About IVAN

The Bayview Hunters Point Environmental Justice Response Task Force is a community-led, multi-stakeholder collaborative effort and is part of the growing IVAN (Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) Network.

This project was initiated and launched in 2015 by Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice thanks to a small grant from the California Environmental Protection Agency.

The Task Force brings together residents with community, environmental justice and health organizations, businesses and government agencies in a multi-stakeholder, problem-solving task force to remedy environmental pollution problems in the low-income community of color of Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco.

"Project goals"

reduce pollution, protect health and promote environmental justice by improving agency and industry responses to complaints about environmental problems
educate and empower residents to play a more active role in protecting their community, health and environment and promoting community resiliency
improve communication and collaboration between stakeholders in order to overcome decades of lack of trust

"Project components"

multi-stakeholder community-led environmental justice task force meets monthly in Bayview Hunters Point, with meetings alternating between evening and daytime
Multilingual outreach to invite residents, community groups, businesses and government agencies to participate in the task force and attend meetings, and to educate people about the connection between pollution and health
bvhp-ivan.org website enables community members and other concerned people to file complaints and tips about pollution problems such as illegal dumping, odors and air and water pollution
working with the government agencies and businesses to track responses to pollution complaints
community leadership development and capacity building

History of IVAN

In November 2007 in the southeastern corner of California, in the border county of the Imperial Valley, a small group of residents and a handful of Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) employees led by Comite Civico del Valle (CCV) piled into a school bus to take a tour of the Imperial Valley region, where California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) has designated residents at high risk for environmental toxicity. The purpose of this trip was to visit multiple environmental hazard sites located throughout the region, as identified by concerned community members. After the tour, participants attended a workshop to collaborate and develop solutions to address environmental hazards affecting their lives.

Between 2007-2010, a total of eight government-sponsored Toxic Bus Tours and workshops took place in the Imperial Valley, a predominately Hispanic community with a low employment rate. A direct outcome of these collaborations was the conception of the Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods (IVAN) model. The development and implementation of the IVAN model marks a turning point in environmental justice regulation history. The IVAN model is reshaping how vulnerable communities protect, and in the process, reclaim their environment that has been systematically disregarded as a sacrifice zone.

IVAN Philosophy

This community-based environmental monitoring system is built on the idea that residents are the most knowledgeable about their environment and therefore should have a place at the table with regulation agencies. Since 2010, the IVAN model has expanded to seven other locations in California, where it strives to empower disadvantaged communities to participate in solving environmental concerns.

Bayview Hunters Point Environmental Justice Response Task Force

The Bayview Hunters Point Environmental Justice Response Task Force was founded in 2015 by Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice and community partners as a community-led multi-stakeholder problem solving collaboration. It brings together residents, community and environmental justice organizations, some businesses, and local, regional, state and federal government agencies and officials. We come together to discuss and seek to remedy pollution reports and complaints submitted to the Task Force online at www.bvhp-ivan.org as well as phone complaints and complaints that residents bring up at the monthly meetings. The Task Force meets monthly in Bayview Hunters Point, (combination of in-person and zoom for each meeting) alternating between afternoon and evening meetings.

Task Force Meetings

At the Environmental Justice Taskforce meetings, there is a place at the table for concerned community members, environmental agencies, and local government representatives. Come join in on the conversation!

Location: Bayview Hunters Point and via zoom.

Meeting Time: 2-4 p.m and 6-8 p.m *Time changes every other month

Meeting Schedule: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month

Community Contact: Dalila Adofo, (415) 447-3904, dalila@greenaction.org Kamillah Ealom, kamillah@greenaction.org (415) 447-390