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 workers' jobs and public health. IES emits dioxin, mercury and other pollutants, and has many permit and safety violations. We are conducting a community education and outreach campaign, resulting in 5,000 residents sending comments to the Bay Area Air District demanding denial of IES' Clean Air Act permit application. We are organizing a major protest for March 1st.

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! We Stopped the PG&E Floating Power Plant

We won a big victory for San Francisco Bay by defeating PG&E's attempt to bring a floating jet-fueled power plant into the Bay that would have polluted air and water. After shipping the power plant through the Panama Canal, the PG&E barge turned around in the face of our protests. We call for energy conservation and green energy as the solution to the "energy crisis," not more polluting power plants.

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.

Victory! Power Plant Stopped Near Midway Village, California!

Greenaction alerted residents of the toxic-contaminated housing project in Daly City about a plan by energy giant Calpine to site a polluting power plant at the PG&E Martin Service Center facility next to their homes. Calpine quickly dropped the proposal in the face of protests from Greenaction and residents.

Health Care Without Harm

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.

Blythe, California Environmental Justice Campaign

We are working with this community next to the Colorado River to stop the Blythe Energy Project's proposed massive power plant that would pollute the air and endanger the jobs and health of hundreds of farmworkers. Greenaction will participate in a community protest on March 13.

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.

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. We organized a youth event called the "Midway Jam" featuring hip hop performers, rap and the Loco Bloco Dance and Drum group. Recent soil samples confirmed the presence of cancer-causing chemicals close to the surface near homes and day care center.

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.

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.

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 Elders and tribal community solid scientific information so they can make a fully informed decision whether to withdraw Westates' permission to continue operating 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 want the Air District 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.

People's Dioxin Action Summit

We were a lead organizer for the People's Dioxin Action Summit in August, Hundreds of health, community, labor, scientific and environmental activists from around the world united to take action to stop industrial emissions of dioxin. The summit was timely due to the release of U.S. EPA's study confirming dioxin causes cancer, is in our food, and is more toxic than previously thought.

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.

See Also: Fall 2000 Greenaction Campaign Report 1999 Greenaction Accomplishments 1998 Greenaction Accomplishments and Campaign Summary