Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League

06/18/2026

06/16/2026

"Holding Ground: Climate, Culture, and Community Resilience on the Lowlands"

When we talk about climate change, we often focus on statistics and projections. But for millions of people living in lowland and coastal communities, climate change isn't a future threat. It's happening right now, reshaping the land beneath their feet and the cultures they've built over generations.

This week on In Our Backyard, we sit down with Kristina Peterson, a facilitator with the Lowlander Center — an organization dedicated to supporting lowland and coastal communities facing climate change, land loss, displacement, and environmental injustice.

For those less familiar, lowlands are areas at relatively low elevations near coastlines, rivers, wetlands, or floodplains. Because they sit close to sea level, these communities are especially exposed to flooding, hurricanes, erosion, and rising seas — and the people who call these places home are often among the most vulnerable and least resourced to respond.

In this episode, we explore:

What makes lowland communities uniquely vulnerable to climate impacts
How climate change threatens not just infrastructure, but culture, identity, and belonging
The painful reality of displacement and what it means to lose the land your community has called home for generations
How community-led resilience projects are helping people shape a more sustainable and just future
The role organizations like the Lowlander Center play in supporting communities to lead their own path forward
This is a conversation about loss, resilience, and the deep human stakes of the climate crisis. It's one you won't want to miss.

🎙️ Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6HN9LSAdxKuWrVZoIYJrMk?si=GbxfwcvxSmOEi0wQu2m16g

06/06/2026

As we prepare to move the B.E.A.S.T (BREDL Environmental Air Sampling Trailer) to its new location, here are a few photos from its visit to the pretty parlor. It needed a little TLC.

06/05/2026

Records request I sent to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) regarding surveillance of communities that oppose

Pursuant to the North Carolina Public Records Law (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-1, et seq.), I am requesting the following public records from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS), explicitly including records held by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the North Carolina Information Sharing and Analysis Center (NC ISAAC).

Please provide copies of all emails, email attachments, bulletins, threat assessments, situational awareness reports, internal memos, messages, and/or any other communications from June 1, 2025, to the present regarding:

· "Data center" or "datacenters."

· "Artificial intelligence" or "AI infrastructure"

· "Domestic Violent Extremist" or "DVE" when used in context with: infrastructure, zoning, protest, or public comment.

· Any communications, shared intelligence data, or references to "Data Center Watch" (datacenterwatch.org) or "10a Labs."

This request explicitly includes any inter-agency communications, as well as communications with local law enforcement agencies (including federal agencies) regarding the tracking, monitoring, and/or evaluation of community groups, individual residents, or public dissent opposing data center developments or local zoning ordinances.

I request that records be produced on a rolling basis as they are identified and cleared, rather than waiting for the entire request to be compiled. In addition, please provide the initial search hit count for these terms once the digital database query is run.

Considering that this issue involves core First Amendment activities and matters of considerable public interest, it is our hope that your response reflects the appropriate urgency.

Very Respectfully

06/01/2026

“Sustainability Is Not a Dirty Word: Reshaping the South’s Energy Future”

What does sustainability actually look like in the South — not in theory, but on the ground, in communities, with real people leading the way? This week on In Our Backyard, we get to find out.

We sat down with Laura Iyer, founder of the Southern Sustainability Institute, an organization working across the South to advance practical sustainability solutions through education, renewable energy, and community action. Laura’s approach is refreshing and deeply needed — she’s working to move sustainability out of the political arena and into the realm of resilience, opportunity, and collaboration.

In this episode, we explore:

• What inspired Laura to launch the Southern Sustainability Institute and what drives her work
• The state of sustainability across the South and where the biggest opportunities lie
• How local leadership — not just policy — can be the engine for real, lasting change
• Youth energy camps, leadership initiatives, and community partnerships that are reshaping how people think about a cleaner future
• Why sustainability is less about politics and more about building stronger, more resilient communities

This is the kind of hopeful, action-oriented conversation we need more of. Change is happening in the South, and it’s being driven by people who refuse to wait for permission.

🎙️ Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/08KXLvrdO1ZOUIpRLnaKVZ?si=OLBT6sNmShqyuVt3LGM5HQ

05/23/2026

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving ahead with plans to strike down the nation’s first-ever health standards for chemical contaminants found in the drinking water sources of millions of North Carolinians [and others across the country]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving ahead with plans to strike down the nation’s first-ever health standards for chemical contaminants found in the drinking water sources of millions of North Carolinians.

05/21/2026

Here's another little public records tip: if you are uneasy about the possibility that your local government or state environmental agency will withhold or destroy records. Send them a communication, in writing, requesting that they retain records The law is different in various states, etc. Don't say you have a lawyer. Simply ask for them to retain records.
PS- I'm not a lawyer-don't play one on TV either. However, it's a good strategy. and puts them on notice.

05/20/2026

"Power to the People: Understanding Energy Justice in Louisiana"

Your energy bill isn't just a number. It's the result of decisions made by regulators, policymakers, and utility companies — decisions that affect real families, real communities, and the future of our climate. This week on In Our Backyard, we're pulling back the curtain on how those decisions get made.

We sat down with Jackson Voss, Senior Government Affairs & Policy Advisor at the Alliance for Affordable Energy, to talk about the energy landscape in New Orleans and across Louisiana — a state where climate vulnerability, aging infrastructure, and rising household costs all collide in ways that demand serious attention.

Here's what we dig into in this episode:

What "affordable energy" actually means and what's driving costs up for everyday households
How Louisiana's energy systems are shaped by regulators and policymakers — and why those processes matter more than most people realize
The intersection of climate vulnerability and aging infrastructure across the state
The future of energy policy, including climate goals, gaps in the current system, and what a cleaner, more equitable energy transition could look like
How communities can stay engaged and make their voices heard in these critical decisions
Energy justice is environmental justice. And conversations like this one are exactly how communities start to take their power back.

Listen here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/bredl/episodes/34--Understanding-Energy-Policy-and-Power-Costs-in-Louisiana-e3j1cku

05/18/2026

Join us on Monday, May 18 to Tell Cumberland County: MORATORIUM NOW!

Our data center toolkit makes it easy to sign up to speak, contact your local officials, and learn more about how data centers are negatively effecting communities across the country. In NC, data centers are continue to guzzle water while cities are placing restrictions on water usage during a historic extreme drought. Duke Energy is making record profits, while increasing our electricity bills to pay for building infrastructure for data centers.

05/12/2026

TOMORROW! Join 7 Directions of Service, Haw River Assembly, Clean Water for North Carolina, and the Deep River Riverkeeper for a community discussion on the proposed fracked-gas pipeline in Chatham County.
Open to all concerned citizens, but the discussion will prioritize input from those directly impacted!
Register at hawriver.org/chatham-pipeline & email [email protected] with any questions or concerns.
9 Forest Hall at Chatham Mill.
480 Hillsboro St, Suite 530
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Wednesday, May 13th, 6 - 8 PM