Big Muddy Speaker Series

Presentation by Patricia Schuba, Labadie Environmental Organization

Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Westport Coffeehouse Theater – 4010 Pennsylvania Ave. Kansas City, MO
6 p.m. Social Hour
7 p.m. Presentation

Click here for flier (pdf)

In the fall of 2009, the topic of a proposed coal ash landfill  in the Missouri River floodplain monopolized the conversation at a local book club meeting in the small river town of Labadie, home of Ameren Missouri’s largest coal-fired power plant. Within one month, the group had organized as a nonprofit and held its first meeting in the basement of a local church.

The group is now called Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO) . The group has been a key force in mobilizing local opposition to permitting of coal ash storage in the Labadie Bottoms, a section of Missouri River floodplain upstream of the St. Louis area.

LEO’s success has been in giving voice to local people and in doing so, has begun the reclaiming of community power in making decisions that impact the environment and local economies. LEO President Patricia Schuba shares the story of how LEO formed and how it stayed true to its original mission to represent and empower impacted communities. She shares organizational choices which allowed LEO to stay together and effectively lobby on behalf of the floodplain and people. She shares information on the dangers of coal ash, current issues in energy and waste policy she is watching and how to message effectively on complicated scientific issues and how to build cross-community support.

Join us in a conversation about how communities can change river and floodplain policy and to hear the latest updates on LEO’s work.

Patricia Schuba is the President of Labadie Environmental Organization and the Director of the Coal Ash Program at Citizens Coal Council.

Directions

Westport CoffeeHouse – 4010 Pennsylvania Kansas City, Mo – www.westportcoffeehouse.com

The Westport CoffeeHouse is in the Westport entertainment area, midtown KC, south of downtown and north of the Plaza.  The main intersection is Westport Rd and Broadway.  From this intersection, go west on Westport Rd one block to Pennsylvania. Turn north (right).

OR you can get there from the intersection of Southwest Trafficway and Westport Rd.  Go east on Westport Rd to Pennsylvania. Turn north (left).

Westport Coffee House is approximately one block down on the west side of Pennsylvania.  Parking can be had either south of the coffee house in the large parking lot or just north of the coffee house alongside the building.  Enter through Green Room Burgers or Westport CoffeeHouse.