The Green Environmental Coalition is a grass roots organization based in Yellow Springs, Ohio, a prosperous college town with a history of activism.
The Coalition was formed when a number of neighborhood groups concerned about a hazardous waste facility realized their common interest, recognizing that a combined voice could be more effective than one. Meetings soon shifted from a small gatherings of a half-dozen people sitting around kitchen tables to large community meetings with experts from around the country. The hazardous waste facility, with its management a thousand miles away, never knew what hit it.
After its success, the Coalition resolved to help other neighborhood groups confronting environmental issues to untangle air and water regulations, and to gain access to the political system. Through the Coalition’s support, neighborhood leaders have emerged to serve as unofficial liaisons between their community and the powers that be.
Top photo: Glass Farm, Yellow Springs, OH, courtesy of Cheryl Levine. Click on image to view larger version.