ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS
The organizations in Invisible-5 have all been involved in the fight for environmental justice (EJ) along the broader I-5 corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Visit their websites to get a more in-depth understanding of current health and social justice struggles, and the specific toxic hazards in these communities (listed in order of location, from north to south.)
Further links to California EJ organizations and coalitions are listed at the bottom of this page.
Email us if you'd like your organization added to this list.
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Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice
Greenaction's mission is to mobilize community power to win victories that change government and corporate policies and practices to protect health and promote environmental justice. It has worked with diverse communities around the Western United States to win victories, stopping pollution threats at their source.
Chester Street Block Club Assocation (CSBCA)
The Chester Street Block Club Association educates and empowers residents on environmental, health, social and economic justice issues. Founded in the 1960s, the CSBCA has had many recent successes including participating in the closure of toxic incinerators in Oakland and winning a more thorough cleanup of a contaminated neighborhood park.
Tri-Valley CAREs
Tri-Valley CAREs is a Livermore-based watchdog group for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and was founded in 1983 by local citizens concerned that nuclear weapons work at the Lawrence Livermore and Sandia Livermore Laboratories was impacting the environmental well-being of the community.
Grayson Neighborhood Council
The Grayson Neighborhood Council works on environmental and social justice struggles in the westide Stanislaus County communities of Grayson, Westley, Vernalis, Patterson and Crows Landing.
El Pueblo Para el Aire y Agua Limpio (People for Clean Air and Water)
El Pueblo Para el Aire y Agua Limpio (People for Clean Air and Water) is a grassroots community group organized by Latino residents of the predominantly farmworker community of Kettleman City.
Californians for Pesticide Reform
Californians for Pesticide reform is a coalition of over 170 public interest groups dedicated to protecting human health and the environment from the dangers of pesticide use.
Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment
The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment is a national environmental justice legal organization with offices in San Francisco and Delano, California. They provide legal and technical assistance to grassroots groups in low-income communities and communities of color fighting environmental hazards.
Tri County Watchdogs
Tri-County Watchdogs is a grassroots alliance uniting communities on environmental issues in the mountain communities near the intersection of Kern, Los Angeles, and Ventura Counties.
Pacoima Beautiful
Pacoima Beautiful empowers the Pacoima community through programs that provide environmental education, advocacy and local leadership in order to foster a healthy and safe environment
Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles (PSR-LA) is working to bring together health professionals and the diverse communities of Southern California to reduce threats to public health related to war, environmental toxins, and gun violence.
Friends of the Los Angeles River
Friends of the Los Angeles River is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 to protect and restore the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles River and its riparian habitat through inclusive planning, education and wise stewardship.
Madres del Este de Los Angeles/Santa Isabel/Mothers of East LA/Santa Isabel
The Madres work to promote the environmental, political, and educational awareness, advancement, and well-being of the Latino population within (but not limited to) the East Los Angeles community.
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MORE CALIFORNIA EJ GROUPS
BAY AREA
Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative
The Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative (BAEHC) is a partnership among six coalitions and numerous organizations working to protect public health in communities heavily impacted by air pollution.
Communities for a Better Environment
The mission of Communities for a Better Environment is to achieve environmental health and justice by building grassroots power in and with communities of color and working-class communities.
Literacy for Environmental Justice
Founded in 1998 by a coalition of youth, educators, and community leaders, LEJ addresses the ecological and health concerns of Bayview Hunters Point and the surrounding communities of southeast San Francisco.
West County Toxics Coalition
Richmond-based West County Toxics Coalition (WCTC) is a nonprofit, multi-racial membership organization founded in 1986 to empower low and moderate-income residents to exercise greater control over environmental problems that impact their quality of life in West Contra Costa County (West County), California.
Specifically, WCTC seeks to protect the communities of West County against the toxic threats posed by petrochemical facilities, as well as the citing and/or expansion of municipal and hazardous waste operations in the Richmond area.
CENTRAL VALLEY
Central California Environmental Justice Network
CCEJN’s goals are to preserve our natural resources now and in the future, by seeking better ways to minimize or eliminate environmental degradation in Central Valley communities. This is crucial because rural communities in California’s Central Valley suffer a disproportionate amount of negative health, social and financial impacts.
Community Water Center
CWC seeks to ensure that all communities have access to safe, clean and affordable water. Our mission is to create community-based water solutions through organizing, education and advocacy in California's San Joaquin Valley.
LOS ANGELES
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ)
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ) is an environmental health and justice non-profit organization, established in 2001 by residents of the Commerce/East LA area who were concerned about the increasing health and environmental impacts of industrial pollution in their community.
STATEWIDE
California Environmental Rights Alliance (CERA)
The California Environmental Rights Alliance is a public interest organization dedicated to achieving environmental justice and improving community health in California.
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
EJCW works to empower community members to become strong voices for water justice in their communities. The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water is a network of more than fifty grassroots and intermediary organizations.
