Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition presented our 2023 Annual Summit on Saturday, May 6th between 9 AM – 3 PM. The Summit, titled Heroes of Our Time, celebrated the efforts of Dr. David Carpenter and attorneys Charlie Tebbutt and Marc Zemel.
Learn more about their work and the challenges they faced along the road to success by watching the 2023 Annual Summit recording below.
Introduction
Good morning and thank you for participating in the Northwest Toxics Communities Coalition’s annual summit. My name is Patty Martin and I have the honor of serving as the chair of the Northwest Toxics Communities Coalition.
Formed in 2007, the Northwest Toxics Communities Coalition brings together organizations from around the Pacific. Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska who are working to clean up toxic sites that are jeopardizing the health of their communities.
Many of these sites are isolated in rural areas and tribal nations. Some have no financial resources and strained community relationships, especially in areas where the polluters are also the main employer. Others, are in cities, often in poor neighborhoods, living with the remnants of past industrial waste in their waterways, or the ongoing toxic insult from pollution of local manufacturing plants.
Although the physical circumstances of these small and diverse grassroots organizations are different, their similarities are strong. They are all working hard to better the health of their communities. They are often isolated in rural areas. They are isolated, underfunded, and limited in their efforts because of little community support and an unwillingness to stand up against the polluters.
The Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition provides support and expertise, relevant information, and resources to empower these organizations to continue in their efforts of protecting their communities from toxic waste and environmental injustice. Grassroots organizations and individuals are often the first to know of, recognize, and be impacted by violations of environmental laws. They play a key role in proper implementation and enforcement of these laws and in doing so are effectively protecting the lives of not only their communities but the lives of others who are recipients of the pollution via water, air, or food grown for their consumption.
I am proud to represent Grassroots organizations and to work with a board of directors who are dedicated to protecting their communities in spite of the personal and financial costs that it takes to persevere. Thank you again for attending today’s summit. I will now turn this over to Barbara Quinn who will go over the expectations and schedule for today.
Patty Martin, NW Toxic Communities