Ironbound, a 4-square mile section of New Jersey, is home to the Port of Newark, three power plants, the state’s largest garbage incinerator, and the longest superfund site in the country - the Passaic River, where during the Vietnam war, the weapons industry was dumping dioxin directly into the river.

As a resident of the Ironbound, Maria has firsthand experience with the environmental injustices that have befallen her overburdened neighborhood and works tirelessly for equality and representation, both locally and nationally. Maria Lopez-Nuñez works for the Ironbound Community Corporation as its Deputy Director of Organizing & Advocacy, and serves on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. She helped to pass the country’s strongest, Cumulative Impacts Law in the state of New Jersey. In this segment, Maria speaks about what it means to be a resident in the Ironbound and the sacrifices that have been made in the name of industry.

CREDITS: Filmed and produced by 5ive, this video is part of On the Frontlines of Environmental Justice, a short film series created by the Climate Equity Initiative at CATF, and to be continued by the Climate Equity Foundation. Our partners are 5ive, BW Research Partnership, MG Strategy + Design, and Equnival Partners.