Explore Louisiana:
A Transformational Experience
Until people and the planet are safe from petrochemical pollution, we will Never Rest™
Monday, April 8 – Friday, April 12, 2024
Bald cypresses (Taxodium distichum) in autumn with Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), on the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana. (SONJA JORDAN / GETTY IMAGES)
Until people and the planet are safe from petrochemical pollution, we will Never Rest™
Explore Louisiana:
A Transformational Experience
Monday, April 8 – Friday, April 12, 2024
Home to North America’s largest river swamp and a rich culture of fishing, southern Louisiana also holds an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River dubbed “Cancer Alley” because of the 150+ petrochemical plants surrounding the local communities.
Learn about the environmental justice movement in southern Louisiana by kayaking through cypress swamps, biking along the levees of Cancer Alley, and sharing a meal of homemade gumbo with local advocates.
Earthjustice’s Fossil Fuels program, our new Gulf office, and a broad coalition of partners are fighting toxic industries in pursuit of a healthy, resilient environment with clean air for all.
Join us to explore a side of Louisiana that most travelers miss!
Maurepas Swamp Tour
Join Bob Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has covered the people, stories, and environmental issues of Louisiana’s wetlands for more than 35 years for The Times-Picayune. Bob will provide an educational session of the environmental issues facing Louisiana’s coastal ecology before connecting the dots between catastrophic man-made damage ravaging the natural environment during a kayak of the Maurepas Swamp.
Explore The Intersections Of History And The Environmental Justice Movement
Gain a deeper understanding of how heavy industry is impacting Louisiana’s environment and communities along the Mississippi River by spending several days with our local guide, environmental justice leader and senior organizing representative with the Sierra Club, Darryl Malek-Wiley. You will meet many community leaders, including Sharon Lavigne of RISE St. James, to learn about their collective pursuits for clean air and a healthy, resilient environment and livelihoods.
Down By Sustain the 9th Wetland Restoration
Lend a hand in restoring the wetlands of New Orleans’s 9th Ward, a region hard hit by hurricanes and tornadoes with the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement & Development.
Never Rest Fun Fact
Earthjustice achieved a goal of the Never Rest™ campaign when our new Gulf Regional Office opened in Houston in the summer of 2022. In partnership with local communities and organizations, the Gulf Office works to end fossil fuel expansion, protect the region’s precious places and wildlife, transition to clean energy, and drive climate solutions that work for everyone.
Day 1 – Welcome to New Orleans
Welcome! If flying into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), you will be met by your Iconic Adventures Trip Leader at baggage claim before being transferred by private shuttle to the ACE Hotel in New Orleans – our base for the duration of the trip.
Relax and unpack before meeting the group for a welcome reception and happy hour with local partners. You’ll meet your Earthjustice hosts, fellow travelers, and some of the Earthjustice partners you’ll be meeting throughout the trip. Together, you will receive an introduction to Earthjustice’s work with a coalition of local organizations that are fighting to address environmental injustice in Louisiana.
Following happy hour, enjoy a communal dinner at a local restaurant before turning in for the night.
Day 2 East Bank Parish Community Tour
Today, we will tour the River Parishes with Darryl Malek-Wiley, senior organizing representative with the Sierra Club. Together, we will tour major petrochemical and heavy industry sites along the Mississippi River, like the Marathon oil Refinery (the 3rd largest oil refinery in the U.S.), and the Atlantic Aluminum Plant. We’ll also have the opportunity to meet Earthjustice partner Robert Taylor and Concerned Citizens of St. John, whose mission is to ensure the health and safety of all citizens while working to hold government officials and industry accountable for their pollution.
Through today’s tours, you will learn the impact petrochemical plants and other heavy industries are having on the people that live in the communities living along the fence-line of these factories.
Day 3 – Life along the Mississippi River – Connecting the Past to the Present
Today we begin connecting the dots between the past and present by learning about the lives of the people who live along the River Road and the legacy of heavy industry. We’ll start with a tour at the Whitney Plantation to learn about the history of slavery on a southern Louisiana sugarcane plantation.
Following the tour, you’ll meet sisters Joy and Jo Banner — descendants of enslaved peoples of the Whitney Plantation and founders of The Descendants Project. The group is an emerging organization committed to the intergenerational healing and flourishing of the Black descendant community in the Louisiana river parishes that hold the intersecting histories of enslavement, settler colonialism, and environmental degradation
Joy will share an overview and explanation of their environmental swamp program, its purpose at the Whitney Plantation, and their current fight to stop the Wallace Grain Elevator before we head to Joy and Jo’s neighborhood café for a meal featuring their family recipes.
We’ll end our day giving back to the local community by spending part of the day participating in a coastal restoration service-learning project with the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement & Development (CSED) led by Arthur Johnson, executive director.
Day 4 – Explore the Maurepas Swamp
Today, we’ll meet Bob Marshall and the Lost Land guides to kayak through Louisiana’s cypress and tupelo forests, mandering bayous and sprawling wetlands, which are dwindling at an alarming rate. Split across two groups, you’ll connect the dots from Bob’s presentation and learn how the native forests that once stood between New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico provide the best hurricane protection for communities in Southern Louisiana.
After downtime at the hotel, we’ll depart for our final dinner. Together, we’ll share laughs, stories, and reflect after a powerful trip.
