Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) began its work in 1969 from the St. Louis Conference on the Environment at the Missouri Botanical Garden as the region’s first independent citizens’ group created to address a broad range of environmental policy issues. MCE began before there was an EPA or a Department of Natural Resources. They began fighting for environmental protection before there was a Clean Water Act or Clean Air Act.
Since their beginnings, MCE has engaged agencies, governments, corporations and communities in critical decisions about Missouri’s environment. They have routinely conducted citizen education so people can make informed decisions about the legal underpinnings of environmental protections, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Farm Bill, local ordinances, health standards, and other tools that govern our land, water, food, health, and air. Today, MCE works to enforce the laws that protect our public land and natural resources, and advocate for change at all levels of government for the protection of environmental and public health.
Watch Makenna Nickens share the background and vision of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. Then visit the ClimateGKC Channel for more partner interviews, podcasts and learning videos.
