Imagine a world where we didn’t need to control air pollution because we could prevent it.

The Clean Air Coalition’s membership did just that earlier this month at a workshop about pollution prevention. Check out our new short film featuring their thoughts about pollution prevention and how we can use this concept to help reduce dangerous emissions in Tonawanda.

Thanks to the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute for providing support for our workshop and film.

The Council adopted a resolution sponsored by Council Members David A. Rivera and Darius G. Pridgen calling on the Public Bridge Authority (“PBA”) to incorporate the principles of environmental justice into any future plans for the Peace Bridge plaza and bridge expansion. The Peace Bridge is the nation’s third largest land port and about 5,000 diesel trucks and 20,000 cars pass over the Peace Bridge and through the west side of Buffalo every day. Diesel emissions have been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) as a probable human carcinogen, and emissions from diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions, especially in vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly. A 2005 peer-reviewed study found that over 45 percent of households on the west side of Buffalo have someone with asthma or other respiratory illness. The Council maintains that it is committed to insuring a safe and healthy environment for residents throughout the City. The resolution is also encouraging collaboration among authorities regarding the distribution of truck traffic across the region’s three international bridges and is requesting that the Department of Environmental Conservation and EPA conduct continuous air monitoring on Buffalo’s lower west side; that truck stop electrification stations be included in any future plans for the Peace Bridge plaza and bridge expansion; that the PBA fund the development of green buffer zones and the planting of mature tree species known for their ability to capture pollutants; and that all other public agencies involved in modifications to the current Peace Bridge project provide meaningful opportunities for public involvement by the communities most impacted by the port.

Read the entire article on BuffaloRising.com

On December 11th, join the Clean Air Coalition for the premier of their documentary, You Are Where You Live by Vince Mistretta.

The film chronicles the personal stories of The Clean Air Coalition’s fight for the people’s right to a healthy environment by following Coalition members Ann Sciandra, Rosa Caraballo and Renata Pokrasky.

This documentary is a part of Squeaky Wheel’s Channels Series.

Channels: Stories from the Niagara Frontier, addresses the need to disseminate information about current social and political initiatives with the goal to educate people about important issues in their communities.

The free screening will be shown at the Burchfield Penny, 1300 Elmwood Ave on Sunday, December 11th at 3PM.

Part 4 of a four-part series, Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities

N.Y. Plant’s Neighbors Expose Regulatory Gaps

• Click to stream the audio
• Click to download the audio

On Thursday, November 10th, National Public Radio launched a special news investigation Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities.

All this week, NPR will be exposing how the EPA and DEC’s air pollution regulations still leave many communities exposed to dangerous toxics. Tonawanda is one of the communities NPR will feature. We’ve been working hard with reporters Elizabeth Shogrun and Sandra Bartlett to tell the story of our Tonawanda Coke campaign.

All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive time, news radio program in the country. We are very excited.

The investigation documents how company self-reporting, poor communication between regulators, corporate greed, and sometimes the laws themselves result in communities who are overburdened with pollution. And as we’ve seen, how that leads to high levels of cancer, asthma and other illnesses.

Our piece will air this Thursday at either 4:00 or 5:00 sharp. We hope you can tune in!

November 3rd at 6pm the Common Council will hold a hearing on chemical fire emergency response. We need you to move forward the vision for a better response plan that protects all residents living next to industry.

We have the right to know and the right to be protected.

Common Council Chambers
13th Floor, City Hall
65 Niagara Square
Need a ride? Call us at 852-3813

Megan Mills-Hoffman spoke on Senate Mark Grisanti’s Legislative Report about the importance of local land trusts and preserving  the environmental protection fund. Megan is staff  at the WNY Land Conservatory Western New York Land Conservancy, a land-conservation organization formed to work with families, communities and farmers to safeguard Western New York’s natural and cultural heritage. The Land Conservancy works in cooperation with public and private landowners in eight Western New York counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming.

Click HERE to see the report.

Land trusts are local, regional or statewide nonprofit organizations directly involved in protecting important land resources for the public benefit. Land trusts accept donations of property, buy land or help landowners establish legal restrictions that limit harmful use and development of their property.

The Lois Gibbs Fellowship is a selective, 10-month program that provides a diverse set of emerging citizen leaders with the tools and training to build sustained political will to improve the environment and health in Western New York neighborhoods. For more on the Lois Gibb’s Fellowship click HERE.

“From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act,” stated keynote speaker Sandras Steingraber. Our second annual dinner gave us the opportunity to thank members who have been doing just that, acting to improve the health and well being of their community and environment.

Last Thursday, 130 people attended our second annual dinner at the Buffalo Yacht Club to celebrate a year of Coalition achievements.

The evening provided the opportunity to thanks our Golden Gas Mask honorees, Steven Halpern and Joe Gardella for their dedication and leadership in the fight for environmental health and justice in Western New York.

The Coalition also honored Bob Albini, Rosa Caraballo and Linda White with the Unsung Hero award, for their work knocking on doors, talking to their neighbours, educating community leaders, and working tirelessly to hold polluters accountable.

The event was possible with the support of the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Buffalo.

Its not too late to reserve your tickets for the 2011 Annual Dinner!

This years dinner will be featuring  author, ecologist, and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber. Steingraber is acclaimed for her                                               exploration of the links between human rights and the environment.

Called “a poet with a knife” by Sojourner magazine, Steingraber has received many honors for her work as a science writer. She was named Ms. Magazine Woman of the Year and received the Jenifer Altman Foundation’s first annual Altman Award for “the inspiring and poetic use of science to elucidate the causes of cancer.”

Steinbraber to Speak at 2011 Dinner

Click HERE to reserve your tickets now!

On Monday, April 4th we’re hosting two incredible activists who fought for and won strong air pollution regulations in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Strategic Toxic Air Reduction (STAR) Program of the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District is a regulatory program to reduce harmful contaminants in the air we breathe, to better protect citizens’ health and enhance quality of life.

We’re hosting two women who were in the forefront of establishing and implementing this program: Wilma Subra and Eboni Cochrane.

Wilma Subra is an environmental scientist with degrees in microbiology, chemistry and computer sciences. She has worked with dozens of communities to help them understand technical information to be full participants in decisions that impact their lives. She has worked for the Gulf South Research Institute, served as vice-chair of the EPA National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology, serves as President of the Subra Company and was recently in the documentary Gasland about hydrofracking.

Eboni Cochrane is a member of Rubbertown Emergency Action (REACT). REACT is a grassroots organization of residents living near or at the fence lines of a cluster of 11 chemical plants commonly referred to as Rubbertown. REACT fights for:

• Strong laws to stop toxic air pollution from chemical plants
• The protection of residents in the event of a leak, fire or explosion in a chemical plant or railcar.
• Full disclosure and easy access to information concerning the impact of Rubbertown on residents living nearby

Eboni and Wilma will speak about how they organized the community to push for the program, how the STAR program reduced harmful emissions and they lessons they’ve learned.

Join us at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center at 7:00 pm