The Center for Health, Environment and Justice has been on the front line in the fight for environmental health for 37 years. We train and support local activists across the country and build local, state and national initiatives that win on issues from Superfund to climate change.
We Can Help You Win
CHEJ has the tools to help residents fight against toxic threats in their community. We can provide scientific information to make your case, leadership training to build your organization and organize your community, and ongoing coaching throughout the process.
Whether you are starting a new initiative from scratch with volunteers or have been working together for years, CHEJ is there for you. Contact us to find out more.
Love Canal
Our story began in Love Canal, NY, where Lois Gibbs led her neighbors to be protected from 20,000 tons of hazardous waste buried in their backyards. Love Canal was national news and the catalyst for the federal Superfund program.
Armed with lessons about the power of organizing, education and the bold voice of local residents defending their families, Lois launched CHEJ in 1981. We’ve been fighting for a healthier environment ever since.
A Network For Change
Our nationwide network of more than 300 local community groups works locally and at the regional, state and national levels to achieve critical policy impacts around issues like fracking, release of toxic chemicals, climate change, industral waste and more.
The communities we serve are largely rural, low-wealth or working class—the places that typically bear the brunt of environmental degradation. Together, we make a difference.
EPA’s Superfund site policy could advance gentrification in communities of color
"When it comes to exposure to hazardous waste, Chicago is a tale of two cities divided by color and income. On the South Side, neighborhoods like Roseland, Englewood, and Riverdale [...]
Pipeline Through VA and NC Stopped Again
“The land is our family tree and it speaks of legacies, heritage, and memories. No one would take that away from us. No pipelines on our valuable historic farms. No [...]
NEW LIFE FOR TOXIC LAND
Pritchard Park, WA is just one illustration of efforts across the U.S. to put contaminated sites back to use for communities — as parks, playing fields, workplaces, homes, shopping centers, [...]
#RiseUp2017
#FromProtestToPower
Watch progressive leader and commentator Van Jones make the keynote address during the morning plenary session of the “Rise Up” People’s Action convention in Washington, D.C. on April 24.
See #CHEJShareworthy below for another video from the convention.
Get Lead out of Water Now!
It is the law that we send our children to school, if we don’t we can [...]
Tell Ben & Jerry’s CEO: Get pesticides out of your ice cream!
Think about it: Ten of 11 samples of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream tested positive for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s dangerous Roundup herbicide.
The ice cream brand claims its social mission “seeks to meet human needs and eliminate the injustices in our local, national and international communities,” and that its focus is “on children and families, the environment and sustainable agriculture on family farms.”
Watch the video: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joins dozens of grassroots activists pledging to run for office as the featured speaker at the April 24 afternoon plenary of the People’s Action “Rise Up: From Protest to Power” convention.
