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Lois Marie Gibbs

Page history last edited by dtusang 2 mos ago

Biography:

Lois Marie Gibbs was born in 1951 on June 25. She got involved in environmental causes in 1978 when she found out her son's school in Niagra Falls, New York was located on top of a toxic waste dump that had more 20,000 tons of chemicals. She wanted to do something about this, so she organized her neighbors into the Love Canal Homeowners Association. They struggled over 2 years to relocate the almost 900 families of the Love Canal. The oil companies stated that they had nothing to do with the birth defects and the health problems that the Love Canal residents were suffering from. Eventually, the United States Environmental Agency responded to the incident, which created the compensation and liability act so that they could remove the toxic waste. In 1980, she formed the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. She is currently the executive director for enviromental health.

In the media:

She's appeared on Oprah Winfrey, 20/20, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and 60 Minutes. She also premiered on a 2 hour prime-time special about her life titled, "Lois gibbs: The Love Canal Story".

Awards and Recognitions:

In 1990, she received the Goldman Environmental Prize.

In 1998, she received the Heinz Award.

In 1999, she received the John Gardner Leadership Award.

In 2003, she received an honorary Ph.D in SUNY Cortland. She was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

In 2006, she received an honorary degree from Harvard for her work as an environmental activist.

In 2009, she received an honorary degree from Green Mountain College.