After her successful struggle, Gibbs received over 3,000 letters from people all over the country, requesting information on how they could solve the toxic waste problems in their area. In response to their pleas, Gibbs formed the Citizens Clearinghouse for
After her successful struggle, Gibbs received over 3,000 letters from people all over the country, requesting information on how they could solve the toxic waste problems in their area. In response to their pleas, Gibbs formed the Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste in 1980 (later renamed Center for Health, Environment and Justice). CHEJ is a grassroots environmental crisis center that has provided information, resources, technical assistance, and training to thousands of community groups around the nation. CHEJ seeks to form strong local organizations in order to protect neighborhoods from exposure to hazardous wastes. Gibbs works extensively with diverse communities and is strengthening the environmental justice movement.
A central component of CHEJ’s work is connecting local leaders by providing a forum for creating collaborative strategies and alliances for meeting shared objectives. CHEJ also coordinates regional and national issue-focused campaigns to bring the collective power of the grassroots into corporate and government decision-making processes. For more information, visit CHEJ’s website: Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ).