On September 1st, Environmental Health Coalition, Colectivo Chilpancingo and RECIMEC met at the Arroyo Alamar with musicians from Tijuana and San Diego for a Fandango in favor of the "Alamar Sustentable" campaign.
The event was attended by nearby residents of the Colonia 10 de Mayo, Colonia Chilpancingo and Campestre Murua.
Those in attendance left the event very interested in the work the organizations are doing and recommended that a second event be held in the coming months.

Our own Nicole Capretz said it well when she tweeted from the state capitol: "Maria Martinez de @EHCSandiego - "Arriba Barrio Logan!" - we want community 2 speak for themselves & she nailed it. So proud pic.twitter.com/5sufcmbN"

In less than 160 characters, Nicole's tweet sums up an inspiring and educational trip for our staff and community members to Sacramento to rally support for AB 1990. This two-day event filled with meetings with decision makers, educational forums and an energetic rally on the capitol steps also brought together environmental justice advocates from across the state. We formally refer to this group as California Environmental Justice Alliance. And together, we made a statement that all communities deserve clean energy and green jobs. This is what we call Solar for All.

Learn more about this historic statewide bill that is heading to the senate for a vote. And enjoy a few photos from our trip to Sacramento.

Today our Executive Director Diane Takvorian joined U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, Mexico's Environmental Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, Governor of Baja California José Osuna Millán and Mayor of Tijuana Carlos Bustamante to celebrate the closure of U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 and signing of the new U.S.-Mexico Border 2020.

As the leader of one of the nation's top environmental justice organizations, Diane shared examples to highlight how this bi-national partnership protects human and environmental health while issuing an immediate call to action to protect Arroyo Alamar from channelization.

She said that Border 2020 is an ambitious program that seeks to address complex problems through cooperation and community participation. We achieved some powerful results because of the contributions of Border 2012 and right now, families who live in Tijuana need our leadership to stop the channelization of Arroyo Alamar, one of the last natural places in their community.

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Hundreds of environmental supporters joined A Clean Bay Victory celebration on May 22

In the 1900s, San Diego Bay supported great biodiversity in its shallow open water, salt marshes and mud flats. Currently, more than a third of San Diego County live within five miles of the bay. After years of neglect and poor planning, industries polluted the bay with more than 20 types of pollutants, endangered surrounding communities with 36 types of air contaminants and destroyed 90 percent of the bay's mud flats and 78 percent of its salt marshes. (Skip to the goods--I want to see the photos.)

In 2012, we honored three individuals and one organization that led efforts over the past 32 years to improve San Diego Bay. Each awardee played an integral role in the community-wide efforts that resulted in major environmental victories for San Diego Bay, and ultimately, can lead to a reversal of these trends. Key victories include the decommissioning of the South Bay Power Plant, the adaptation of the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan and the cleanup of toxic pollution at the bottom of San Diego Bay. We would like to extend a warm thanks to our proud sponsors: Pacifica Companies, Unified Port of San Diego, The Wild Thyme Company and Bruce and Betsy Gill.

The VIP reception opened the A Clean Bay Victory event at the Star of the Sea Event Center along the harbor in downtown San Diego. A Clean Bay Victory packed The Berkeley event space at the Maritime Museum as attendees from all over San Diego and Tijuana regions raised $38,000 to support EHC in honor of the environmental champions.

More than 320 individuals attended EHC's 2012 Awards Celebration. At the event, former Councilmember Donna Frye launched EHC's Sustainability Circle to secure monthly contributions from donors who support EHC's environmental justice work.

We're planning our next awards event. Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information.

Highlights of Tuesday's event include:

• Marco Gonzalez received an award from Ashok Israni, CEO of Pacifica Companies, for his tireless advocacy and legal leadership in the Clean Bay Campaign.
• San Diego Coastkeeper, a non-profit ally in the Clean Bay Campaign, received an award from City Councilmember David Alvarez for serving as a strong and critical partner with EHC in the fight to preserve San Diego Bay since 1995.
• Dan McKirnan, EHC boardmember, was honored by Congressman Bob Filner for his commitment to the environmental protection and service as a founding member of the Clean Bay Campaign.
• Laura Hunter, Clean Bay Campaign director, was commended with the Donna Frye Spirit of Justice Award for over two decades of dedicated work on the Clean Bay efforts for Environmental Health Coalition.