Everyone depends on clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and healthy soil for growing food. But what if your drinking water is dangerous, your air is polluted and your soil is toxic? What can you do about that? Do you have the right to demand change? Fresh Air, Clean Water: Defending Our Right to a Healthy Environment explores the connections between our environment and our health, and why the right to live in a healthy environment should be protected as a human right. The book features profiles of kids around the world who are taking action and important environmental rights court cases. Hear the powerful stories of those fighting for change. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Gr 5-7-With a tone that is eager to share serious information without terrifying readers, this book provides the necessary background and inspiration to spur upper elementary-age children to environmental action. Bite-size chunks of text, a multitude of photographs, and occasional full-color illustrations lay out the imperatives of clean air, fresh water, and healthy soil for all life on Earth. An overview of how the development of farming and then industry have led to climate change sets the stage for discussion of how intertwined human rights and climate justice have become. The author explains how courts, laws, and provisions in national constitutions have been used to deter further threats to nature, and, by extension, to humankind. Inspiring case studies of citizen action, frequently led by young people, demonstrate a variety of approaches to environmental activism. VERDICT Richly supported with stories and "You Be the Judge" sidebars that illustrate the challenging choices in fighting for environmental rights, this thought-provoking book offers a solid foundation for further exploration of the topic.-Jan Aldrich Solowα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. “Packed full of detail about historical political and governmental positions regarding our world; and yes, we all have a stake in this topic.” ― School Library Connection “A forceful and informative handbook on environmental justice, accessible enough to strike a chord with young readers.” ― Kirkus Reviews “A worthy purchase where readers enjoy a personal approach to science instruction.” ― Booklist “Several strong messages...not one of doom and gloom, but one of hope and optimism for the future if people have respect for nature and for each other. Highly Recommended.” ― CM: Canadian Review of Materials “With a tone that is eager to share serious information without terrifying readers…this thought-provoking book offers a solid foundation for further exploration of the topic.” ― School Library Journal (SLJ) “Explores the connections between our living environment and our personal health. Like other books in the Orca Think series, readers are introduced to current world issues through the experiences of young activists featured in an engaging layout with coloured photographs and drawings, sidebars with interesting facts, and an invitation for readers to take action.” ― BC Books for Schools A healthy environment is a human right. Everyone depends on clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and healthy soil to grow food. But what if your drinking water is dangerous, your air is polluted and your soil is toxic? Do you have the right to demand change? Fresh Air, Clean Water explores our right to live in a healthy environment and why it should be protected as a human right. With profiles of important environmental rights court cases and the kids around the world who are taking action, learn the powerful stories of those fighting for change. Megan Clendenan has worked for women's rights, mental health and youth empowerment nonprofits as well as for an environmental law group, which is when she realized for the first time that the court system could be a way to help protect human health from pollution and toxic chemicals. She is the co-author of Design Like Nature , part of the Orca Footprints series, and the author of Offbeat , a novel for young readers. Megan lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family. Julie McLaughlin  is an award-winning illustrator of numerous children's books, including  Pride Puppy ,  Little Cloud, Plant Attack!, Breaking News  and  Why We Live Where We Live , winner of the 2015 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction. Her work with various editorial, advertising and publishing clients can be seen around the world. Julie grew up on the Prairies and now resides on Vancouver Island.