Regional Projects: Louisiana
Holy Cross Neighborhood Association Sign in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, LA.
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.
Darryl works closely with the Make It Right Campaign, a program that is working with the community to build green, affordable housing on a large scale to Katrina victims.
Campaign Highlights
July 2008
 Oakville Tragedy Continues: The over 17 year struggle of the Oakville Community over the Industrial Pipe Landfill next to their homes does not seem to want to die. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LADEQ) held a hearing on the 15th of July 2008 and our questions of the agency here. The LADEQ was asking for comments on a permit modification to the Industrial Pipe Landfill which it granted will allow waste to come to the landfill by barges and other vessels from all over America.
June 2008
Viet Village: Here's a project summary from the Vietnamese youth who are working with the Louisiana Green Job Corps, describing how their work with the Green Job Corps allows them to improve the community. These youth have also developed a PowerPoint presentation which tells their story: from Vietnam to New Orleans, the impact of Hurricane Katrina, and now the recovery effort these youth are helping with.
April 2008
KatrinaRitaVille Express: Check out KatrinaRitaVille Express, a cross-country tour to raise awareness about the ongoing crisis-level conditions plaguing Gulf Coast residents in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. See if they'll be stopping in a city near you!
·Toxic Trailers factsheet
·More about Katrina and Rita
- Learn more about global warming and Environmental Justice.
- Visit helpholycross.org to learn more about all of the great work of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association and what you can do to help!
- Steve Curwood, host of the public radio show "Living on Earth," talked with Sierra Club Environmental Justice organizer Darryl Malek-Wiley about toxic hotspots in Louisiana's Cancer Alley. Listen to the program or read the transcript.
- Read an issue of Louisiana Environmental Justice Voices, our informative newsletter. (All are in pdf format.)
- Check out the Sierra Club Delta Chapter's website
About the Organizer
Darryl Malek-Wiley is a veteran of the environmental justice movement. He has worked for over 30 years with communities along the Mississippi River to fight toxic pollution and protect peoples' health.
Malek-Wiley joined the Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program in June 2004 to support the efforts of Louisiana environmental justice groups on issues including toxics, pollution and environmental health. He has been dedicated to protecting Louisiana's environment and people throughout his career. He was a key organizer of the Great Toxics March from Baton Rouge to New Orleans in 1988. This march defined the problem of toxic emissions in the "cancer alley" and launched the campaign for improvement that continues today.
Malek-Wiley has worked for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Louisiana Environmental Action Network and the Gulf Coast Tenant Organization among others. He has served as the Chair of the New Orleans Group of the Sierra Club, President of the Mississippi River Basin Alliance, and a member of both the Sierra Club's Ethnic Diversity Task Force and Hazardous Material Committee. He has studied and educated people on toxics, air and water pollution, environmental health, and sociology at the local, state, regional, national and international level. Contact him at darryl.malek-wiley@sierraclub.org.
Up to Top
HOME |
Email Signup |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Terms of Use |
© 2008 Sierra Club
|
