Valley Improvement Projects (VIP)
Advocating for Social and Environmental Justice in Stanislaus County and the Central Valley
Today is the 50th Anniversary of the first Earth Day! This now internationally recognized day has its roots right here in California and was started after an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara. Valley Improvement Projects and its members have long seen Earth Day as a great opportunity to raise awareness about the … Continue reading VIP Celebrates #EarthDay50
Valley Improvement Projects is proud to present the 1st Annual Stanislaus County Social and Environmental Justice Forum Schedule 9-9:30am – Check-in, light breakfast provided 9:30-10am – Welcome and Ice-Breaker 10-10:45am – Panel 1: Environmental Justice in Air, Water, and Land Use Summary: Substantial portions of Stanislaus County are in the highest percentile for drinking water, … Continue reading VIP Presents the Stanislaus County Social & Environmental Justice Forum – June 22nd!
VIP had a very busy Spring! 2nd Annual Community Empowerment Dinner On April 6th we held our 2nd Annual Emiliano Mataka Community Empowerment Awards Dinner. The event is named for, and held in honor of, our founder Emilano Mataka in his hometown of Grayson in West Stanislaus County. In keeping with the same spirit as … Continue reading VIP Hosts Awards Dinner, Attends Earth Day Events, and Meets Presidential Candidate
Valley Improvement Projects, founding members of the California Environmental Justice Coalition (CEJC), represented for Stanislaus County and the San Joaquin Valley at this meeting with the newly appointed head of CalEPA, Jared Blumenfeld. On March 18th about a dozen members of CEJC met with the newly appointed Secretary for Environmental Protection, Jared Blumenfeld, and other … Continue reading CEJC Meets with California’s New Secretary of Environmental Protection — California Environmental Justice Coalition
Although CEJC did not have an official CEJC Conference this year, many members gathered and showed solidarity with each other at various events throughout the state in 2018. On September 8th CEJC members including Greenaction, Comite Civico del Valle, El Pueblo de Kettleman City, Valley Improvement Projects, Bayview Hunters Point Mothers & Fathers Committee, Central […] … Continue reading CEJC Members Gather and Show Solidarity in 2018 — California Environmental Justice Coalition
On September 5th 2018 members of Valley Improvement Projects, Central Valley Air Quality Coalition (CVAQ), and Catholic Charities of Stockton hosted officials from the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Air Resources Board on a bus tour of the Port of Stockton, Patterson/West County area, and the Airport Neighborhood. The “North Valley Tour” served as … Continue reading VIP Takes State Environmental Officials on a Tour of West Stanislaus
Valley Improvement Projects has officially launched our #BringBacktheBlueBin campaign! Modesto had one of the first curbside recycling programs in the country in the early 1970s. Today Modesto sends its “waste” to the local incinerator to burn and does not sort all of the recyclable material out. The local incinerator, Covanta, makes profits off of burning … Continue reading VIP Launches #BringBacktheBlueBin Campaign
On Friday, March 23rd 2018 Valley Improvement Projects (VIP), a grassroots organization that builds community on social and environmental issues based in Modesto, hosted the first annual Community Empowerment Dinner where they presented the “Emiliano Amor Mataka Award,” named in honor of a VIP co-founder who lost his life in a car accident in 2015. … Continue reading VIP Honors Co-Founder and Local Organizers at First Annual Community Empowerment Dinner
THANK YOU! As Co-chair of the Unity Council, I Rosenda Mataka would like to thank everyone who attended or contributed to the Roots Of Resistance bi-annual conference. The amount of time dedicated to the conference by our Director Nayamin Martinez and staff was appreciated by all of us who attended. The venue of the Multi-Cultural […] … Continue reading CCEJN’s “Roots of Resistance” Conference a Success
Valley Improvement Projects ally, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), has released a new video and fact-sheet that busts the myths of ‘Waste-to-Energy’ a.k.a Trash Incineration. Stanislaus County is home to 1 of only 3 trash incinerators in California, located in the town of Crows Landing near Patterson. GAIA info sheet on incineration Continue reading Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Releases New Video and Fact-sheet That Busts the Myths of ‘Waste-to-Energy’
