Environmental ‘top gun’ visits

At home, she’s a genial grandmother. On the job, she’s what one chemical industry spokesperson calls “a top gun for the environmental movement.” Wilma Subra defies the stereotypes of environmental crusaders, and that makes her effective.

The Louisiana activist will give a free lecture 4 p.m. Thursday, March 7, in the Pyle Center, “Success Stories: How Environmental Justice Communities Can Change Government Environmental Policies.” During the past 20 years, Subra has helped hundreds of communities challenge powerful polluters. Much of her work has been in poor towns along an 85-mile-long stretch of the Lower Mississippi River, often called “Cancer Alley” because of its proliferation of chemical and fertilizer plants and refineries. Information: 262-5932, wang@geology.wisc.edu.