The organizations in Invisible-5 have all been involved in the fight for environmental justice (EJ) along the broader I-5 corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Visit their websites to get a more in-depth understanding of current health and social justice struggles, and the specific toxic hazards in these communities (listed in order of location, from north to south.)
Further links to California EJ organizations and coalitions are listed at the bottom of this page.
Email us if you'd like your organization added to this list.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice
Greenaction's mission is to mobilize community power to win victories that change government and corporate policies and practices to protect health and promote environmental justice. It has worked with diverse communities around the Western United States to win victories, stopping pollution threats at their source.
Chester Street Block Club Assocation (CSBCA)
The Chester Street Block Club Association educates and empowers residents on environmental, health, social and economic justice issues. Founded in the 1960s, the CSBCA has had many recent successes including participating in the closure of toxic incinerators in Oakland and winning a more thorough cleanup of a contaminated neighborhood park.
Tri-Valley CAREs
Tri-Valley CAREs is a Livermore-based watchdog group for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and was founded in 1983 by local citizens concerned that nuclear weapons work at the Lawrence Livermore and Sandia Livermore Laboratories was impacting the environmental well-being of the community.
Grayson Neighborhood Council
The Grayson Neighborhood Council works on environmental and social justice struggles in the westide Stanislaus County communities of Grayson, Westley, Vernalis, Patterson and Crows Landing.
El Pueblo Para el Aire y Agua Limpio (People for Clean Air and Water)
El Pueblo Para el Aire y Agua Limpio (People for Clean Air and Water) is a grassroots community group organized by Latino residents of the predominantly farmworker community of Kettleman City.
Californians for Pesticide Reform
Californians for Pesticide reform is a coalition of over 170 public interest groups dedicated to protecting human health and the environment from the dangers of pesticide use.
Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment
The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment is a national environmental justice legal organization with offices in San Francisco and Delano, California. They provide legal and technical assistance to grassroots groups in low-income communities and communities of color fighting environmental hazards.
Tri County Watchdogs
Tri-County Watchdogs is a grassroots alliance uniting communities on environmental issues in the mountain communities near the intersection of Kern, Los Angeles, and Ventura Counties.
Pacoima Beautiful
Pacoima Beautiful empowers the Pacoima community through programs that provide environmental education, advocacy and local leadership in order to foster a healthy and safe environment
Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles (PSR-LA) is working to bring together health professionals and the diverse communities of Southern California to reduce threats to public health related to war, environmental toxins, and gun violence.
Friends of the Los Angeles River
Friends of the Los Angeles River is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 to protect and restore the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles River and its riparian habitat through inclusive planning, education and wise stewardship.
Madres del Este de Los Angeles/Santa Isabel/Mothers of East LA/Santa Isabel
The Madres work to promote the environmental, political, and educational awareness, advancement, and well-being of the Latino population within (but not limited to) the East Los Angeles community.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE CALIFORNIA EJ GROUPS
BAY AREA
Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative
The Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative (BAEHC) is a partnership among six coalitions and numerous organizations working to protect public health in communities heavily impacted by air pollution.
Communities for a Better Environment
The mission of Communities for a Better Environment is to achieve environmental health and justice by building grassroots power in and with communities of color and working-class communities.
Literacy for Environmental Justice
Founded in 1998 by a coalition of youth, educators, and community leaders, LEJ addresses the ecological and health concerns of Bayview Hunters Point and the surrounding communities of southeast San Francisco.
West County Toxics Coalition
Richmond-based West County Toxics Coalition (WCTC) is a nonprofit, multi-racial membership organization founded in 1986 to empower low and moderate-income residents to exercise greater control over environmental problems that impact their quality of life in West Contra Costa County (West County), California.
Specifically, WCTC seeks to protect the communities of West County against the toxic threats posed by petrochemical facilities, as well as the citing and/or expansion of municipal and hazardous waste operations in the Richmond area.
CENTRAL VALLEY
Central California Environmental Justice Network
CCEJN’s goals are to preserve our natural resources now and in the future, by seeking better ways to minimize or eliminate environmental degradation in Central Valley communities. This is crucial because rural communities in California’s Central Valley suffer a disproportionate amount of negative health, social and financial impacts.
Community Water Center
CWC seeks to ensure that all communities have access to safe, clean and affordable water. Our mission is to create community-based water solutions through organizing, education and advocacy in California's San Joaquin Valley.
LOS ANGELES
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ)
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ) is an environmental health and justice non-profit organization, established in 2001 by residents of the Commerce/East LA area who were concerned about the increasing health and environmental impacts of industrial pollution in their community.
STATEWIDE
California Environmental Rights Alliance (CERA)
The California Environmental Rights Alliance is a public interest organization dedicated to achieving environmental justice and improving community health in California.
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
EJCW works to empower community members to become strong voices for water justice in their communities. The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water is a network of more than fifty grassroots and intermediary organizations.
