In the summer of 1997, grassroots community and environmental justice leaders from urban, rural and indigenous communities in California and Arizona met to support each other and strengthen the environmental justice movement. Grassroots leaders decided there was a need to form a new organization that would work on the frontlines of environmental justice to support community struggles, challenge polluters and the government agencies that protect polluters, and help win victories and change government and industry policies and practices to protect health and promote environmental justice.

Grassroots community leaders and organizations wanted this new organization to provide effective and strong campaign, organizing, strategic, technical, media and networking support for community struggles and for the environmental health and justice movement…..and Greenaction was born.

Grassroots leaders from urban, rural and indigenous communities volunteered to serve on their Board of Directors, providing true community leadership to guide Greenacton’s work.  These community leaders decided that their Board would always be comprised virtually entirely of grassroots leaders from environmental justice communities, ensuring that Greenaction would always remain true to their founding principles.