Sunday, August 12, 2007

Lois Marie Gibbs Reception

Sunday, August 12, 2007, the Blessings Project Foundation joined with the Piedmont Environmental Alliance and local Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League chapters in hosting a reception for Lois Gibbs, best known for her activism at the Love Canal. 

Lois Gibbs is an environmental activist whose involvement in environmental causes began in 1978, when she discovered that her 7-year-old son's elementary school in Niagara Falls, New York was built on a toxic waste dump. Subsequent investigation revealed that her entire neighborhood had been built on top of that same dump, the Love Canal. With no prior experience in community activism, Gibbs organized her neighbors and formed the Love Canal Homeowners Association. She led her community in a battle against the local, state, and federal governments. After years of struggle, 833 families were eventually evacuated, and cleanup of Love Canal began. National press coverage made Lois Gibbs a household name. Her efforts also led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Superfund," which is used to locate and clean up toxic sites throughout the United States. In 1980, Gibbs formed the Citizens' Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste (later renamed Center for Health, Environment and Justice). CHEJ is a grassroots environmental crisis center that provides information, resources, technical assistance and training to community groups around the nation. CHEJ seeks to form strong local organizations in order to protect neighborhoods from exposure to hazardous wastes.

Gibbs has authored several books, including Dying from Dioxin, about the Love Canal story and the effects of toxic waste. Lois has appeared on many television and radio shows including 60 Minutes, 20/20, Oprah Winfrey, Good Morning America, The Morning Show and the Today Show. CBS produced a 2 hour prime-time movie about Lois’s life entitled “Lois Gibbs: The Love Canal Story” starring Marsha Mason.

The reception was held Sunday, August 12, 2007 from 3 pm until 5 pm at 823 Reynolda, 823 Reynolda Rd. Lois gave a short speech and the reception followed. The even was free and open to the public.