This week, KPBS recognized EHC’s Executive Director Diane Takvorian as its environmental sustainability community hero. 

For more than 37 years, Diane has empowered community members living in low-income neighborhoods of color.

She credits her passion for social justice to her own family’s struggles that stretch back to the early 1900s. Her grandparents survived the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and came to the United States two years later. Diane and her parents lived in Pasadena, where she says she experienced some discrimination because of her ethnic background.

As the founder and executive director of Environmental Health Coalition, Diane now dedicates every day to ensuring we all know the power of our voice to influence decisions that bring environmental justice to the people that need it most. Diane believes that every person has the right to a healthy and safe place to live, work and play -- and so do we.

Congratulations, Diane.

Want to keep reading about our hero? Click here to see the full story. Want to keep up with Diane? Follow her on Twitter.

Environmental Health Coalition stands in solidarity with the people of Charlottesville and everywhere who stand on the side of justice in the face of hate.

The bigotry, hate and violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville and encouraged by our president, underscores the urgency of our movement for justice and democracy. We know that to combat hate, we have to build long-lasting, sustainable people-powered movements.

That means growing the power of everyday people to build and defend vibrant and free communities.

EHC leaders organize every day in the most challenging and dangerous circumstances – from human rights abuses to environmental and public health assaults.

Living in the most polluted neighborhoods in the San Diego/Tijuana region, our leaders stand up to environmental racism with grace, determination grit and persistence.

Every year, EHC celebrates our members and leaders at a community picnic. This Saturday, August 19, we will do so again. Kids will play, parents will share stories and we will all be grateful for a moment to enjoy each other.

This year we will also observe a moment of silence for those we lost in the struggle for justice – those who died, those who were torn from their families by deportation, those who suffer from illnesses and those who live in fear.

We invite you all to join EHC as we celebrate and mourn and restore ourselves to fight again. Please join us.

SALTA provides community leaders with skill-building training in community organizing, policy advocacy and effective communication.

From mothers who envision a healthier future for their children, to community advocates that want to gain new tools to be leaders in their own neighborhoods, our SALTA graduates now have the skills necessary to move our region toward environmental justice.

The 2017 class reminds us that every one of us is a leader, and leadership is best cultivated from the ground up. Congratulations to all our community leaders and graduates – we’re very proud of you and look forward to all that we will achieve together. #IamEJ #YoSoyEJ

Want to keep reading about our leaders? Click here to read more incredible stories.

Alicia Sanchez, a National City resident, came to an EHC community meeting nine years ago to learn about a proposed affordable housing project. She left inspired and determined to make the project a reality. This April, Alicia stood proudly at the grand opening of 201 affordable housing units in her neighborhood.

Every one of us is environmental justice. We may not know what challenges lie ahead, but with your help, our community leaders – our heroes – will be ready. Please donate today.

June 20 was a very important day – San Diego City Council proclaimed Tuesday, June 20, 2017 as Diane Takvorian Day.

When she was 11 years old, Diane Takvorian, Environmental Health Coalition’s executive director, was asked to interview someone in a career she admired. She chose a social worker. In high school, she got involved in the civil rights movement and by college she was organizing communities.

Diane has been a powerhouse in driving environmental justice for our communities for more than 37 years. She has dedicated her life to shedding light on our most vulnerable neighborhoods with the unwavering belief that everyone should have a healthy and safe place to live, work and play.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Por Vida to celebrate and congratulate Diane. If you couldn’t make it, we invite you to make a contribution to EHC and become a member today. Your donation empowers EHC to lift up others to become leaders for environmental justice, just like Diane.