Communities in Central Appalachia have fought tirelessly, and continue to fight, to protect their homes, land, air, and water from the destruction wrought by the coal industry. Sierra Club organizers Bill McCabe and Bill Price work with local groups like Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards to put an end to practices such as Mountain Top Removal mining that threaten Appalachia's health and heritage. Both Bills' work transcends state lines . . .they can be found organizing in communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Communities in Central Appalachia have fought tirelessly, and continue to fight, to protect their homes, land, air, and water from the destruction wrought by the coal industry. Sierra Club organizers Bill McCabe and Bill Price work with local groups like Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards to put an end to practices such as Mountain Top Removal mining that threaten Appalachia's health and heritage. Both Bills' work transcends state lines . . .they can be found organizing in communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

With seven proposed new coal-fired power plants, plans for a massive expansion at the Marathon oil refinery, and persistent solid waste issues, the need for Environmental Justice in Detroit is important now more than ever. Sierra Club organizer Rhonda Anderson spends her days working with Detroit residents and local politicians to fight for the rights of communities already overburdened with polluting industries. In 2007 Rhonda was one of the activists who spurred Governor Jennifer Granholm to sign an EJ Executive Order. Rhonda's powerful voice as a community advocate was recently recognized by the Michigan Chronicle, who named her as "One of the 10 Voices of Change for 2007".

Every day, Sierra Club organizer Mariana Chew-Sanchez fights for social justice and environmental protection in two countries. Mariana supports communities in the United States and Mexico as they strive to make the border region of El Paso, TX. cleaner and safer. She leads the charge against the industrial, commercial and municipal pollution that contaminates the area and threatens the health of the millions of people who live there.

In the Southwest, the Sierra Club's EJ program is focused on working with tribes and community groups to protect their resources from misuse and contamination via destructive industrial practices as well as to ensure the health and safety of local residents. Based in Flagstaff, AZ, organizer Robert Tohe is actively involved in a broad coalition of native groups whose aim is to prevent the resurgence of uranium mining in New Mexico and Arizona, where area residents still suffer from the health effects of past mining. In addition, Robert has worked with tribes to protect the sacred mountains such as the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona and Mt Taylor in New Mexico. An important part of his work involves safeguarding valuable water supplies against excessive industrial use.

The Sierra Club's EJ program in Louisiana began by focusing on empowering communities along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to Venice that are affected by toxic chemicals. In recent years, Sierra Club organizer Darryl Malek-Wiley's main focus has been working with communities in the monumental undertaking of recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Darryl has spent considerable time working to solidify and expand the coalitions working on the equitable reconstruction of the New Orleans and Gulf region. Darryl's efforts are so closely tied to his community that it is hard to tell where the Sierra Club begins and ends with many aspects of work with the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association and the Mary Queen of Viet Nam Parish.

Sierra Club organizer Rita Harris has been fighting for Environmental Justice in Memphis since the early 1990s. Leading frequent Toxic Tours and working with the community to campaign against major polluters, Rita works alongside residents to protect their land, air, water, and health. An air pollution monitoring program, a mapping project to alert residents to the dangers of a chemical spill, and an ongoing fight against a hazardous waste-burning incinerator all highlight actions by Memphis residents to improve environmental quality and justice for their communities.

Many Minneapolis residents live in an area know as the "Arsenic Triangle", where levels of this toxic chemical are dangerously high. Sierra Club organizer Karen Monahan works with Minneapolis communities all over the city who are disproportionately affected by the toxic by-products of industry, providing them with resources to fight for their health and safety. In addition, Karen works with Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota on their Climate Justice campaign, which works towards solutions to the disproportionate impact of global climate change on low-income, Indigenous, and communities of color in Minnesota.

Sierra Club organizer Irv Sheffey first got involved with the Club as a volunteer doing numerous tree plantings throughout the city with the Casey Trees Endowment. Today, as the Washington, DC, Environmental Justice organizer, Irv continues to work with local communities on tree plantings, wetland remediation and river clean-ups along the Anacostia. In addition, Irv has convened several conferences, community events, and educational talks to raise awareness about the environmental justice issues facing the nation's capitol. In speaking about DC's Anacostia River, Irv has said, "This river runs through the African-American community in the District and its neglect is reflected in those communities, as are its hopes. In restoring the river, we also restore the possibilities of those who live along it."