Monday, April 20, 2015

Lynn Bonnett ~ Environmental Activist

As aspiring Environmental Scientists, it’s advantageous for us to network and meet up with others who aspire to do what we do, and even more so with people who are veterans!  Lynn Bonnett, former chair of the New Haven Environmental Justice Network, is a prime example of what we aim to do in the future!  Today in our Bay & Paul meeting, she came and spoke to us how she became involved in her work, what her and her group have accomplished over the years, and projects that they are currently working on. For those of you who could not make it to the meeting today, she is offering a few of us spots for internships over the summer to further work on the current project, so read up!

New Haven Independent—“Bonnett near land that caused the delay”

Ms. Bonnet majored in biology when she was an undergraduate student in college.  From there, she went on to do medical research, and branched off into Physical Therapy.  She moved to New Haven in the 1990s as a Physical Therapist, and one day went on a “Toxic Tour” around to the Hartford power plant.  This tour was the birth of her environmental activism, and she started attending meetings for the New Haven Environmental Justice Network, and ultimately became chair!

The project that the network is currently working on relates to air quality.  As we know, air quality in the city of New Haven is only getting worse, and this team has investigated mercury emissions from a power plant in the area.  They are collecting samples by placing moss in various areas, and testing to identify the amount of mercury that was absorbed in the area!

This is the site of the network if you wish to learn more about it.


This is a link to the New Haven Independent’s article about the recent success of the network. 

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