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The Toxics Action Center (TAC) of New England is one of the best regional grassroots support organizations in the U.S. The staff of TAC is committed to both helping people with environmental problems and also launching independent initiatives for pollution reduction and prevention.

Toxics Action Center
29 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111, Phone: 617-292-4821

Mission Statement

Toxic chemicals threaten the health and safety of our neighborhoods. Across New England, thousands of hazardous waste sites and trash facilities poison the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Ongoing industrial chemical use -- totaling billions of pounds every year -- exposes people to toxics in the workplace, through air and water emissions, and in consumer products.

When a drinking well is contaminated or an incinerator is proposed in a community, most people believe that the laws and government officials will be there to protect us. Yet, the reality is that these laws are often inadequate. In many cases, what may be "legal" for industry to do is not safe for nearby residents and workers. Too often, government officials relent to pressure by industry to not aggressively enforce environmental regulations. Illegal dumping on a vacant lot or toxic emissions from a belching smokestack can go on for weeks, months, or even years without any government attention. Often, it is up to residents to take action; to say "Enough is enough".

Platform

Since 1987, the Toxics Action Center (formerly the Massachusetts Campaign to Clean Up Hazardous Waste) has assisted more than 200 neighborhood groups in their efforts to fight pollution in their communities. We have helped residents battle to clean up toxic waste sites, pressure industry to reduce its use and emissions of toxic chemicals, and prevent the siting of unsafe waste and industrial facilities. In every struggle, we have fostered the ability of residents to speak with a powerful common voice about protecting their lives, saving their homes, and preserving their communities.

The Toxics Action Center trains, consults with, and directly assists residents in Massachusetts and Connecticut wage effective campaigns to pressure stubborn polluters and red tape bureaucracies to act to protect our neighborhoods' health and safety.

Program: The Campaign to Clean Up Hazardous Waste

Toxic contamination has poisoned water supplies in hundreds of New England communities, and hazardous waste sites are a neighborhood fixture in many others. The Toxics Action Center assists residents in the complicated process of cleaning up toxic waste sites and bringing clean water to replace contaminated supplies. We help residents understand the complexities of the Superfund, link residents with technical experts, and push for timely and effective cleanups and remedies.

The Unsafe Facilities Campaign

Polluting industrial and waste facilities threaten our air, our water, and our neighborhoods' quality of life. The Toxics Action Center works with residents to prevent the construction of, and to shut, dangerous facilities in their communities.

The Pollution Prevention Campaign

The use of toxic chemicals has increased twelve-fold in the past forty years. Industry introduces 1,000 new chemicals a year -- adding to the 72,000 already on the market. Reducing the use of toxic chemicals is the most effective way to prevent pollution. Toxics use reduction prevents worker exposure, accidents and emissions -- and can save industry money.

The Toxics Action Center works with residents to encourage industry to reduce its use of toxic chemicals and other dangerous materials. Our Toxics Use Reduction, Healthy Hospitals, and Healthy Schools campaigns seek to form partnerships with workers, community members, and management to improve the workplace and local environment.

Neighborhoods Against Urban Pollution

Industry and government indifference has left the urban areas of New England with a toxics legacy. The Toxics Action Center works to raise the awareness of environmental issues in our cities and to provide neighborhoods the tools they need to pressure companies and government to act.

In each of these programs, the Action Center assists groups by providing:

Information

We provide information about environmental threats in communities across the region. We have lists of the large industrial toxic users, toxic waste handlers, and toxic waste sites in the region. We maintain an extensive library of public health studies and reports on chemical health effects.

Education

We help residents understand state and federal environmental laws -- what they say on paper and how they really work in practice. Our Citizen's Guide to the Massachusetts Superfund has helped hundreds of residents understand the state's complex hazardous waste cleanup program.

Organizing Assistance

We help groups develop organizing strategies that effectively target and pressure government officials and polluters to act. Residents can get timely action to solve their problems through generating media coverage, informing and involving the public, and direct lobbying, We consult with residents in person and over the phone to help plan out and implement these grassroots tactics.

Group Building Assistance

We help residents build strong neighborhood groups, the foundation for effective campaigns. We help groups involve more people and develop their leadership abilities. Our Grantwriting Assistance Program helps prepare foundation proposals to bring financial resources to local campaigns.

Experts

We maintain a referral network of legal, technical, and public health experts to provide neighborhood groups with essential information for a reduced fee or pro bono. At times, groups need environmental engineers to help evaluate a cleanup plan or a lawyer to pursue compensation for health or property damages.

A Network

We maintain a network of dozens of neighborhood groups to share strategies with and to provide mutual support. Our annual Toxics Action Conference attracts more than 150 activists for a day of workshops and speakers discussing how to tackle local toxics issues. We also organize day-long workshops and roundtables throughout the year on critical issues. The Toxic Toolbox, our quarterly newsletter for activists, provides insights on organizing strategies and updates on local and regional environmental issues.

For more information, call the Toxics Action Center at 627-292-4821, or send mail to toxicsaction@igc.org.