On Sunday, March 30th, Missouri Coalition for the Environment is holding its Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour event at the Blue Note Theatre in Columbia, MO. Audiences can expect a thought-provoking and engaging experience centered around environmental issues that resonate not only with Missouri but also on a national and global scale. The event will feature a family-friendly atmosphere with films suitable for all ages, including an award-winning documentary produced by MCE. This combination of education and entertainment ensures that attendees leave with a deeper understanding of environmental challenges and their impact on communities.
Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) is Missouri’s independent, citizens’ environmental organization for clean water, clean air, clean energy, and a healthy environment.
MCE began its work in 1969 from the St. Louis Conference on the Environment at the Missouri Botanical Garden as the region’s first independent citizens’ group created to address a broad range of environmental policy issues. MCE began before there was an EPA or a Department of Natural Resources. We began fighting for environmental protection before there was a Clean Water Act or Clean Air Act.
Since their beginnings, they have engaged agencies, governments, corporations and communities in critical decisions about Missouri’s environment. They have routinely conducted citizen education so people can make informed decisions about the legal underpinnings of environmental protections, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Farm Bill, local ordinances, health standards, and other tools that govern our land, water, food, health, and air. Today, they work to enforce the laws that protect public land and natural resources, and advocate for change at all levels of government for the protection of environmental and public health.
The work that Missouri Coalition for the Environment does is focused on how people are impacted by their environment. By connecting with communities around the state, they focus on spreading awareness, serving their neighbors, and advocating for change to make a positive difference in the lives of all Missourians.
From Kansas City to St. Louis, MCE fights to ensure everyone in Missouri has access to clean, healthy air to breathe regardless of their race, income, or where they live. This work takes the form in proposing new policies to transition faster towards renewable, clean energy sources and away from burning fossil fuels, educating communities about the harms of air pollution, and monitoring permit applications from air polluters and challenging permits with public comments and/or litigation when necessary.
MCE advocates for clean water and the communities that depend on it. MCE’s water program protects Missouri’s precious remaining floodplains and wetlands, pushes for water quality standards that protect our health and ecosystems, and stands up against pollutive industries. They are committed to protecting access to Missouri’s water treasures, such as the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and they support farmers whose practices build healthy soil and keep waterways safe and clean.
Missouri’s state park system includes the first national park designated to protect a river system, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, and one of the original national wild and scenic rivers, the Eleven Point River. From county parks to the Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri’s public lands protect natural treasures such as springs, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and valuable water resources. MCE has worked to save parks and public lands from private development and polluters since they were founded.
For more than two decades, through direct citizen and government engagement, MCE has supported the removal and relocation of radioactive material that contaminated the St. Louis region. Under the Army Corps of Engineers, more than 1,000,000 cubic yards of radioactive contamination has been removed from the St. Louis Downtown Site and contaminated sites along Coldwater Creek in north St. Louis County, including the St. Louis Airport Site and Latty Avenue Properties in Hazelwood. MCE’s most recent efforts focused on support for full removal of the radioactive material and a buyout for homeowners closest to the West Lake Landfill Superfund site in St. Louis County near Bridgeton, Missouri.
MCE’s works to diversify Missouri’s farming economy, help environmentally-responsible farmers thrive, participate in community-led food justice programs, conserve fertile soils and clean water, and ensure access to a healthy and secure food supply for all people. They believe that to sustain a healthy environment and healthy communities across Missouri, they must work toward a future in which nutritious, locally produced food is accessible and affordable for everyone, and farmers can make a living wage producing it.
Carmen Harris, Development Director for MCE, says, “Hosting a WSFF On Tour Event provides significant benefits for the organization. It increases exposure, allowing us to reach a broader audience and raise awareness about our mission. The event offers an accessible and relatable way to engage community members of all ages, fostering a sense of connection and shared responsibility. Additionally, it educates attendees on practical ways to reduce their environmental impact within their own communities and may inspire them to take actionable steps toward positive change.”
Carmen’s favorite thing about putting on this event is “that it serves as an innovative and impactful way to further our mission of educating, advocating, and organizing in defense of Missouri’s people and their environment. It brings us closer to our vision of a clean, safe, and protected environment for all Missourians, regardless of race, income, or geography. Seeing the community come together to learn, engage, and take action is incredibly rewarding and reinforces the importance of our work for current and future generations.”
