"Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret" by Catherine Flowers

Industrial pollution, corporate responsibility, community activism, and the impact on human health.

Reflection Questions:

1. How does Flowers' personal story highlight the direct link between industrial waste and public health issues in affected communities?

2. What specific examples from the book demonstrate the challenges individuals and communities face when trying to hold corporations accountable for environmental damage?

3. In what ways does the book suggest that environmental health is often a social justice issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations?

"Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver

Climate change, scientific understanding vs. personal belief, rural communities, and environmental change.

Reflection Questions:

1. How does the novel portray the tension between scientific understanding of environmental issues (like climate change) and the immediate concerns or beliefs of a rural community?

2. What are the public health implications, both direct and indirect, of the environmental changes described in the book (e.g., the monarch butterfly phenomenon)?

3. How does the protagonist, Dellarobia, evolve in her understanding of environmental issues, and what does this suggest about engaging the public on complex environmental health topics?

"Erin Brockovich" (Film)

Corporate negligence, water contamination, legal battles, and grassroots advocacy.

Reflection Questions:

1. How does the film illustrate the devastating impact of contaminated public water supplies on the health of a community?

2. What tactics did Erin Brockovich use to gather information and mobilize the affected residents, and how effective were they in addressing the public health crisis?

3. What lessons can be learned from the film about the role of ordinary citizens in uncovering and fighting for environmental justice and public health?

General Reflection & Comparison

1. Across these three works, what common challenges emerge when trying to protect or restore public environmental health?

2. Which work, in your opinion, most effectively conveys the urgency or complexity of public environmental health issues, and why?

3. What are the different approaches to activism and advocacy presented in these works, and which seem most promising for addressing environmental health concerns today?