This map shows how pollution has a disproportionate, harmful impact in South Seattle, which has primarily low-income communities and communities of color. The dots are sites that release, store or use toxic chemicals and hazardous waste.

CCEJ Campaigns

Partnership for Environmental Health & Asthma
Yesler Terrace Coalition/Equitable Development Campaign
Toxic Beauty Campaign
Northwest Indigenous Alliance Initiative for Community Wellness and Climate Justice
Annual Conference
Outreach & Education

Partnership for Environmental Health & Asthma (PEHA)

PEHA is led by South Seattle community members and a coalition of agencies and organizations. Our aim is to reduce asthma suffering by reducing vehicle idling and toxic air emissions in residential areas.

For more information on this campaign, contact Secret Charles at Secret_Charles@antiochsea.edu, www.wecprotects.org/climate/index.cfm

Yesler Terrace Coalition/Equitable Development Campaign

This project watchdogs the Seattle Housing Authority during the Yesler Terrace redevelopment to ensure accountability to residents and no loss of low-income units. Yesler Terrace is Seattle’s last public housing community – the others have been redeveloped into mixed-income properties, with an overall loss of over 1,000 low-income units.

For more information on this campaign, contact the Yesler Terrace Coaltion at ytcoalition@ccej.org.

Toxic Beauty Campaign

The Toxic Beauty Project is a collaborative project between CCEJ and the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) that aims to improve human health and the environment in nail salons located in low income communities and communities of color. Many chemicals found in beauty products that are commonly used in salons are hazardous to human health, and nail salon technician s are exposed to them on a daily basis. In King County, as well as nationwide, the majority of salon workers and owners are Asian immigrant women, so exposure tends to be disproportionate. We hope to involve all individuals and groups in the process of promoting the use of safer practices and products, from consumer to business owner, salon employee to beauty industry

For consumers and nail technicians, these websites are resources you can use to help find cosmetics that are safe:
www.safecosmetics.org
www.toxicfreelegacy.org/safecosmetics/findsafer.html
www.nailsmag.com
bauusa.com/sunflower-action.html

Related News Articles
"Color Them Green: EPA Grants will Help Nail Salons" Seattle PI
"Dying for a Manicure?" OneEarth
"Nail Salon Workers Exposed to Fumes" The Environment Report
"Study Warns of Chemicals in Baby Items" The Associated Press

For more information on this campaign, contact Secret Charles at Secret_Charles@antiochsea.edu.

Northwest Indigenous Alliance Initiative for Community Wellness and Climate Justice

CCEJ is one partner in an initiative to educate communities about climate change and it's current impacts. This initiative seeks to strengthen and build the capacity and political power of tribal people and people of color, particularly youth, from impacted communities in the Northwest and Puget Sound region to be informed about impacts of fossil fuel energy and to begin addressing the impacts of climate change from a grassroots community-based level.

For more information on this campaign, contact Shelly Vendiola at msvendiola@yahoo.com.

Annual Conference

CCEJ’s unique annual conference, Community-Based Solutions for Environmental Health & Justice, is an inspiring event that attracts hundreds of people to learn about EJ issues and solutions and build the Northwest EJ movement. Traditionally our conference is convened in late April, to build awareness around Earth Day about environmental justice. Stay tuned for details on the 2008 conference, likely to occur later in the year.

For more information, contact CCEJ at justice@ccej.org.

Outreach & Education

CCEJ staff and board reach over 2,000 people a year with EJ 101 workshops, Seattle environmental justice tours and community outreach so we can raise the voices of low-income communities and communities of color and reach allies who can support our work.

For more information or to request CCEJ to speak at an event or do an EJ tour, please fill out the speaking/tour request form and email to the board of directors at ccejboard@gmail.com.

Community Resources

If you are a community member with an environmental justice concern in your neighborhood, we encourage you to visit our resource library. You can research reports, files and news articles on EJ issues and make photocopies. Unfortunately we don’t have staff capacity to do research for you. Please contact the office before you visit the office to confirm that we’re open.
Thank you!

Also see CCEJ Victories

The mission of the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ)
is to achieve environmental and economic justice in low income communities and communities of color.