activist – news – policy – government
þ indicates a site containing maps/chart
• represents a site we find particularly useful
African-American Environmental Network (http://www.aaenvironment.com/)
The African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA), founded in 1985, is a national, nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to protecting the environment, enhancing human, animal and plant ecologies, promoting the efficient use of natural resources and increasing African American participation in the environmental movement. AAEA’s main goals are to deliver environmental information and services directly into communities. We work to clean up neighborhoods by implementing toxics education, energy, water and clean air programs. AAEA includes an African American point of view in environmental policy decision-making and resolves environmental racism and injustice issues through the application of practical environmental solutions. We are the nation’s oldest African American-led environmental organizations and we welcome all races interested in working for improvements in the African American community.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (http://www.asthmacapitals.com)
The AAFA is a non-profit patient organization for people with asthma and allergies. It provides practical information and community-based services and support to people through a network of regional chapters, educational support groups and other local partners around the U.S. The AAFA develops health education, organizes state and national advocacy efforts, and funds research to find better treatments and cures. The mission of the AAFA’s website is to provide online access to reliable information on asthma and allergies as wells as tools to families, patients, parents, healthcare providers, policymakers, and others.
þ MapCruzin (http://www.mapcruzin.com)
MapCruzin seeks to provide the information, tools, resources and expertise to enhance personal knowledge and empowerment in efforts towards improving environmental and social conditions. It specializes in Geographic Information System (GIS) projects, environmental and sociodemographic research, website development and hosting. Examples of such services include the development of the Google Maps project ToxicRisk.com, which shows the relationship between toxic chemical releases and schools in the U.S; GPS fieldwork and mapping; GIS education and training; professional maps for books, reports and the internet; and digital toxic tours.
•The Collaborative on Health and the Environment Database
(http://www.healthandenvironment.org/tddb)
The CHE Toxicant and Disease Database is a searchable database that summarizes links between chemical contaminants and approximately 180 human diseases or conditions. It is a useful tool for researchers, health professionals, health-affected groups and others interested in reviewing the weight of evidence between associated toxicants and diseases. The database also features a new and extensive list of links to other useful databases and resources.
Green American (http://www.greenamerica.org/)
Green American’s mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. They publish the National Green Pages™, a directory of green businesses from coast to coast. Their Responsible Shopper database provides information about abuses by well-known companies, suggested actions to promote corporate responsibility, and ways to “green” your life. The database allows you to search hundreds of company profiles by name or by industry and quickly compare the corporate responsibility records of companies within industries. Green American also provides “A Guide to Researching Corporations” and “A Boycott Organziers’ Guide.”
•Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site (http://scorecard.goodguide.com/) Scorecard provides a wealth of information about pollution problems and toxic chemicals, including detailed reports on chemicals released by more than 20,000 industrial facilities in the U.S. There is information on the pollution problems in individual communities and who is responsible for that pollution; searches can be conducted by company and/or location. Scorecard provides tools that identify which geographic areas and companies have the worst pollution records and which racial/ethnic and income groups bear more than their share of environmental burdens.
Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org)
The mission of the EWG is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. This website has extensive searchable research resources on health and the environment. There are indexes on chemicals, health effects, and routes of exposure that organize various research, news articles, and other sources of information.
Beyond Pesticides (http://www.beyondpesticides.org/index.html)
Beyond Pesticides’ mission is to protect public health and the environment in order to lead the transition to a world free of toxic pesticides. They provide a variety of information services including the valuable Pesticide Gateway, which list pesticides and provides a chemical information page on each with links to factsheets, their basic chemicals, alternatives, health and environmental effects, regulatory status, key studies and more. The State Pages includes news stories, local organizations, school pesticide policies, regulatory contacts and least-toxic pest control operators for each state.
Greenpeace International (http://www.greenpeace.org)
Greenpeace uses campaigns with a non-violent emphasis to expose threats to the environment and find solutions. Their search engine provides a multitude of links, and searches can be further divide by research, action alerts, news, Greenpeace blogs, and general information. There is, of course, information about their various campaigns as well.
Healthcare Without Harm HCWH (http://www.noharm.org)
The HCWH aims to implement ecologically sound and healthy alternatives to health care practices that pollute the environment and contribute to disease. Their resource library includes information on waste management, toxic materials, safer chemicals, healthy food, green building, climate and energy, green purchasing, and pharmaceuticals with links to other databases and websites. Their Energy Impact Calculator calculates a health care facility’s energy health impacts and costs.
