The Health Impacts of Fracking

The Center for Environmental Health, based in Oakland, California, received $30,000 to help fund Sue Chiang's work in a new programmatic area for the organization.  Sue, the Co-Director of CEH's Pollution Prevention Program, will play a lead role in a new program that will investigate and, ultimately, work to eliminate the toxic health effects of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") on children, families, and communities.  Under this grant, Sue will lead a market-based advocacy campaign to increase public awareness and engagement on the health effects of fracking, with the goal of building large-scale demand for cleaner, healthier choices.  Sue will draw on her expertise in corporate and institutional purchasing power gained through past experience leading CEH's work on the toxic impacts of the electronics industry to:  (1) engage with key leaders on the current energy landscape and energy markets; (2) cultivate a core group of allies that will partner on the fracking campaign; (3) strategize on the development and implementation of a large-scale marketing campaign; and (4) launch the campaign in New York, where natural gas consumption is high.