Pollution and Childhood Illness by David Hahn-Baker

David will talk about the incidences of childhood and adult illnesses in the communities in which he has worked as an organizer and advisor. He will describe the toxins particularly prevalent in low-income areas and in communities of color, which often face extreme pollution. He'll describe how children from situations of stress are especially vulnerable, and the actions the parents took to oppose the pollution of their communities. From his work experiences, he will discuss the challenges facing activists on issues where there are disputes in the basic science.

David Hahn-Baker after graduating from Princeton in 1981 worked in Washington, D.C. for national environmental organizations including the National Clean Air Coalition as a field organizer, as senior lobbyist for the League of Women Voters and as political director of Friends of the Earth.

In 1989 he moved to Buffalo, NY and established his own environmental consulting firm focusing on environmental justice issues and the disproportionate impact of pollution on people of color and lower-income communities. His clients have been environmental advocacy groups from the National Wildlife Federation to Greenpeace which, though taking a different general approach to environmental issues, need help working on the concerns of non-traditional environmentalists. He has also worked extensively for the national foundation and grant-making community such as the James C. Penney Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Locally he is helping the Community Action Organization of Erie County, which administers the Head Start program, to organize its Environmental Justice project and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo to establish an environmental grantmaking program