Taking Action for Health and Environmental
Justice
Greenaction
Helps Communities Around the World ….
from Tokyo to Bakersfield!
Communities
around the world want Greenaction’s
help, and we help to the best of our ability. In June, Greenaction
trained
activists in Japan on community organizing, and led workshops
for grassroots activists at the Indigenous Environmental Network
conference
in South Dakota, youth in Arizona, and community members at the
Central California Environmental Justice Network conference in
Bakersfield.
Resisting
the Onslaught of “Incinerators
in Disguise”
Greenaction
is working across the country to defeat the waste industry’s attempt to site incineration-like technologies
such as gasification, pyrolysis, plasma arc and catalytic cracking
for treatment of hazardous, solid, medical waste and tires. These “incinerator-in-disguise” technologies
have toxic emissions similar to incinerators, and are not a solution
for the landfill crisis or energy needs.
Hanford, San Joaquin Valley, California
Greenaction
has brought plans for a plastics catalytic cracking plant to a
halt after alerting the public to the potential dangers
of the facility, which would be the first of its kind in the
U.S. and maybe the world. Kings County and regional Air District
officials had approved the Plastic Energy LLC project without
public hearings or Eenvironmental
Impact Report, but after Greenaction raised technical questions
and concerns the Air District was forced to suspend the company’s
permits. We held a successful press conference August 12th and
are educating and mobilizing residents to protect their air quality
and health.
Alameda,
San Leandro and Oakland, California
We have
brought together a three-city grassroots alliance against Alameda
Power and Telecom’s study of whether
to build a garbage “gasification” plant to generate
power in Alameda, San Leandro or Oakland. Such a plant would emit
dioxin and other pollutants. We are demanding clean energy and
zero waste programs instead of a polluting trash-burning plant.
Public pressure is mounting against the garbage plant proposal.
Bayview
Hunters Point, San Francisco
Greenaction
and community residents packed the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District’s first-ever public
hearing on a proposed air pollution permit for the PG&E Hunters
Point power plant on May 4th. Greenaction and residents spoke out
to demand the immediate closure of this dirty power plant, citing
epidemic rates of asthma and cancer in the community.
Greenaction
and residents are opposing four new fossil fuel “peaker” power
plants proposed by the City for the Potrero area, next to Bayview
Hunters Point. Unless the PG&E plant is closed and the Mirant
plant in Potrero phased out, new plants will unacceptably increase
pollution in the city’s most polluted neighborhoods. We are
training low-income mothers living in public housing next to the
PG&E power plant to build their leadership and organizing skills
so they can be strong advocates for the community.
North
Salt Lake City, Utah
Our campaign
to close Stericycle’s incinerator
that burns medical waste and non-medical waste from across the
west is heating up. We joined residents in a presentation to the
North Salt Lake City city council on June 1st, testifying about
the dangers posed by the incinerator, especially to families moving
in to a new giant housing development built just feet from the
incineration facility. The City Weekly newspaper published an excellent
article on June 23rd about the issue. Greenaction and residents
want Stericycle to shut the incinerator and instead use safer non-incineration
technologies such as an autoclave.
San
Joaquin Valley, California
Greenaction participated in the Central California
Environmental Justice Network conference in Bakersfield on June
26th. Over 150 people, many from Spanish-speaking communities,
attended. Greenaction presented workshops on youth activism and
incineration threats to the Valley.
Greenaction
and the Grayson Neighborhood Council are escalating our campaign
against the Covanta
garbage incinerator in Crow’s
Landing in Stanislaus County, and are launching a new campaign
against pesticide drift. We have a new training program to teach
leadership and organizing skills to women and youth in the communities
on the west side of Stanislaus County.
Gila River
Indian Community and Colorado River Indian Tribes, Arizona
Tribal
members and Greenaction have forced USEPA to hold their first
public meeting ever on the Romic hazardous
waste facility that has operated on the Gila River Indian Community
reservation for over 25 years. On April 3rd Greenaction and tribal
members held the first ever protest against Romic. Until Greenaction
brought the truth to tribal members, USEPA failed to disclose Romic’s
violations or expansion plans. We are also helping Colorado River
Indian Tribes members oppose the continued operation of the Westates/US
Filter hazardous waste facility on tribal lands.
Greenaction, the Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment,
the Mohave Cultural Preservation Program (Colorado River Indian
Tribes/CRIT) and Children for a Safe Environment held a tribal
youth exchange to bring together youth from Gila River and CRIT.
Youth learned about environmental health and justice issues, and
discussed their concerns about pollution on their reservations.
East Palo
Alto, CA
Greenaction
joined Youth United for Community Action in a protest at Romic’s
hazardous waste facility in East Palo Alto. Greenaction helped
link up the communities from East Palo Alto and Gila River!
White Mesa Ute Reservation, Utah
Greenaction
is working closely with White Mesa Ute tribal members, the Ute
Mountain Ute Tribe, Navajo tribal members
and other local residents to demand the DOE reject International
Uranium Corporation’s request to slurry and truck radioactive
uranium tailings and toxic waste from Moab to the White Mesa Uranium
Mill. The IUC mill is located next to the White Mesa Ute reservation,
and was built on top of ancient and sacred sites, including burials.
We want to close the IUC plant that pollutes the environment and
desecrates the ancient and sacred sites located at and next to
the facility.
West Oakland,
California
We are
working with the Chester Street Block Club Association to participate
in USEPA’s Superfund process for
the vinyl chloride contamination at 3rd and Mandela Streets. We
will make sure EPA does a thorough, safe and prompt cleanup, using
the safest possible technology for remediation of the toxic site.
We want the City to move the children’s play structures in
South Prescott Park away from the vinyl chloride. We cosponsored
the annual Chester Street Block Club Association block party and
environmental health street fair June 5th.
Stop
the War Against Iraq! Bring Our Troops Home Safe…and
Now!
Greenaction
joins with people across the U.S. and the world in protesting
Bush’s war against Iraq.
Environmental
Justice Air Quality Coalition
Greenaction is working with community groups across
the Bay Area to pressure the Bay Area Air Quality Management District
and other agencies to protect air quality and uphold environmental
justice.
