Akron residents call for environmental justice east side investments

Akron residents and environmental advocates gathered Tuesday on the city’s east side to demand community benefit agreements to foster environmentally-friendly investments from local industries.

These agreements, made between residents, the city and companies would outline environmental investments, will help ensure community input is heard before companies can set up shop, said Beth Vild, COO of Big Love Network, a local environmental justice organization in Akron.

“What we’re asking for is for a participatory process with neighbors and creating those community benefit agreements moving forward for any industry that’s already in the neighborhood or going to move to the neighborhood,” she said.

Community benefits agreements could include a company committing to invest in local tree canopy or air quality monitors, Vild said.

“It can look a lot of different ways,” she said. “We just ask that the people that are directly impacted be involved in the process of drafting those community benefit agreements.”

The protest came just a day after city council voted in favor of a new WM waste transfer station at 1400 East Archwood Ave. in Ward 5 to replace the current two-acre station at 389 Fountain St. in the same ward.

At Monday’s council meeting, WM Area Disposal Manager Erick Palmer said the company will continue to address public concerns.

The march began at Chesapeake Pointe Apartments, across the street from the SMB Products, the site of a large chemical fire on Sept. 5. It then travelled to nearby Alterra Energy, a plant that converts recycled plastic into gas.

Those are just two industries that have created environmental and health concerns for residents that must be addressed, Vild said.

“East Akron is just getting hit over and over again in a lot of environmental injustice,” she said. “We’re here to march for environmental justice and start calling on residents and community members to band together.”

Vild said East Akron residents remain concerned about health conditions they believe to be related to local industry practices.

“A lot of respiratory issues, almost all the neighborhood kids have asthma,” Vild said. “There’s a lot of issues with birth defects and reproductive issues, neurological damage and in symptoms, a lot of pulmonary issues. And those are all symptoms of the chemicals that we’ve been able to trace back to Altera.”

In an emailed statement, Alterra representatives said the plant is subject to the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, and has operated with valid Ohio EPA air permits since 2015.

Big Love Network will continue to rally residents affected by the fire, Vild said, as well as those concerned about emissions from Alterra and the city’s recent approval of a new waste transfer station.