Partnership is the most powerful tool for transforming our world. This page lists climate justice groups and organizations that are led by frontline groups. Reach out and get involved. 

National - United States

These organizations have affiliates all over the country and some websites are rich in resources. Contact them to find out about affiliates in your area.

Grassroots Global Justice Alliance
Contact: , National Organizer
917.270.0322
A national alliance of US-based grassroots organizing groups organizing to build an agenda for power for working and poor people and communities of color, its theme is "No War, No Warming, Build an Economy for People and the Planet."

Earth Guardians
Contact:   
Based in Colorado and led by youth of color, this group is rapidly setting up Rising Youth for a Sustainable Earth (RYSE). You may have seen one of their key leaders at People’s Climate March, Xiuhtezcatl Marinez, 14. Check out the Ryse Crews list here.  There are local chapters from Hawaii to New York. See if there is one in your city.  

Indigenous Environmental Network 
Contact: (218) 751-4967
A network of indigenous organizations working for the rights of indigenous people and environmental and economic justice. They work to build the capacity of Indigenous communities to protect sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, and the health of all living things. They are a great source of educational information, organizing campaigns, direct action opportunities, and policy initiatives, and are interested in building alliances among Indigenous communities, people of color organizations, faith-based groups, labor groups, and others. Their website is resource rich. 

Indian Country News 
A news service by and about American Indians. Climate justice is a frequent topic. Check in often to learn about what’s going on in your area. 

The Canary Coalition
Contact:  (828) 631-3447 or toll free: 1-866-4-CANARY
A National grassroots clean air movement, focusing on the fight for a higher air quality in the Great Smoky Mountain and Appalachian region. Comparing themselves to the yellow canaries once used to gauge toxicity in mines; these activists are working hard to preserve their fresh mountain air from degradation due to coal-burning power plants and other polluting sources. There are members in 22 states.

Citizen’s Coal Council
Contact: 724-222-5602,
A  national organization solely dedicated to building citizen power to challenge and change the environmental practices of the coal industry.  Members are impacted at every stage of the coal cycle - from mining, to coal burning, coal bed methane development and disposal of toxic power plant waste. Citizens Coal Council has been involved in actions against Peabody and Massey Energy.

Halt the Harm Network
A people-powered network connecting Leaders and Supporters in the movement to halt the harms of fracking, to solve problems, collaborate, share ideas, inspire each other to halt gas development's impact on our families, communities and environment.

 

 

National - Canada

Idle No More 
"Idle No More" calls on all people to join in a peaceful revolution, to honor Indigenous sovereignty, and to protect the land and water.  They include First Nations groups organized to oppose controversial tar sands pipelines. To learn more or to volunteer, sign in at http://www.idlenomore.ca/volunteer.

Alaska

Resisting Environmental Destruction On Indigenous Lands (REDOIL)
Contact: Faith Gemmill-Fredson, founder and current Executive Director, (907) 750-0188, 
A grassroots network created by Alaska Natives to share knowledge, experience and strategies to address the detrimental impacts of fossil fuel, mining and climate change in Alaska.  

U.S. Pacific Northwest

Lummi Nation, Bellingham, WA
The third largest tribe in Washington State, Lummi Nation serves over 5,000 members and manages nearly 13,000 acres of tidelands in Washington's northernmost coast. They are currently fighting to keep a massive oil port from being built on their sacred lands. 

• June 27 public witness event in Portland, OR, in partnership with Lummi Nation
• UU College of Social Justice service and learning trips to Lummi Nation

Community to Community (C2C), Bellingham, WA
Contact:   
Embodying intersectionality, C2C focuses on farm worker justice, food sovereignty, migrant justice, and participatory democracy. Their leadership is diverse but firmly based in farmworker, migrant and women leaders.

Got Green, Seattle, WA
Contact: 206-290-5136,  
Founded in 2008 as a space where people of color, especially young adults, could become leaders in the green movement and lift up community-driven solutions to both poverty and climate change.

Puget Sound Sage, Seattle, WA
Their mission is to build communities where all families thrive. A policy institute rather than a community organization, its board and staff is mostly people of color and the board includes leaders from several frontline community organizations.They have a strong focus on climate justice. If you have research and policy skills, they may have a spot for you.

Environmental Justice Action Group, Portland, OR
Contact: 503-283-6397
A community-based organization that believes the community that educates itself and speaks for itself can best protect itself. A key issue is the disproportionately large amount of pollutants in Portland’s communities of color.

Wisdom of the Elders, Portland, OR
Contact:
An organization that records and preserves First Peoples traditional cultural values, oral history, and other messages from indigenous elders. On the website, check out their film and radio shows on climate change. They received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to continue this program.

U.S. Southwest

Black Mesa Indigenous Support, Arizona
Contact: , , 928-773-8086
Working hard to strike a balance between livelihood and preservation for peoples of the Hopi and Navajo nations affected by the coal-fired power plants in their region, Black Mesa Indigenous Support promotes sustainable practices that provide the economic means for oppressed communities to thrive and insure environmental security for the land, homes and culture for which they live.

Black Mesa Trust, Arizona
Contact: , 928-734-9255
Founded in 1999 by the Hopi people to “safeguard, preserve and honor” life, land and water in the Black Mesa, this trust was formed to address Peabody Energy Company’s water withdraws from local aquifers. The extraction of 3.3 million gallons of water a day from these pristine sources directly affects the environment, culture and life of the Hopi and Dine (Navajo) communities living in the region.  

U.S. Midwest

Concerned Citizens of Platte County, Missouri
Contact:  
Working to prevent the building of new coal-fired power plants in Missouri by promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. They are also working to change the utilities' financial incentives from increasing supply to reducing demand. Their website is an excellent resource for tracking the latest developments, posting relevant articles, educating citizens how they can get involved and explaining better solutions to our energy needs.

U.S. South/Appalachia

Appalachian Voices 
Contact: , 828-262-1500
An organization that works throughout the central and southern Appalachian mountain range to provide tools and strategies to protect the region’s natural resources and cultural heritage. Their top campaign issues include eliminating air pollution, ending mountain top removal, and restoring Appalachian forests. Energy companies they are currently fighting include: Massey Energy, Arch Coal, American Electric Power, Dominion, Duke Energy, Progress Energy, and National Coal Corporation. States included: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition 
Contact: at 304-360-2072
Standing toe-to-toe with America’s coal industry, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition unites with educators, community leaders, grassroots organizations and coalitions to send the message that mountaintop removal and coal sludge impoundments are unacceptable.

Are there organizations led by frontlines communities that you or your faith group is partnered with? Comment below to add them to this list!