Vision Statement
The California Environmental Rights Alliance envisions a clean and healthy environment for all Californians.
Mission Statement
The California Environmental Rights Alliance is dedicated to achieving environmental justice and improving community health in California.
Goals
The California Environmental Rights Alliance has four primary goals: (1) Prevent, reduce, and eliminate the release of toxic substances into our air, land, and water; (2) raise awareness about environmental health and justice issues among California residents; (3) build a broad-based and engaged community of environmental health and justice advocates empowered to influence environmental decisions; (4) hold government officials accountable for their actions and inactions.
Programs
The California Environmental Rights Alliance protects and enhances public health by advocating for environmental policies that prevent, reduce, or eliminate pollution. In addition, we work to empower community members to participate effectively in decisions that affect environmental quality where they live, work, learn, and play. We pursue our mission and goals through four projects:
Air Quality Project. We work to reduce air pollution in the South Coast Air Basin, the most polluted air basin in the United States. Our Executive Director serves as the Governor’s Appointee on the Governing Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Climate Change and Environmental Justice Project. We coordinate the efforts of a coalition of environmental justice organizations advocating for environmentally and socially just approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Cumulative Environmental Impacts Project. The prevention and reduction of cumulative environmental impacts represents our best chance to achieve environmental health and justice through policy reform. We have succeeded in securing commitments to address this key policy issue from Cal/EPA and work with a large and diverse coalition of advocacy organizations to assure the fulfillment of these promises. We seek policy changes that will result in the prevention and reduction of cumulative environmental impacts when agencies make permitting, enforcement, and regulatory decisions.
Technical Assistance Project. We provide advice and technical assistance to community groups confronting our region’s most severe pollution problems. We inform, motivate, and involve community members in actions that protect and enhance their health and the environment. We assist community-based organizations in all aspects of their work, from strategic planning to fund-raising to reducing pollution in their communities. We help their members understand complicated environmental issues. We educate them about their public participation rights and opportunities and we train them to use environmental laws and policy-making processes to protect their communities.