CBE

CBE, Communities for a Better Environment, is a non-profit organization founded to improve public health and achieve environmental justice. It is active in Northern and Southern California, where the pollution seems to be the worst in all of the country. This organization brings people on toxic tours (just as is stated in our book) and uses these to try and make people better understand the problem (of our polluted environment).

Through CBE’s media use of blog posts, audio podcasts, and videos the organization sheds light on the activists and grassroots organizations that are working to transform this challenge – “increasing access to housing, food, and water; supporting indigenous communities; building a green collar economy; and, with optimism and creativity, striving vigorously and resolutely for environmental justice for all.”

Executive Director, Bill Gallegos states that “the majority of these people living in these bad environments are people of color, or low income” and furthermore “every effort to rid these vulnerable communities of toxins literally saves lives.” Hence CBE has been highly successful in using the law as an instrument of social change. Additionally Gallegos details the struggle to instill a “crude cap” on Chevron’s oil refining process and the ways we can all participate in environmental activism is linked to an audio podcast on his website.

Of what I have read, there were no specific stats/facts that proved any ‘success’ in helping ‘these’ people but their blogs, audio podcasts and videos are certainly gaining recognition ‘at least’! In that sense it is successful but limitations do exist as they seem to exist in every activist environmental organization is truly making ‘that’ difference. As discussed in class something like this needs to reach, touch, affect somebody who has money and/or a great will to truly fight ‘against’ these companies that are releasing all of these toxins.

See their website at:

http://www.sundancechannel.com/thegoodfight/About