Lois Gibbs

Lois Gibbs is an American environmental activist leading the Love Canal homeowners' movement, which exposed hazardous waste contamination in Niagara Falls, New York, and sparked national reform in toxic waste policy.

Gibbs was a New York homemaker who became an environmental leader after discovering that her neighborhood was built atop a toxic waste dump. 1978 she founded the Love Canal Homeowners Association, organizing residents to demand relocation and government accountability. Through persistent advocacy, including her 1979 testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, played a pivotal role in creating the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), better known as the Superfund law.

Gibbs later founded the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ), and continues to support grassroots environmental activism across the United States.