Letter of the Week: Stand up for Missourians’ health

Missourians’ health

My teachers in grade school first inspired me to become more active in protecting our outdoor spaces. My love for hiking kept me passionate while I was participating in student activism in college.

When I was diagnosed with asthma, environmental protection became an issue of life or death for me. Knowing that air pollution could send me to a hospital emergency room brought my advocacy new meaning.

Here in Kansas City, we know that pollution from power plants poses a serious threat to air quality. Unfortunately, we have seen numerous bills pending in the state legislature, trying to dismantle laws to protect our air.

I recently went to Washington, D.C., as the chair of the Missouri Sierra Club to meet elected officials and talk about why protecting our air is so important. I will share my story as well as those from Kansas City area residents who are affected by harmful air pollution.

I hope more people will join me in contacting Sens. Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt and your U.S. representatives to urge them to stand up for Missourians’ health.

Sarah Willey, 29, of Florissant, is a 2008 graduate of Truman State University with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on environmental studies. She received her master’s in December 2015 at Washington University. She works at the Washington University School of Medicine. She has been a member of the Missouri Sierra Club since 2008 and is its current chair.

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Letter of the Week: Stand up for Missourians’ health."