Community Mobilization for Environmental Problems: How a Grassro ...

governments purchased land containing chemical waste, and in each case, the land was divided into residential parcels, placed on the real estate market, and sold to unsuspecting homebuyers. The communities of Love Canal and Hickory Woods epitomize the struggle between industrial capitalism and the American dream. The costs of progress have forced some to sacrifice their portion of the American dream—home ownership and the right to be healthy in that home.

The point of convergence that interests me in these instances is the way in which a physical environmental problem is socially constructed among interest groups. When citizens are faced with scientific uncertainty on these issues, they are left to decide their own fates without government guidance, which usually offers a minimal standard of protection. How individuals come to know and decide the steps for action then becomes integral to understanding mobilization (Zavestoski; Agnello, Mignano, & Darroch, 2004; Shriver & Webb, 2009). The analysis of place provides insight into the transformation from knowledge into action, as well (Escobar, Rocheleau, & Kothari, 2002; Martin, 2003; Martinez, 2009). Individuals tend to frame the problem as connected to the place in which it occurs (such as the home), and in many cases this is a successful tactic because the broader geographical area holds significant meaning in connection to the current problem. A significant prior case of contamination, Love Canal, served as a framework for the residents’ case in Hickory Woods.

In the early 20th century Niagara Falls, New York, was viewed as the playground for industrial start-ups because they could harness the neighboring hydroelectric power of the falls for very little cost. William T. Love invested in this natural wonder in an effort to create a “Model City” in which the upper and lower portions of the Niagara River would be connected by a manmade canal, supplying the virtually free hydroelectricity to power the city’s industrial complex. Love’s dream would be cut short by an economic depression in the early 1900s that frightened potential investors. Instead of an operational canal, Niagara Falls was left