About the California Environmental Justice Alliance Green Zones Initiative
What is a Green Zone?
Green Zones use place-based strategies and community-led solutions to transform areas overburdened by pollution into healthy and thriving neighborhoods. Green Zones are areas that have experienced historic disinvestment and neglect – most often low-income communities and communities of color – where residents have been organizing for decades to reduce industrial pollution and implement solutions that address the unhealthy (and often discriminatory) land use patterns that have shaped how our communities look today.
The California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA)’s Green Zones Initiative believes in improving the conditions of those most impacted by pollution and poor planning in order to improve the lives of all Californians. With overburdened environmental justice (EJ) communities leading the way, local residents, government, and businesses can collaborate to transition toxic hotspots into thriving Green Zones. Together, we are working to cultivate vibrant communities and advance visionary policies so that Green Zones can serve as models for strengthening local economies, environments, and democracies across California and beyond.
While each Green Zone is a reflection of the specific needs, priorities, and environmental justice issues in each community, all of them lift up the voices and visions of residents first and foremost and are comprehensive, community-led, solution-oriented, and collaborative. They look closely at cumulative impacts and unhealthy land use planning while using a comprehensive approach that is based upon the principles of justice and sustainability. From plans to produce high quality local jobs and affordable housing, to providing parks and affordable organic food to local residents, Green Zones center community-led planning to sustain these vibrant futures.
An Interview with Green Zones Co-Founders Antonio Diaz and Diane Takvorian
Tracing the Trajectory of CEJA’s Green Zones Initiative
In 2010, CEJA published our first concept paper on our vision for a Green Zones Initiative. The original team who launched our initiative included Antonio Diaz, executive director at PODER; Diane Takvorian, executive director at the Environmental Health Coalition; Penny Newman, former executive director at the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice; and Amy Vanderwarker, CEJA’s first dedicated Green Zones staff person. In this interview, Diaz and Takvorian reflect on the successes, challenges, and work it has taken to launch CEJA’s Green Zones Initiative.
Green Zones Fact Sheets
Learn more about Green Zones: Download our handouts below in English and in Spanish on CEJA’s Green Zones Initiative!
About Green Zones – Download in English
Green Zones are place-based strategies that use community-led solutions to transform areas overburdened by pollution into healthy and thriving neighborhoods.
Green Zones neighborhoods are areas that have experienced legacies of pollution and divestment, where residents are proactively organizing to create a positive vision for their communities.
Acerca de las Zonas Verdes – Descargar en español
Las Zonas Verdes son estrategias basadas en el lugar que utilizan soluciones dirigidas por la comunidad para transformar las áreas sobrecargadas por la contaminación en vecindarios saludables y prósperos.
Los vecindarios de Zonas Verdes son áreas que han experimentado legados de contaminación y desinversión, donde los residentes se organizan de manera proactiva para crear una visión positiva para sus comunidades.
Green Zone Profiles
San Francisco People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights (PODER)
Richmond The Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) & Communities for a Better Environment (CBE)
East Oakland Communities for a Better Environment (CBE)
Fresno Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
San Joaquin Valley The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (CRPE)
Inland Valley The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ)
National City The Environmental Health Coalition (EHC)
South Central Los Angeles The 500 Feet Project
Los Angeles Clean Up Green Up