Taking Action for Health, Environmental & Economic Justice

 

Victory! We Stopped the PG&E FLoating Power Plant!

Greenaction won a big victory for San Francisco Bay and surrounding communities by defeating PG&E's attempt to bring a floating jet-fueled power plant into the Bay that would have polluted the air and water. After shipping the power barge from Texas through the Panama Canal, PG&E turned the barge around in the face of our promise to meet them on land and sea with nonviolent direct action protests. Greenaction called for energy conservation and clean and green energy as the only acceptable solutions to the "energy crisis."

I.E.S. Incinerators (Oakland, CA)

Greenaction is a leading member of a community/environmental/health/labor coalition demanding IES shut the medical waste and solid waste incinerators and replace them with non-incineration technologies to protect workers' jobs and better protect public health. These are the only commercial medical waste incinerators left in the state. IES emits highly toxic dioxin, mercury and other chemicals and metals. IES has a terrible record of violations of their permit, but government agencies fail to properly punish IES for these violations. We organized the largest ever protest at IES on August 11th when 400 people demanded zero dioxin and environmental justice.

Midway Village (Daly City, CA)

Since late in 1999, Greenaction and Midway residents have held 15 nonviolent blockades of PG&E worksites to press community demands for permanent relocation, health care and just compensation for years of living on PG&E's toxic waste. These actions generated massive media coverage and pressure on PG&E and government to start addressing concerns of sick residents. We generated thousands of postcards and letters to PG&E, and organized protests at PG&E's corporate headquarters and in the community. We organized a youth event called the "Midway Jam" featuring hip hop performers, rap, and the Loco Bloco Dance and Drum group.

Peoples Dioxin Action Summit

Greenaction was a lead organizer and host for the Peoples Dioxin Action Summit held at the University of California, Berkeley August 10-13, 2000. Hundreds of activists from community, health, labor, environmental and scientific groups from around the world joined together to strategize and develop action plans for zero dioxin. The summit was extremely important in light of the June 9 release of the U.S. EPA's long-awaited study which confirms that dioxin is a human carcinogen, is in our food, and is more toxic than previously thought.

Victory at Ward Valley

We are on the verge of final victory in the fight to save Ward Valley, sacred Indian land and the Colorado River from the proposed nuclear waste dump. The coalition of Native Nations and environmental justice allies have stopped the dump so far. We oppose new proposals to dump nuclear waste in the ground in any community, and we call for an end to nuclear power. Ward Valley is safe from the nuclear threat!

South Phoenix, Arizona

We support this community of color fighting the presence of many toxic facilities here. This campaign has targeted "Innovative Waste Utilization," a company with a poor environmental record that hopes to expand. We help organize protests, attend public meetings and hearings, and testify against the facility. In response to protests, the Phoenix City Council in May passed an ordinance prohibiting expansion of toxic facilities in South Phoenix. In August we helped the community file a complaint with U.S. EPA charging the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality with violation of Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act by permitting the many toxic waste facilities in South Phoenix to operate despite their discriminatory and disproportionate impact.

West Oakland, CA

Greenaction is assisting the Chester Street Block Club Association begin a new environmental justice campaign against the Red Star Yeast factory that emits cancer causing chemicals and terrible odors into the community. We have successfully pressured the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to finally hold a public meeting on this polluting facility. We are also working with the community to monitor the cleanup of several hazardous waste sites in the neighborhood.

Bayview Hunters Point (San Francisco)

Greenaction has joined the Community First Coalition to demand environmental and economic justice for this low-income neighborhood that suffers from toxic and radioactive pollution. The campaign demands the U.S. Navy do a thorough and safe cleanup of their contamination at the Hunters Point Shipyard. Greenaction joined a May 25th rally at the Federal Building.

U'wa Solidarity Campaign

We support the U'wa indigenous people of Columbia opposing plans by Occidental Petroleum to drill for oil on U'wa traditional land. Greenaction and Rainforest Action Network held protests at the offices of Fidelity Investments, a major investor in Occidental. We will pressure presidential candidate Al Gore to oppose this oil drilling, as his family invests in Occidental.

Enron/Columbia Hills (Oregon and Washington)

Greenaction is working with Native peoples in Oregon and Washington to stop energy giant Enron from developing wind power in the hills above the Columbia River Gorge as it would desecrate sacred religious and cultural sites. Greenaction spoke at a large community meeting in Portland broadcast live on local radio, and also spoke at and co-sponsored a rally in Portland's main square.

Health Care Without Harm

Greenaction is a leading member of the Health Care Without Harm coalition working to transform the health care industry so that it is no longer a source of environmental harm. We are encouraging health care institutions to phase-out use of pvc (polyvinyl chloride) plastics and mercury containing devices and to implement pollution prevention practices which will not negatively impact workers.

Wetcleaning

Greenaction is working to promote non-toxic wetcleaning as the alternative to drycleaning, a toxic-intensive process that uses cancer-causing perchlorethylene. Greenaction is distributing information with the addresses of wetcleaners in the Bay Area and meeting with government and small dry cleaner businesspersons to encourage support for this green alternative to drycleaning.

Victory Against Formosa Plastics (Nevada and Oregon)

We won a big victory in March by defeating (for the second time) Taiwan chemical company Formosa Plastics' plan to send toxic mercury waste to the U.S. Ecology toxic waste dump in Beatty, Nevada. We alerted the public and media in Nevada, resulting in front page stories and public opposition to the plan. We alerted the press and public in Oregon, where U.S. Ecology had hoped to sneak the waste in through Coos Bay. Formosa Plastics has given up attempts to dump the waste on other countries, and has agreed to treat it at their Taiwan factory site.

Westmorland, CA

Greenaction supports Concerned Residents for Environmental Justice in Westmorland oppose the Safety-Kleen hazardous waste dump in their low-income Imperial Valley community.

A.R.T. Contaminated Soils Incinerator (Los Angeles area)

We are assisting residents of Lynwood and Southgate shut down an incinerator that burns contaminated soils, emitting pollutants and dust into the neighborhood.

National Healthy Buildings Alliance

Greenaction helped form a national network to promote pollution prevention in the construction industry, with a focus on eliminating the use of pvc plastics. We played a leading role in the February 3rd Bay Area conference "Healthy Buildings: Alternatives to toxics in construction" that attracted 350 architects, planners, contractors, developers, union representatives from the building trades, fire fighters, health advocates, and government officials. We have been participating in furthering the development of the network, including its mission and upcoming projects.

Environmental Justice Air Quality Coalition

Greenaction is working with community environmental justice groups around the San Francisco Bay Area in response to the convening of an "Environmental Justice Working Group" by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). The Air District has a terrible track record of polluter friendly policies and practices, and constantly violates environmental justice. Together we are demanding that the Air District start practicing environmental justice, not just talk about it.

Greenaction wins important victories, empowers communities and changes government and corporate policies to better protect health and our environment.

Support Greenaction campaigns for health and environmental justice.