The Louisiana Bucket Brigade (LABB, Norman grantee 2004–2013) is an environmental justice organization founded in 2000 to train fenceline residents in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley — the 85-mile stretch of petrochemical plants along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge — to monitor, document, and fight back against industrial pollution. LABB introduced the EPA-approved air sampling “bucket” — a low-cost device first developed by Communities for a Better Environment, a fellow Norman grantee — to Cancer Alley. Residents use the buckets to collect air samples near their homes and schools and use the results as leverage against polluters.

When the Deepwater Horizon disaster spilled more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, LABB engaged with Louisiana residents and media, conducted a survey with nearly 1,000 residents, testified in Congress, and launched the Oil Spill Crisis Map — the first-ever use of crowdsourcing and crisis mapping for humanitarian purposes in the United States. The map received more than 3,000 monitoring reports from residents during the disaster and was used widely by environmental groups and government officials alike. Over the years, LBB has stood up to powerful industries by supporting fenceline communities to negotiate buyouts of contaminated property, pressuring the state government to install air monitors, and preventing or stalling petrochemical facility expansion. Today, LABB continues to lead climate justice fights across Louisiana, incubating new projects and educating residents about the history of Louisiana’s river parishes and how grassroots organizing can protect their homes, environment, and lives.

Media:

• LBB’s report: Oil Spill Crisis Map Initial Analysis and Review