Catherine Flowers Highlights Rural Sewage Crisis
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- Catherine Coleman Flowers is a MacArthur “genius” award‑winning environmental justice activist who has dedicated her career to exposing inadequate waste and water sanitation infrastructure in rural U.S. communities.
- She describes the lack of affordable, clean sewage disposal in many rural American homes as “America’s dirty secret.”
- In the video interview, she discusses her new book Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope.
- The interview is conducted by Lee Hedgepeth, a reporter and fellow Alabamian.
- The piece is part of Inside Climate News’ Earth Day series, which provides free climate reporting and partners with other media outlets.
Why it matters: Rural Americans lacking affordable sewage disposal face health and environmental risks, while policymakers and NGOs gain a clear, personal illustration of the infrastructure deficit that can drive targeted investment and reform. The story frames the sanitation gap as a hidden public‑health crisis, urging officials to prioritize funding for septic upgrades and giving community advocates a rallying point for justice‑driven policy.
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