Day 5 – Departures
Breakfast will be available at the hotel this morning. After breakfast, airport transfers will be coordinated based on flight times. Thank you for an incredible trip!
Maurepas Swamp Tour
Join Bob Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has covered the people, stories, and environmental issues of Louisiana’s wetlands for more than 35 years for The Times-Picayune. Bob will provide an educational session of the environmental issues facing Louisiana’s coastal ecology before connecting the dots between catastrophic man-made damage ravaging the natural environment during a kayak of the Maurepas Swamp.
Explore The Intersections Of History And The Environmental Justice Movement
Gain a deeper understanding of how heavy industry is impacting Louisiana’s environment and communities along the Mississippi River by spending several days with our local guide, environmental justice leader and senior organizing representative with the Sierra Club, Darryl Malek-Wiley. You will meet many community leaders, including Sharon Lavigne of RISE St. James, to learn about their collective pursuits for clean air and a healthy, resilient environment and livelihoods.
Sustain the 9th Wetland Restoration
Lend a hand in restoring the wetlands of New Orleans’s 9th Ward, a region hard hit by hurricanes and tornadoes with the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement & Development.
Never Rest™ Fun Fact
Earthjustice achieved a goal of the Never Rest™ campaign when our new Gulf Regional Office opened in Houston in the summer of 2022. In partnership with local communities and organizations, the Gulf Office works to end fossil fuel expansion, protect the region’s precious places and wildlife, transition to clean energy, and drive climate solutions that work for everyone.
Day 1 – Welcome to New Orleans
Welcome! If flying into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), you will be met by your Iconic Adventures Trip Leader at baggage claim before being transferred by private shuttle to the ACE Hotel in New Orleans – our base for the duration of the trip.
Relax and unpack before meeting the group for a welcome reception and happy hour with local partners. You’ll meet your Earthjustice hosts, fellow travelers, and some of the Earthjustice partners you’ll be meeting throughout the trip. Together, you will receive an introduction to Earthjustice’s work with a coalition of local organizations that are fighting to address environmental injustice in Louisiana.
Following happy hour, enjoy a communal dinner at a local restaurant before turning in for the night.
Day 2 East Bank Parish Community Tour
Today, we will tour the River Parishes with Darryl Malek-Wiley, senior organizing representative with the Sierra Club. Together, we will tour major petrochemical and heavy industry sites along the Mississippi River, like the Marathon oil Refinery (the 3rd largest oil refinery in the U.S.), and the Atlantic Aluminum Plant. We’ll also have the opportunity to meet Earthjustice partner Robert Taylor and Concerned Citizens of St. John, whose mission is to ensure the health and safety of all citizens while working to hold government officials and industry accountable for their pollution.
Through today’s tours, you will learn the impact petrochemical plants and other heavy industries are having on the people that live in the communities living along the fence-line of these factories.
Day 3 – Life along the Mississippi River – Connecting the Past to the Present
Today we begin connecting the dots between the past and present by learning about the lives of the people who live along the River Road and the legacy of heavy industry. We’ll start with a tour at the Whitney Plantation to learn about the history of slavery on a southern Louisiana sugarcane plantation.
Following the tour, you’ll meet sisters Joy and Jo Banner — descendants of enslaved peoples of the Whitney Plantation and founders of The Descendants Project. The group is an emerging organization committed to the intergenerational healing and flourishing of the Black descendant community in the Louisiana river parishes that hold the intersecting histories of enslavement, settler colonialism, and environmental degradation
Joy will share an overview and explanation of their environmental swamp program, its purpose at the Whitney Plantation, and their current fight to stop the Wallace Grain Elevator before we head to Joy and Jo’s neighborhood café for a meal featuring their family recipes.
We’ll end our day giving back to the local community by spending part of the day participating in a coastal restoration service-learning project with the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement & Development (CSED) led by Arthur Johnson, executive director.
Day 4 – Explore the Maurepas Swamp
Today, we’ll meet Bob Marshall and the Lost Land guides to kayak through Louisiana’s cypress and tupelo forests, mandering bayous and sprawling wetlands, which are dwindling at an alarming rate. Split across two groups, you’ll connect the dots from Bob’s presentation and learn how the native forests that once stood between New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico provide the best hurricane protection for communities in Southern Louisiana.
After downtime at the hotel, we’ll depart for our final dinner. Together, we’ll share laughs, stories, and reflect after a powerful trip.
Day 5 – Departures
Breakfast will be available at the hotel this morning. After breakfast, airport transfers will be coordinated based on flight times. Thank you for an incredible trip!
Dates: April 8 – 12, 2024
Group Size: 14 - 16 guests
Age Limit: Guests must be at least 15 years old.
Package Rate:
- $5,265 per person for double occupancy
- $5,810 per person for single occupancy
Dietary Restriction: Vegetarian options are very limited during this trip due to the local culinary culture.
An invoice for your deposit will be sent within 24 business hours of registering. The remaining balance is due 90 days prior to the start of the trip (Tuesday, January 9, 2024).
For more information about the trip, please contact Iconic Adventures at concierge@iconicadventures.com or (877) 941-9412.
For Earthjustice-related questions, please contact our travel team at travel@earthjustice.org or (312) 800-8308.
All travelers are required to be up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, per CDC guidelines.
Iconic Adventures CST#2104024
