Lois Gibbs

Lois Gibbs delivers a speech from environmental activists to sulfur mining near Marquette to stop

Lois Marie Gibbs (* 1951 ) is an American environmental activist . It is known for its work against the negative effects of hazardous waste landfills and other causes of soil contamination.

Career

Gibbs began to work for the environment in 1978. It was then that she discovered that her seven-year-old son's elementary school in Niagara Falls , New York was being built on a hazardous waste site . Journalist Michael H. Brown wrote an article about it in the Niagara Gazette . Further research indicated that the entire neighborhood of Gibbs, Love Canal , was built on this hazardous waste site. Without her having any experience in activism, Gibbs organized her neighborhood and founded the Love Canal Owners' Association. She represented her community in disputes with local, federal and state organizations. After years of struggle, 833 families were eventually evacuated and the contaminated floors of Love Canal cleaned. The name Lois Gibbs became known nationally through extensive coverage. Their efforts resulted in the Environmental Protection Agency passing the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act , which is now being used to locate and cleanse hazardous landfills or contaminated soil throughout the United States.

In 1980 Gibbs founded the Citizens' Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste or later the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) . She is currently the director of this center. CHEJ is a citizen-initiated crisis center that provides information, resources and technical expertise to serve other communities and associations in the United States. CHEJ's goal is to create strong local groups and organizations to protect neighborhoods from the pollution and hazards of hazardous waste.

Gibbs has written several books on the Love Canal scandal and the effects of hazardous waste. Her story was filmed for television in 1982 with Lois Gibbs: the Love Canal Story , in which she was played by Marsha Mason .

Awards

• Goldman Environmental Prize (1990)
• The 5th annual Heinz Award for Environment (1999)
• Honorary Degree from Haverford College for environmental activist work (2006)
• Honorary diploma (Litterarum humanarum doctor) from Green Mountain College (2009)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sam How Verhovek: After 10 Years, the Trauma of Love Canal Continues . In: The New York Times . August 5, 1988. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
2. ↑ CHEJ About Lois Page ( Memento of the original from October 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ CHEJ Our Mission Page ( Memento of the original from August 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ ^{a b c} CHEJ Staff Page ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ^ Literature by and about Lois Marie Gibbs in the bibliographic database WorldCat
6. ↑ IMDB entry
7. ^ The Heinz Awards, Lois Gibbs profile