HealthyStuff.org (http://www.healthystuff.org/)
The database at HealthyStuff.org includes test results for the chemicals used in over 5,000 products. HealthyStuff.org has tested toys, infant supplies, children’s products, vehicles, children’s car seats, pet beds and toys, and some apparel and accessories. The information on HealthyStuff.org represents the largest publicly available database of test data on toxic chemicals in consumer products. HealthyStuff.org is based on research conducted by environmental health organizations and other researchers around the country. The Ecology Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit environmental organization, created HealthyStuff.org and leads its research and development.
International Rivers (http://www.internationalrivers.org/)
The mission of International Rivers is to protect rivers and defend the rights of communities that depend on them. International Rivers opposes destructive dams and encourage better ways of meeting people’s needs for water, energy and flood protection. Among other resources, the website has an Action Guide for communities who have been affected by the building of dams, a search engine, a Making and Using Maps for Advocacy Work tool, and educational resources for all ages.
Pesticide Action Network North America (http://www.panna.org)
Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) works to replace the use of hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives. PANNA links local and international consumer, labor, health, environment and agriculture groups into an international citizens’ action network. This network challenges the global proliferation of pesticides, defends basic rights to health and environmental quality, and works to ensure the transition to a just and viable society. Its resources include the Non-Pesticide Advisor contains information to help with specific pest and pesticide problems and a Primer on Pesticides with information on toxicity and regulatory.
• Right-to-Know Network (RTKNET) Databases (http://www.rtknet.org/)
The Right-to-Know Network (RTKNET) helps advocates push for improved access to government-held information on the environment, health, and safety through a multitude of databases. The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a database of information about releases and transfers of toxic chemicals from facilities in certain industrial sectors, including manufacturing, waste handling, mining, and electricity generation. The Spills and Accidents database contains data on toxic chemical spills and other accidents reported to the National Response Center (NRC). The Biennial Reporting System (BRS) database contains data on the generation, shipment, and receipt of hazardous waste. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information System (RCRIS) database contains data on hazardous waste handler permits and activities. Other databases are also listed under “Other Databases.”
Skin Deep (http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com)
Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. The Skin Deep database provides easy-to-navigate safety ratings for nearly a quarter of all products on the market – 51,514 products with 8,772 ingredients.
True Cost Clearinghouse (http://www.sehn.org/tcc.html)
The True Cost Clearinghouse contains articles and reports documenting the economic, health, and social costs of pollution, worker exposures, and resource exploitation, as well as the under reported benefits of remediation and precautionary policies. Both quantitative economic analysis and qualitative value analysis are included, but the emphasis is on the cost of pollution rather than resource valuation.
Envirolink (http://envirolink.org)
EnviroLink is a grassroots online community that unites hundreds of organizations and volunteers around the world with millions of people in more than 150 countries. EnviroLink is dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date environmental information and news and promoting a sustainable society by connecting individuals and organizations through communications technologies. Resources can be searched by topic or category and there is a search engine as well.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/)
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences was established to reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease. As part of its outreach effort, the NIEHS publishes several useful websites. The newest is www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org, which has daily news and reports and good archive searching capabilities. The website www.OurStolenFuture.org focuses on studies of hormone-disrupting chemicals and their effects on plants and animals.
Environmental Protection (http://www.eponline.com)
This site provides pollution and waste treatment solutions for environmental professionals. It also contains daily news on topics such as industrial trends, energy and climate change, and sustainability.
Grist (http://www.grist.org)
Grist is a daily online environmental magazine. Back issues are searchable. Grist tackles environmental topics with the goal to inform, entertain, provoke, and encourage creative thinking about environmental problems and solutions.
Children’s Environmental Health Network (http://www.cehn.org)
The mission of the CEHN is to protect the fetus and the child from environmental hazards and provide a healthy environment for all children. Then website includes a resource guide on children’s environmental health, a training manual, organizations involved by specific activity or project, information sources, a glossary of terms, and information on toxicants and policy initiatives.
Environmental Health Coalition (http://www.environmentalhealth.org)
The EHC is dedicated to achieving environmental and social justice and believes that justice is accomplished by empowered communities acting together to make social change. The EHC organizes and advocates to protect public health and the environment threatened by toxic pollution. The website includes access to useful links.
Environmental Justice Resource Center (http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/)
Through community-driven research, policy analysis, training initiatives, and forums, the EJRC at Clark Atlanta University assists, supports, trains, and educates people of color, students, professionals, and grassroots community leaders. The ERJC serves as a research, policy, and information clearinghouse on issues related to environmental justice, race and the environment, civil rights and human rights, facility siting, land use planning, brownfields, transportation equity, suburban sprawl and smart growth, energy, global climate change, and climate justice. The website’s resources include a curriculum guide, a People of Color Environmental Groups Directory, and a variety of reports on environmental issues.
