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May 27, 2016Albuquerque Grassroots Leader Richard Moore Receives Top Honor From National Health Care Association
May 27, 2016. Dallas, TX - Richard Moore, director of Albuquerque's Los Jardines Institute (The Gardens Institute) and national co-coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance, received Health Care Without Harm's highest distinction the 'Environmental Health Hero Award', at the national CleanMed conference held in Dallas, TX. The coalition of hospitals, medical professionals, health-affected constituencies, and others, chose to bestow its “highest honor” on Richard in front of over 700 conference attendees and in recognition of his “longstanding and tireless support for racial justice and environmental protection for low income people and people of color” and his “work with local healthcare clinics in supplying fresh organic produce to low-income patients.”
Since arriving in Albuquerque in the 1960's, Richard Moore has been working with others to build local, regional, national and international movements for social, environmental and economic justice now for over 50 years. As a founding member of the Chicano movement’s Black Berets in Albuquerque, he helped create the Bobby Garcia Memorial Clinic, a cultural school, free breakfast programs, a dental clinic and other co-ops. Richard spent the 1980’s, 90’s and 2000’s as co-founder and Co-Director of the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) and later helped lead the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (SNEEJ). It was during this period that SNEEJ took a pivotal role in organizing the first National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, which produced the Principles of Environmental Justice that define the movement today. To further this work, in 1997 Richard co-founded the Just Transition Alliance, an initiative to bring together fence-line residents and workers to address issues of toxic exposures and health and safety.
Currently, Richard Moore is serving to advance environmental justice and health in a variety of ways. Richard is the local campaign coordinator of The Campaign for Healthier Solutions, a coalition of over 100 diverse environmental justice, medical, public health, community, and woman’s organizations. The Campaign is pushing for discount retailers (commonly known as 'dollar stores') to adopt comprehensive corporate policies to detect, disclose and remove toxic chemicals from their products which may harm customers or employees of the nation's largest dollar store chains. At the national level, Richard serves as the co-coordinator of The Environmental Justice Health Alliance (EJHA), which organizes industry reform strategies for safer chemicals and clean energy which don't sacrifice the health or well-being of disenfranchised communities or workers. EJHA engages grassroots organizations from frontline communities in more than 13 states, and serves as an advocacy network for communities and populations that are disproportionately impacted by toxic chemicals, contaminated sites, ongoing exposure to polluting facilities and toxic chemicals in consumer products.
Each year, Health Care Without Harm reviews hundreds of environmental health activists, organizers and experts from across the nation, and then selects one exceptional leader working in environmental health, waste reduction, and social change to receive this prestigious award. "We're deeply honored to recognize the important contributions Richard has made to advancing environmental health and justice over the past 30 years," said Paul Bogart, Executive Director of Health Care Without Harm. Richard Moore was honored during CleanMed, an annual health care sustainability conference co-hosted by Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth, in Dallas, Texas from May 17 to May 19, 2016.
Health Care Without Harm summarized their rationale for recognizing Richard Moore in a press statement posted on May 11, 2016: “Protecting the environment is often about more than just buying a certain kind of product or eating the right foods, it is also just as much about standing up for the rights of the people and communities in need all around us. In 2016, Health Care without Harm has chosen to bestow its highest honor, the Environmental Health Hero Award, to Richard Moore, an individual who has taken this principle to heart for over 50 years.” The statement continued, “Health Care Without Harm is proud to recognize Moore, currently the National co-coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform and as the director and co-coordinator of Los Jardines Institute in Albuquerque’s South Valley, for this longstanding and tireless support for racial justice and environmental protection for low income people and people of color in New Mexico, regionally, and across the United States.
Richard Moore adds this award to numerous accolades for his career spent advancing environmental justice. Richard recently received the “Keep the Dream Alive Award” from the Albuquerque based Martin Luther King Jr. Multicultural Council, the 2005 Ford Foundation Leadership for a Changing World Fellowship, the Human Rights Award from the City of Albuquerque, the Alston Bannerman Fellowship Award for Community Organizers of Color, the 2014 Luminaria award of the NM Community Foundation and the 2015 César E. Chávez “Sí Se Puede” Award from The Recuerda a César Chávez Committee. In 2015 he was inducted into the Civil Rights Hall of Fame Hall of Resistance in Selma, Alabama. He also served as the first elected chair of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) and has been reappointed by the Obama Administration to council the EPA, the Co-Chair of the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Task Force, and as the Co-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus National Environmental Policy Commission.
About Health Care Without Harm
Health Care Without Harm seeks to transform the health sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it becomes ecologically sustainable and a leading advocate for environmental health and justice. To learn more about Health Care Without Harm, visit www.noharm.org.
About CleanMed
CleanMed is the premier global conference on environmentally sustainable health care. CleanMed 2016 is the 13th international conference to catalyze environmental improvements in the health care sector. CleanMed’s mission is to accelerate the health care sector’s commitment to environmental sustainability and regenerative health to improve the health of people and the environment.
Available for Comment
Eric Whalen; Communications Coordinator, Coming Clean; (971) 998-8786, ericwhalen@comingcleaninc.org.