In Their Own Words:
Midwest Environmental Advocates is the first and only non-profit environmental law center in Wisconsin. MEA provides legal and technical support to grassroots groups that are working for environmental justice in the Western Great Lakes region.

Its Objectives:
1) Increase Legal Support on Environmental Issues for Lower Income Groups
In order to increase the amount of legal resources (both human and capital) available for environmental issues, MEA is building an Advocacy Network comprised of volunteer law students, lawyers, legal secretaries, and others. MEA serves as a clearinghouse that links groups in need of legal assistance with advocates. Law students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School participate through an externship program that trains them to use lawyering as a tool for social change. The short-term goal is to increase MEA's ability to provide high quality legal services. The long-term goal is to increase the resources available for public interest law and the opportunities for lawyers to work in the public interest.

2) Enforce Environmental Laws, Regulations, and Agreements
Our laws are only as good as their enforcement. MEA uses a variety of legal tools to protect the environment. MEA brings cases in administrative, state, and federal court. MEA often works with co-counsel from our Advocacy Network. The goal is to reduce the threats to public health, the environment, and Native lands and sovereignty by holding polluters accountable for their actions.

3) Strengthen a Diverse Coalition of Communities Impacted by Environmental Problems
Diverse coalitions help overcome the tendency of individual groups to be isolated and marginalized by their opponents. Multicultural coalitions are also a first step to overcoming racism. When addressing an environmental problem, MEA works with or brings together a multicultural coalition to develop grassroots organizing strategies, create public outreach messages, and determine which legal tools best fit their needs. The goal of building these coalitions is to increase collaboration among diverse groups in order to increase the effectiveness of our political and legal strategies and to reduce ethnic tension in the region.

4) Maximize Community Education and Public Participation in Environmental Decision-making
MEA creates legal and technical materials for non-lawyers and works with local leaders to conduct "know your rights" and public speaking workshops. These workshops aim to mobilize local leaders to speak at public hearings, events, and press conferences. The goal of this component is to build social capital by facilitating the emergence of local leaders and increasing the capacity of low-income groups to shape the policies that impact their lives.

What You Can Do:
Sign up for MEA's Advocacy Updates, Join the Advocacy Network or make a donation.