What can communities along the Cape Fear Rivers do?

   Unfortunately, there is very little that communities that are located next to industrial hog farming operations can do. The greatest concentration of these "farms" are in poor and mostly minority communities who don't have the means or knowledge to fight for basic rights such as water quality. Fortunately, there are many environmental groups in North Carolina who are trying to force the hog farming industry to clean up its act (links posted at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/ncc/NClinks/Webenvironment.cfm.)

   At the heart of this issue is a greater debate that continues to be fought throughout statehouses all across the country. It is the question of allowing large corporations to make huge profits at the expense of the environment and surrounding communities. Ultimately, it is the consumers who make the call, not the companies or the state and federal government. Because the methods of producing cheap goods such as pork or chemicals are kept out of sight from affluent, influential communities, they are allowed to continue business as usual. Meanwhile, poor, under represented people bear the true cost of consumer convenience. Until consumers make an across the board effort to understand how their food, medicines, and energy are manufactured, and what true costs are, the cycle of environmental destruction will continue.