Taking Action for Health and Environmental
Justice
Bayview
Hunters Point, San Francisco, CA: Clean up PG&E site, and
Reduce Pollution at Pan Glo!
Greenaction
is leading a community effort to encourage the dismantling of
the now-closed PG&E
power plant and to watchdog PG&E’s
planned cleanup of contamination at the site. We have been meeting
with PG&E, city officials and residents to encourage a timely,
comprehensive and safe remediation of the site. We also met with
officials from Pan Glo Services, a major polluter in Southeast San
Francisco, and they have agreed to work to reduce pollution from
their operations.
International
Campaign Supports Tohono O’odham Indigenous
Peoples Fight against Mexican Hazardous Waste Dump Project
Greenaction
is helping traditional and ceremonial leaders of the O’odham
peoples in Mexico and the U.S. oppose Mexico’s plans to build
a giant hazardous waste landfill near villages and sacred sites
in Quitovac in Sonora, Mexico. We brought together a huge alliance
of environmental justice and Indigenous groups, and Greenaction
is working with tribal members to hold protests in Arizona, California
and Mexico in October. In a big victory, we have forced the Mexican
government to retract their claims that the project had received
full approval.
North
Salt Lake City, Utah: Shut Stericycle Medical Waste Incinerator – Sterilize,
Don’t Burn the Waste!
Greenaction
is working with families living next to the Stericycle incinerator
and with parents whose
kids go to schools recently built
nearby. Stericycle burns medical waste shipped there from many
states, emitting dioxin and other pollutants into the air. We
want Stericycle
to switch to safer non-incineration technologies that will protect
the health of residents and workers. We helped organize a large
community forum and debate featuring Greenaction, Stericycle,
and government officials, attended by 150 people. There were four
major
newspaper stories about the issue and community concern continues
to increase.
No Desert
Rock Coal-Fired Power Plant on Navajo Reservation (New Mexico)!
Greenaction
is working with the Navajo group Dine CARE and grassroots
tribal members living to defeat a proposed coal-fired power plant
that threatens community health, traditions, culture and would
increase global warming. Greenaction Director Bradley Angel and
Greenaction
Board member Dave Harper from the Colorado River Indian Tribes
conducted a training and strategy session for community members
in August.
California,
Arizona & around the World: Resisting the Onslaught
of “Incinerators in Disguise”
Greenaction
is continuing our campaign to defeat industry attempts to site
gasification, pyrolysis
and plasma arc incinerators for
treatment of hazardous, solid, medical waste, sewage sludge and
tires. While the industry claims these technologies are “recycling” and “renewable
energy,” in reality these “incinerators-in-disguise” heat
wastes and then burn the toxic gases and produce toxic emissions.
We support pollution prevention, increased recycling and real renewable
energy instead of incineration technologies. Our new report on this
issue, including case studies, is available on our website www.greenaction.org.
We are providing information to communities, environmental groups,
government agencies and media around the world on this issue.
Greenaction
is now in court fighting InEnTec’s attempt to
overturn our historic victory in our appeal of their permits for
a plasma arc facility to treat medical wastes in Red Bluff, California.
This battle has national and international implications, and we
continue to mobilize residents to pressure InEnTec to abandon this
project.
West Berkeley,
California: Stop Pollution from Pacific Steel Casting! Safe Jobs
and Clean Air!
Greenaction
is supporting residents in their fight to stop noxious odors and
significant emissions from
Pacific Steel Casting. We
are pressuring the Bay Area Air Quality Management District
to do their job and force PSC to eliminate the odors and dramatically
reduce pollution. We want healthy air for the workers and the
community.
Kettleman
City, San Joaquin Valley, California: Stop Proposed Toxic Waste
Dump Expansion!
Greenaction
is helping this farmworker community fight expansion
of the nearby Chem Waste Management hazardous waste landfill,
as well as fighting plans for proposed sewage sludge dumping near
the
town. We are training youth and women on environmental health
issues and leadership skills.
Stanislaus
County, San Joaquin Valley, California: Campaigns against incineration
and pesticide drift!
Greenaction
and the Grayson Neighborhood Council are continuing
our campaigns against the Covanta garbage incinerator and against
pesticide drift in this low-income Latino area. We are currently
working with residents to encourage county and city officials
to support recycling instead of incineration. Greenaction also
spoke
at a forum in Fresno in September as part of the National Environmental
Justice Bus Tour. We are active in the Central California Environmental
Justice Network & Central Valley Air Quality Coalition.
Richmond,
California Environmental Health and Justice Project launched
Greenaction
and the West County Toxics Coalition have launched a major campaign
to stop new pollution and reduce existing pollution
in this community that suffers from refineries, chemical plants,
waste treatment facilities and other dirty industries. In late
June we helped residents stop the siting of a crematorium that
would have emitted large amounts of toxic mercury adjacent to
homes.
From East
Palo Alto, CA to the Gila River Indian Community, Arizona: United
Against Romic!
The fight
to close the Romic hazardous waste plants in East Palo
Alto, California and the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona
is gaining momentum. Greenaction has united the Native peoples
of Gila River and Youth United for Community
Action (from East Palo Alto) to stop Romic’s pollution of
both communities. As a result of our increased pressure, and Romic
has recently received large fines in both communities.
White
Mesa Utes, Navajo, Greenaction & allies fight against
International Uranium Corporation in Utah
We work
with White Mesa Utes, Navajo and other area residents, Dine CARE
and other allies
to fight IUC’s attempt to accept wastes
with very high radioactive content at their “mill”/dump
in southern Utah next to the White Mesa Ute reservation. Our goal
is to close IUC due to pollution and desecration of Indian sacred
sites.
Defending
the Sacred Ward Valley Film Project
Greenaction
and the Mohave Cultural Preservation Program have launched a project
to distribute
the new film “Defending the Sacred.” The
film tells of the successful fight by the five tribes of the Colorado
River Native Nations Alliance, Greenaction and a big coalition
that saved Ward Valley, the Colorado River and sacred Indian lands
from the proposed nuclear waste dump. Please donate $20 to Greenaction
for the video or DVD.
Colorado
River Indian Tribes, Arizona: Shut down Westates Carbon!
Greenaction
is helping Colorado River Indian Tribes members oppose the continued
operation of the Westates/US Filter hazardous waste
facility on tribal lands. Westates emits dioxin and other pollutants,
but the U.S. EPA has allowed the company to operate without
proper permits or full environmental review.
Invisible
5 Audio Tour Project
Greenaction,
POND and artists joined together to produce a two-CD set that
is a self-guided audio tour of Interstate-5
in California
between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Invisible-5 traces the
invisible toxic landscape along the interstate through stories
of people and communities fighting for environmental justice,
set against natural, social and economic histories. The project
combines voices of residents, community organizers, farmers,
historians, geographers, and advocates, with field recordings,
sound, music,
and archival audio.
Youth and Kids! Submit stories, photos, and pictures to our youth
website. youth@greenaction.org
