Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice

Action Alert

Indigenous Lands

Also visit these websites

Indigenous Environmental Network
Seventh Generation Fund
Honor the Earth

For more information, contact:

Greenaction

(415) 248-5010

Environmental Health, Justice and Sovereignty Project

Greenaction works with Native Nations and tribal members to protect the health, environment, culture and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples. We provide technical, strategic and campaign support to stop polluters and the U.S. government from dumping on, contaminating and desecrating Indigenous lands, sacred sites and peoples.

Tohono O’odham, Arizona and Mexico

Greenaction responded to a request from O’odham ceremony and traditional leaders to help them stop Mexico’s plans to build a hazardous waste landfill near their villages and sacred ceremony site of Quitovac, Sonora. We are working with tribal members to mobilize Indigenous and environmental justice groups in Mexico and the U.S. to pressure the Mexican government to find a safer and more appropriate location for the waste facility.

Navajo Nation, New Mexico

Greenaction is helping community members and Dine CARE (Citizens Against Ruining our Environment) oppose a coal-fired power plant and strip mine proposed on the Navajo reservation south of Farmington, New Mexico.

White Mesa Ute/Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Utah

Greenaction is helping White Mesa Ute tribal members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and nearby Navajo residents oppose International Uranium Corporation’s uranium mill/dump located next to the Ute reservation and on top of hundreds of ancient sites including ceremonial kivas and burials. We helped the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the White Mesa Ute Community defeat IUC’s attempt to build a pipeline to bring radioactive and toxic uranium tailings from Moab, Utah to the White Mesa facility!

Colorado River Indian Tribes, Arizona

Greenaction works with the Mohave Cultural Preservation Program to evict the Siemens Water Techology facility (formerly Westates Carbon/US Filter) hazardous waste facility from tribal lands. Siemens imports hazardous waste from industries and Superfund sites across the U.S. and emits dioxin and other toxic pollutants. U.S. EPA failed to inform tribal members about toxic emissions and allowed the plant to operate without proper permits.

Gila River Indian Community, Arizona

Greenaction is helping the Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment in a campaign to shut down the Romic facility that imports hazardous wastes from around the world for “treatment.” U.S. EPA has improperly allowed the plant to operate for decades without permits, despite serious repeat violations. Our efforts have forced Romic to stop accepting the most hazardous wastes and pressured US EPA to finally issue a big fine against Romic for violations. In 2001 we helped tribal members shut Stericycle’s incinerator that imported and burned waste.

Gwich’in Nation, Alaska and Canada

Greenaction supports the Gwich’in Nation in their campaign to stop Bush, Cheney and the oil industry from drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska. Oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge would devastate the pristine environment and threaten the Porcupine Caribou herd that is a major food source and central to the Gwichin’s culture, survival and spiritual well-being.

Defending the Sacred Ward Valley Project, California

Greenaction worked with the Fort Mojave, Chemehuevi, Quechan, Cocopah and Colorado River Indian Tribes and allies to stop a nuclear waste dump proposed at Ward Valley on sacred Indian lands in the Mojave Desert. A new 24 minute film “Defending the Sacred,” tells the story of the Ward Valley issue, campaign and victory. Greenaction and the Mohave Cultural Preservation Program (from the Colorado River Indian Tribes) launched this project to distribute the film and educate and inspire the public about the historic Ward Valley victory.

Medicine Lake, California

Greenaction is supporting Pit River Indian Tribe members including the Dahu Lah As Sacred Site Defense Coalition in their campaign to save Medicine Lake and the Highlands from Calpine’s proposed geothermal power plant project that would desecrate this sacred area and damage the environment near Mount Shasta.

Skull Valley Goshute Tribe, Utah

Greenaction is supporting tribal members opposing attempts to build a high level nuclear waste facility on tribal lands. We urge the State of Utah and the U.S. government to assist this poverty-stricken tribe with clean economic development.