Taking Action for
Health and Environmental Justice
Turning Up the Heat On the I.E.S.
Incinerators (Oakland, California)
We are a
leading member of the community/environmental/health/labor
coalition demanding
Integrated Environmental Systems shut the medical waste and
solid waste incinerators and replace them
with safer technologies to protect workersâ jobs and public
health. IES emits dioxin, mercury and other pollutants, and
has many permit and safety violations. We are conducting an
intensive community education and outreach campaign,
resulting in over 5,000 residents sending comments to the
Bay Area Air District demanding denial of IESâ Clean Air Act
permit application. We have organized two big protests in
recent months, and are receiving significant press coverage
in newspapers, radio and television.
Victory! Incineration Plan Stopped in
Stanislaus County, California!
Greenaction
and Stanislaus County residents defeated plans by IES and
Stanislaus County to begin burning medical waste at a
garbage incinerator in Crow's Landing owned by Ogden Martin
Systems. Greenaction alerted residents to this dangerous
plan, and launched an all-out campaign to stop this toxic
threat. We
opposed the permit application to burn medical waste based
on the threat to public health and to the agricultural and
dairy industries from dioxin and other toxics
emissions.
Victory at Ward Valley! Nuclear Waste Dump
Defeated!
The nuclear
dump proposed for Ward Valley in the Mojave Desert, near the
Colorado River and on sacred Indian land, has
been defeated by a coalition of Native Nations, Greenaction
and allies. We oppose dumping nuclear waste in the
ground anywhere, and we call for an end to nuclear power. We
will work with our allies to make sure that President Bush
does not to try to revive this plan.
Mesa Verde and Blythe, California
Environmental Justice Campaign
We are
working
with these low-income Latino and farmworker communities to
stop the Blythe Energy Project's proposed power
plant that would pollute the air, drain scarce
water resources and endanger the jobs and health of hundreds
of farmworkers. Greenaction joined the United Farm Workers
Union and community groups in sponsoring a large community
protest on March 13, and we organized a successful press
conference in Sacramento that resulted in the voices of the
community being heard across the state.
Health and Justice for Bayview Hunters Point
(San Francisco, California)
Greenaction
works with the community to achieve
environmental and economic justice for this low-income
neighborhood that suffers from toxic and radioactive
pollution and high rates of cancer and
asthma. We are kicking off a big campaign to
achieve the long overdue shutdown of the polluting PG&E
Hunters Point power plant. We support the community in their
effort to pressure the U.S. Navy do a thorough and safe
cleanup of their contamination at the Hunters Point
Shipyard.
Green Energy and Environmental Justice
Campaign
In response
to the "energy crisis" we are working across California to
promote green, safe and renewable energy sources, energy
conservation and efficiency.
West Oakland Toxic-Free Neighborhood
Campaign, West Oakland, California
Greenaction
and the Chester Street Block Club Association are beginning
a new environmental justice campaign against the Red Star
Yeast facility that emits cancer causing chemicals and
odors. We successfully pressured the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District to agree to hold a public meeting on
this facility. We are also monitoring the cleanup of toxic
waste sites in the neighborhood.
Midway Village Fight for Health and Justice
Continues!
Since late
1999, Greenaction
and residents have held 18 nonviolent blockades of the
PG&E facility near their community to press demands for
permanent relocation, health care and just compensation for
years of living on PG&E's toxic
waste. The actions have generated massive media
coverage and pressure on PG&E and government to start
addressing concerns of sick residents. We have generated
thousands of postcards and letters to PG&E. Recent
government soil samples confirmed the presence of
cancer-causing chemicals close to the surface near homes and
day care center, contradicting government claims that the
toxics no longer posed a threat to community health.
Stop Dumping on South Phoenix,
Arizona
We
support the community fighting toxic
facilities including "Innovative Waste Utilization," a
company with a poor track record that hopes to expand. In
response to protests, the City Council passed an ordinance
prohibiting expansion of toxic facilities in South Phoenix.
We helped the community file a complaint with U.S. EPA
charging the state "environmental" agency with violating the
U.S. Civil Rights Act by permitting polluters to operate
despite discriminatory and disproportionate impacts.
Don't Dump on Indian Lands
Campaign
Greenaction
is working at the invitation of the Mohave Elders and
Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) officials to help them
stop Westates Carbon from operating and emitting dioxin and
other pollutants on tribal land. Westates claims to be a
recycling facility that emits only steam, but in reality is
a hazardous waste facility that emits highly toxic chemicals
from their incineration process. We are providing the tribal
community solid scientific information so they can make a
fully informed decision whether to withdraw permission for
Westatesâ to continue operating and polluting on the
reservation.
Environmental Justice Air Quality
Coalition
Greenaction
and community groups won a victory this fall when the Bay
Area Air Quality Management District agreed to work in good
faith to implement environmental justice policies. We will
continue to hold the Air District accountable to practice
environmental justice, not just talk about it.
Wetcleaning, Not Toxic
Drycleaning
We are
working to promote non-toxic wetcleaning as an 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
businesses to encourage support for this green alternative
to toxic drycleaning.
Health Care Without Harm
Victories!
We are 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 encourage health care institutions to
phase out use of pvc (polyvinyl chloride) plastics and
mercury containing products, and to stop incinerating
medical waste. In a big victory, Stanford Medical Center -
previously one of IES' biggest customers - announced their
commitment to pollution prevention and to stop virtually all
incineration. Alta Bates/Summit has also told IES to
microwave and no longer incinerate their waste.
Join the Greenaction Activist Network: (415)
248-5010, or Email us at greenaction@greenaction.org to sign up
and get involved!
