Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice

The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice brings communities together to address social and environmental problems in southern California. This grant focuses on engaging southern California Inland Valley students and parents through education programs in schools about the health risks of diesel pollution, especially around rail yards. The goal is to expand school and community involvement in diesel emissions issues and establish school site standards for indoor air pollution levels.

The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice works on air quality and environmental justice issues in California’s low-income and predominately Hispanic Inland Valley. The World Health Organization ranked this area as the fourth-most polluted in the world, due to rail and diesel truck traffic headed to and from Los Angeles ports. By mobilizing residents whose health suffers from this pollution, the Center leads coalition efforts to establish and enforce state and local policies to reduce global warming and other pollution from freight traffic.

The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice works on air quality and environmental justice issues in California’s low-income and predominately Hispanic Inland Valley. The World Health Organization ranked the Inland Valley as the fourth most polluted area in the world, due to rail and diesel truck traffic headed to and from Los Angeles ports. The Center addresses the public health and climate change impacts from air pollution by mobilizing residents to encourage establishment of strong pollution reduction requirements. With renewed funding, the organization would continue building grassroots support for adoption of strong rail and truck emission reduction policies and increased civic engagement in the region.