Woodland Acres

Working Toward Environmental Justice

Lupe Cordova has lived in the Ship Channel community of Woodland Acres for more than 15 years. Lupe acknowledges that air pollution from industries on the Ship Channel is a problem in her community. She says the air smells all the time like chemicals, chlorine, paint, or raw sewage. Sometimes it burns her eyes and nose and that of her children. The smell seeps into her home and lingers so that she has to open the windows to air it out. But, Lupe feels the pollution coming from within her community is more of a threat to her and her family than that wafting from big industry on the Houston Ship Channel.

Lupe explains that several small industries including steel fabricating, welding, and transport operations have sprouted up in Woodland Acres on land purchased many years ago and left vacant. The uncontrolled air emissions from these small sources affect her community's environment all day, every day. Eighteen-wheelers from these operations also create exhaust and dust, damage her living environment, and threaten the safety of children in the neighborhood. The owners don't maintain their property and beyond being an eyesore, piles of discarded materials harbor rodents and snakes.

Lupe says this is a political issue. She is frustrated by the response she gets from different departments in the city who say their hands are tied because there is no zoning. She has stopped sending letters to the City because she no longer believes it will do any good. She says that the City is making money on what is being done in the Ship Channel area, and should be as concerned about living conditions within its communities as it is about the appearance of downtown to visitors.

When asked why she stays in Woodland Acres, Lupe says she feels trapped because the pollution has caused the price of homes to drop. Although her home is paid for, she feels she would not be able to sell her home for enough money to make a down payment if she ever considered a move. Nevertheless, she will never stop working to improve her living situation. "This is a health issue that affects my home and my family. It is not just the way I live, it is the way everyone around here lives. I am not just concerned about my family, but about the whole community."

Lupe Cordova is president of the Woodland Acres chapter of Mothers for Clean Air.