like solar, is creating jobs, lowering utility bills, and reducing climate pollution. In our final stop before California, we meet with SunRun to tour their solar factory and hear about their plans to continue providing affordable solar panels.

Partner: SunRun
Learn more: SunRun & Nevada Backgrounder

We Are Still In Forum
Wednesday, 9/13

More than 3,000 American leaders in cities, companies, and states across the country have committed to climate action through We Are Still In. The Freedom to Breathe bus will be parked in front of the coalition’s day-long conference, sharing lessons learned from the road throughout the day.

Partner: We Are Still In
Learn more: We Are Still In is A Groundswell for Climate Action, We Are Still In

Global Climate Action Summit
Thursday, 9/14

Climate leaders converge in San Francisco to discuss the climate challenge and how to increase the level of ambition to drive even further action. A speaker from the bus tour will present findings from Freedom to Breathe at the Summit, making the case for climate justice to be incorporated into any and all climate change solutions.

Partner: Global Climate Action Summit
Learn more: Global Climate Action Summit