Residents living in the rural parts of Eastern North Carolina are no stranger to environmental hazards. Various industries have pinpointed the region — where the environmental justice movement was born — for projects, such as coal ash dumps, liquid fertilizer plants, and concentrated hog farms. Local grassroots activists have fought off many of these efforts. The latest threat? The proposed 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which is slated to carry natural gas from West Virginia to near the North Carolina/South Carolina border.

This documentary was produced in partnership with Grist, a nonprofit media organization covering climate, justice, and sustainability for a national audience.