League of Conservation Voters (http://www.lcv.org)
The mission of the LCV is to turn environmental values into national priorities by advocating for sound environmental policies and the election of pro-environmental candidates who will adopt and implement such policies. The LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard informs the public about the most important environmental legislation of the past Congressional session and shows them how their own and other representatives voted.
New York University Frank J. Guarini Center on Environmental and Land Use Law (http://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/elc/index.htm)
The Center is the focal point for faculty and student activities in environmental and land use law. It promotes legal research and policy problem-solving and sponsors conferences and publications on cutting-edge topics in environmental law. The website includes information on various research projects concerning environmental issues.
• PolicyLink (http://www.policylink.org)
Policy Link is a national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity by Lifting Up What Works®. Lifting Up What Works® is Policy Link’s way of focusing attention on how people are working successfully to use local, state, and federal policy to create conditions that benefit everyone, especially people in low-income communities and communities of color.
Department of Toxic Substances Control: Envirostor (http://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/)
The Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC’s) EnviroStor database is an online search and Geographic Information System (GIS) tool for identifying sites that have known contamination or sites for which there may be reasons to investigate further. It also identifies facilities that are authorized to treat, store, dispose or transfer (TSDTF) hazardous waste. Users can conduct searches using various criteria, including facility/site name, address, city, and county.
þ EnviroMapper (http://www.epa.gov/emefdata/em4ef.home)
EnviroMapper is a tool used to map various types of environmental information, including air releases, drinking water, toxic releases, hazardous wastes, water discharge permits, and Superfund sites. A geographic area can be selected within EnviroMapper in order to view the different facilities that are present within that area. Maps can be created at the national, state, and county levels, and linked to environmental text reports.
þ Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.epa.gov)
The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. The EPA leads the nation’s environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. Their Database and Software section contains a number of databases concerning the management of environmental information, consumer information, media-specific tools, integrated media tools, Geographic Information Systems, technical tools, environmental data and tools for scientific inquiry, enforcement and compliance with regulations, environmental test methods and guidelines, and EPA models. These databases are among the most comprehensive on the Internet. Their Envirofacts section integrates information from a variety of databases and includes latitude and longitude information. Each of these databases contains information about facilities that are required to report activity to a state or federal system. Using this form, you can retrieve information about hazardous waste (including the Biennial Report), toxic and air releases, Superfund sites, and water discharge permits. Facility information and a map of its location are provided. The Data Finder is a single place to find EPA’s data sources so people can access and understand environmental information. All of the data sources are available on the Internet and have been organized by topics such as air, water, and chemicals.
Environmental Protection Agency: Enforcement and Compliance History Online http://echo.epa.gov
ECHO focuses on facility compliance and EPA/state enforcement of environmental regulations. ECHO can be used to determine whether compliance inspections have been conducted by EPA or State/local governments, violations were detected, enforcement actions were taken, and/or and penalties were assessed in response to environmental law violations. ECHO reports provide a snapshot of a facility’s environmental record, showing dates and types of violations, as well as the state or federal government’s response. ECHO reports also contain demographic information from the National Census.
Environmental Protections Agency: Health & Environmental Research Online
(http://www.epa.gov/hero/)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched a new online database that provides access to the scientific studies used in making key regulatory decisions. The EPA released the Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) database on March 24. According to the agency, this action “is part of the [Obama administration’s] open government directive to conduct business with transparency, participation, and collaboration.” – OMB Watch (for more information, visit www.ombwatch.org)
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: ToxFAQs™ (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp)
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs™ is a series of summaries about hazardous substances developed by the ATSDR Division of Toxicology. Information for this series is excerpted from the ATSDR Toxicological Profiles and Public Health Statements. Each fact sheet serves as a quick and easy to understand guide and most are available in both English and Spanish.
þ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Locator Services (http://egis.hud.gov/egis/)
This website will provide users with easy access to mapping tools and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data to support housing and community development programs at the state, county, city, and neighborhood levels. Users can create their own personal map with “Map your Community,” which shows HUD data and relationships with other agency data. The RC/EZ/EC Address Locator allows you to find out if a business or residence is located within a Renewal Community, Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community.
United States National Library of Medicine: Toxicology Data Network (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/)
TOXNET contains databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases. Searches can be conducted through all databases or specific ones.
Updated March 2012. Please send website corrections to datacenter[at]datacenter.org.