April 14, 2004

CONTACT:

Eric Cardenas (EDC) 963-1622

EDC'S CENTRAL COAST ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROJECT
RECEIVES MAJOR GRANT AWARD
The California Endowment Funds 3-Year Grant for Farmworker Outreach and Education

SANTA BARBARA, Ca.- The Environmental Defense Center's Central Coast Environmental Health Project (CCEHP) announced today that it has received a major grant award from The California Endowment. The generous three-year grant will provide funding for a new CCEHP expansion project and will include opening a satellite office in Santa Maria.

CCEHP was founded in 1998 to address concerns about pesticide use in communities located at the "agricultural/urban interface." Since then, CCEHP has educated hundreds of health care providers on the Central Coast about proper diagnosis, treatment and reporting of pesticide illness. CCEHP has also educated thousands of farmworkers about steps to protect themselves and their families when working with or near pesticides. CCEHP has successfully worked with communities, schools and local municipalities to adopt least toxic Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policies, including a policy recently adopted by the City of Santa Barbara that eliminates pesticides from many City parks and other City property. Finally, CCEHP has worked to pass statewide legislation to address pesticide risks on and near schools.

"The fact that CCEHP continues to be so successful on so many fronts demonstrates the effectiveness of education on this important subject," said CCEHP Director Eric Cárdenas. "Clearly, the California Endowment understands and appreciates the need to educate people about the health risks and consequences of pesticide exposure."

The California Endowment's recent multi-year grant will expand on CCEHP's ongoing work with farmworker communities. More specifically, CCEHP will begin a targeted assessment and training program with indigenous farmworkers from Latin America, including Mixtec and Zapotec communities, many of whom speak native Indian languages and are found in large numbers in the Tri-County area. CCEHP staff will work directly with indigenous communities to accomplish proposed objectives.

"We cannot think of a more underserved group of individuals than that of indigenous farmworkers," said Cárdenas. "We are excited to begin working with our project partners and hope to establish an immediate presence in northern Santa Barbara County."
-MORE-
Current funding for CCEHP comes from The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, The Fund for Santa Barbara, the Landsberg Trust, the Lawrence Foundation, the Andrew Burnett Foundation, the Rubin Fund, and the Wells Foundation.

CCEHP's mission is to raise awareness about health risks posed by pesticide exposure while decreasing our reliance on pesticides through education and advocacy. CCEHP currently serves the Tri-County region of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

The EDC has been serving California's Central Coast since 1977 as the only nonprofit environmental law firm between Los Angeles and San Francisco, working to protect the environment, health and quality of life for Central Coast residents.

###