“The Legacy of Love Canal: an Intimate Conversation with Lois Gibbs”

Lois Gibbs was raising her family in the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York in 1978 when she discovered that her home and those of her neighbors were sitting next to 20,000 tons of toxic chemicals. That shocking discovery spurred Lois to lead her community in a three-year struggle to protect their families from the hazardous waste buried in their backyards. Her leadership led to the relocation of 833 Love Canal households, litigation against the chemical companies, and the passing of the EPA’s CERCLA Act that led to designating Superfund Sites. While today the words “Love Canal” evoke a public health tragedy based on gross negligence, Lois Gibbs’ name has become synonymous with the power of grass roots organizing.

Ssponsored by the Departments of Environment and Sustainability, Digital Media Studies, and the University at Buffalo Archives.

Host or Publisher UB Department of Environment and Sustainability