By Sharon Franklin. In 1980 national press coverage made Lois Gibbs a household name, but her work did not end with Love Canal.  After receiving thousands of letters from people experiencing similar problems, she created what is today known as the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ).  As many know, she was among the community leaders instrumental in the creation of two bills relating to Superfund. Lois is often referred to as “The Mother of the Superfund”. Today, as reported recently by Stephen Lee, Bloomberg reporter, a history of

Origins: From Love Canal to a National Campaign for Safe Schools The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) was born out of the Love Canal environmental disaster of the late 1970s, when 20,000 tons of toxic waste were found beneath a New York school and neighborhood. Lois Gibbs, the housewife-turned-activist who led that fight, founded CHEJ to help communities nationwide tackle similar threats. By the early 2000s, CHEJ had turned its focus to protecting children in schools from environmental hazards. It launched the Childproofing Our Communities campaign (often called

“To each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”  – Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion You’ve just had your first meeting. Turnout was very good, spirit was high, and it looks as if your organization has a good plan. Naturally, your opposition will now just roll over and die, right? Wrong! Isaac Newton’s law is only partly correct when applied to organizing: The opposition’s reaction can be overwhelming and unpredictable. When you develop both long-term strategies and short-term tactics for your group, you must try to calculate

There is a growing array of groups, agencies, and experts that offer their help to groups dealing with toxics and waste issues. Often this help is sincerely offered, gratefully received and truly helpful. Sometimes it’s not. Too much help, or the wrong kind, can be toxic to grassroots groups. CHEJ believes almost any “helper” can really help IF your group is aware of its own needs, is clear about the helper’s agenda, and stays in control of the relationship between the “helper” and you, the “helpee.” TYPES OF HELPERS Helpers

For over four decades, the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) has empowered everyday people to fight toxic pollution and environmental injustice. Founded by Lois Gibbs after the Love Canal crisis, CHEJ has led countless grassroots victories to protect public health—especially that of children and low-income communities. One of its most impactful efforts? The PVC-Free Campaign. The Problem with PVC Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), often called “the poison plastic,” is found in everything from school supplies to shower curtains. It’s not just the plastic itself that’s dangerous—it’s the toxic additives

Sometime it’s good to reflect on how you got to where you are today. Here’s a short version of how CHEJ got to where we are today. It all started in 1978, in Niagara Falls, New York. Lois Gibbs was struggling to raise a family, which included two children suffering from a number of rare illnesses. Soon she realized they weren’t the only ones suffering. Nearly every family in the Love Canal neighborhood was facing its own medical nightmare. Lois discovered that her home, and those of her neighbors, sat