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Environmental Justice and Community Partnerships
Regional Programs: 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.
Campaign Highlights
August 2009:
The Green Rebuilding of New Orleans: 4 Years Post-Katrina: Following the release of the New Orleans Green Building Assessment, the Sierra Club Delta
Chapter, the United Steel Workers Local 620 and various other community and environmental organizations are putting together a conference to discuss green rebuilding in New Orleans. The conference will take place on November 8th and 9th at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown New Orleans. It is the first of its kind designed specifically to track the past progress and future continuation of sustainable construction practices since the infamous storm that changed the city forever. 3 tour options will be available on Sunday the 8th focusing on the registrants' choice of current green building projects, urban farms and farming in metro New Orleans, or green jobs, deconstruction and waste management. A great networking opportunity, persons of all backgrounds who are interested in learning or educating are
both welcome and encouraged to participate. For more information and to register, visit rebuildnolagreen.wordpress.com/
August 2009:
New Report: The "New Orleans Green Building Assessment" examines current and former green building efforts in New Orleans, noting partnerships and
potential strategies for improvement throughout. Download a copy of the report here.
The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has provided the city of New Orleans with a unique opportunity to develop a national model for rebuilding green. The report's five goals are to profile key agencies; to catalog current and former green building projects; to evaluate the capacity and needs of each business and organization; to assess the current green building situation; and to develop a directory of local green building service providers.
The report was assembled with help from graduate candidates at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Kristin McKee and Shawn Dillard, with help from the Sierra Club-Delta Chapter (New Orleans).
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
For more information:
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.
Get Involved
To learn more about the Louisiana EJ program or to find out how you can help, email Darryl Malek-Wiley at darryl.malek-wiley@sierraclub.org.
Contact Us
Louisiana Environmental Justice Program
716 Adams Street
Suites 5 & 6
New Orleans, LA 70118
Tel: 504-861-4835
Tel: 504-861-4836
Darryl Malek Wiley