Discarded

This is the story of a modern-day Erin Brockovich, set on the Mississippi River in an area known as “Cancer Alley." Her name is Sharon Lavigne, her community is St. James Parish in Louisiana, and her fight is to keep out one of the largest plastic manufacturing companies in the world. In this investigative four-part series, hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Gloria Riviera, we discover how our plastic world came to be. Because plastic is everywhere - it has advanced our world, but it has damaged our environment and our health. So what do we do? We look at what’s next for all of us, and how we can learn from communities like St. James to make a difference in our own backyards. This series is presented in partnership with Only One, the action platform for the planet. Only One is on a mission to restore ocean health and tackle the climate crisis in this generation — with your help. Visit only.one to learn more and get involved.

Episodes

Discarded (Official Trailer)

January 23, 2023 • 3 mins

Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our homes, grocery stores, oceans, soil and even our bodies. While the invention of plastic has advanced our world, it has seriously damaged our environment and our health. In this investigative four-part series, hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Gloria Riviera, we look at how our plastic world came to be, and how one woman stood up to say enough in her own community. Available February 7, where...

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David vs. Goliath

February 7, 2023 • 50 mins

The shadow of Goliath is looming over St. James Parish, Louisiana, and it’s called The Sunshine Project. This $9.4 billion proposed petrochemical plant would sprawl across 2,400 acres, pushing up against the community that has lived and died there for generations. Our David is lifelong resident Sharon Lavigne. After teaching special education at the local school for over 30 years, Sharon becomes an accidental activist trying to sav...

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The Rise of St. James

February 14, 2023 • 47 mins

St. James Parish is a place with tangled roots. The community shoulders the burdens of many who have come before them — and bears a deep responsibility to their ancestors to protect their hard-fought land. What started out as just a meeting of concerned citizens around a pot of gumbo turned into a quest to reclaim land, graves, and preserve a thriving community. This series is presented in partnership with Only One, the action pl...

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Addicted to Convenience

February 21, 2023 • 44 mins

The invention of plastic changed the way we live — and now we’re hooked. We travel from Louisiana, where plastic is born, to New Jersey, where plastic goes to die… or live again. We explore greenwashing, wish-cycling, and our collective culpability as we try to understand how we became so reliant on plastic — despite knowing its harm to the earth and the communities closely impacted. This series is presented in partnership with O...

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Fighting Back

February 28, 2023 • 41 mins

Hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic pellets fill the docks and bays of the Mississippi River. There are people who paddle out every morning to collect them, removing what they can as pellets continue to flood the water. But the problem starts much closer to home. Look around your house. See all the plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic everything? We are all at fault – and, like Sharon Lavigne, we all have the power to make a ch...

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Introducing The Carbon Copy: The Great Electrician Shortage

March 13, 2023 • 29 mins

We're sharing an episode from a podcast we enjoy called The Carbon Copy. In this episode, you’ll learn about the great electrician shortage. To decarbonize the economy, we need to electrify everything. That means installing millions of heat pumps, EV chargers, electric water heaters and rooftop solar panels. But there’s one big problem: finding enough electricians to make it happen. Electricians across the country are flooded with...

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Bonus: What’s Next For Sharon?

March 24, 2023 • 21 mins

Rise St. James members Sharon and Shamell Lavigne talk with host Gloria Riviera about the work that comes after Discarded. This series is presented in partnership with Only One, the action platform for the planet. Only One is on a mission to restore ocean health and tackle the climate crisis in this generation — with your help. Visit only.one to learn more and get involved. CREDITS Discarded is a Lemonada original, presented by...

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