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The story of Love Canal and Lois Gibbs is a great

The story of Love Canal and Lois Gibbs is a great reminder on Earth Day. In the face of corporate greed and sexism, people power prevailed. You can watch a new documentary on it tonight. But first, the horrific story (one that continues in hidden corners of the US to this day)...

Occidental Chemical Corp., formerly Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corp., used an abandoned canal in Niagara Falls as a toxic waste dumping ground, burying 20,000 tons of toxic chemicals in the 1940s and 1950s. They covered the waste with dirt and sold the land to the City of Niagara Falls for $1, who then built a school and playground on the site. The sale was complete with a deed that contained a disclaimer excusing Hooker Chemical from any liability related to the chemical dumping.

Years later, Lois Gibbs began to notice clusters of illnesses in her neighborhood and black ooze in their basements. Children told tales of rocks that would explode into fire and soil that could burn the soles of their shoes. By 1976, Gibbs realized that a full 56 percent of children born to Love Canal residents within the last five years had been born with a congenital anomaly.

Gibbs became president of a grassroots group called the Love Canal Neighborhood Association, comprised mostly of women. They tracked down evidence, circulated petitions, and lobbied anyone they could find.

Instead of calling her president, men derided her as 'The Bitch' and said her period was making her hysterical. She was not deterred.

Emergency declarations by President Jimmy Carter on August 7, 1978, and later in 1980, led to the evacuation of about 900 families and the bulldozing of an elementary school and two streets that had been built on the former canal. Gibbs' legacy lives on in the Superfund Act and the countless activists she inspired.

"That was as much dioxin [triclorophenol] as had been spread in Vietnam with all the Agent Orange. That was the amount that you could calculate as being in Love Canal.” - Michael Brown, reporter

You can watch the new documentary on @pbs @americanexperiencepbs tonight (link in bio)
photo: Archives SUNY Buffalo State

Happy Friday and happy riding! ✌️

Happy Friday and happy riding! ✌️

Repost from our beneficiary partner @climategenorg

Repost from our beneficiary partner @climategenorg

Meet Donna Minter, aka Grammy. She is a climate champion and avid long-distance cyclist who is undertaking a Climate Ride across America this fall, all while fundraising for climate action organizations. Donna’s goal is to raise $500,000 before she finishes her ride in St. Augustine, FL this fall, and she needs your help reaching her $500,000 goal.

Get to know Donna by reading her climate story, link in bio!

Thank you Donna for taking on this Independent Challenge 💪🤩

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