About Us

November 8, 2010

EAST MICHIGAN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION COUNCIL (EMEAC) began as a response in the 1960's to environmental concerns in southeast Michigan. Algae blooms were choking out life in Great Lakes and inland waters. Household and industrial wastes were piling up in landfills. Air pollutants were becoming a health issue in many urban neighborhoods and highways and buildings were covering up wetlands and open areas at the urban fringe.

With the help of our members' continuing support and enthusiasm, EMEAC will continue to pursue its mission: To empower the Detroit community to protect, preserve and value the land, air and water.  We build community power through environmental justice education, youth development and collaborative relationship building.  Detroit is in crisis. In every area of life, Detroiters are under assault: the education system has been dismantled, unions broken, houses foreclosed on, pensions defunded, emergency services selectively applied, streetlights permanently shut off in certain areas, environmental injustices abound, social safety net services defunded, and the will of the people (through democratic processes) denied.

“There's no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we don't live single-issue lives.” - Audre Lorde

EMEAC works across section and with multi-issue struggles because the families we work with are forced to take on multiple systems of oppression in their everyday lives.  Many Detroit families live in poverty, not of their own making, but because our system has failed them. These families have the firsthand experience and insight into how public policy, attitudes and systems must change to raise all families to prosperity.  At the core of EMEAC is our resolve to follow the lead of the community.  Our organization is comprised of community members that have been trained through our political education and organizing workshops and rose to leadership.

For over forty years, EMEAC has been working in the community, in the courts, in township halls and in schools. We played a role in the enactment of most of Michigan's environmental laws.  Our work is rooted in the principles of environmental justice and in community organizing.  We work to fight environmental racism and extreme energy while building community solutions and resilience inside Detroit: the community where we live, work and play.


Our Programs Include:

  • OUR POWER/ JUST TRANSITION
  • GREENER SCHOOLS
  • CULTURAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, ARTS & SCIENCES LABS
  • YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
  • CASS CORRIDOR COMMONS
  • COMMONS UNIVERSITY
  • UNIVERSIDAD SIN FRONTERAS

For more programs information, visit EMEAC Programs.
  
For Staff & Board information, visit EMEAC Staff & Board.