Glynn Environmental Coalition (GEC), established in 1990, strives to ensure a clean environment and healthy economy for the citizens of Coastal Georgia. Located in Glynn County, home to hazardous waste and Superfund sites, GEC addresses health-threatening pollution through community organizing, environmental justice, water and air quality initiatives, education, and Superfund site cleanups. They advocate for the well-being of the community affected by impaired air quality and unsafe seafood consumption. GEC actively collaborates with academic groups, urges state monitoring and partnerships, and provides safe fishing information to protect residents’ health. GEC’s commitment to collaborative community engagement and outstanding leadership has been recognized by the EPA. Their mission centers on safeguarding the environment and prioritizing a safe and healthy future for all citizens, particularly the students and community members impacted by pollution risks.
Community members meeting with EPA Staff to learn more about ongoing and proposed remedial activities.
Glynn Environmental Coalition (GEC) has a small staff but many community connections all focusing on Georgia’s coast. Just a dozen feet above sea level, it is susceptible to sea level rise, coastal storm flooding, and destruction from hurricanes, but the risk to the residents and extended population is far worse. The area “hosts” 13 hazardous waste and 4 superfund sites. Flooding and storm damage are likely to contaminate 15,000 people and one-third of the Atlantic shore’s marshland, its wildlife, and its food organisms. Since 1990 GEC has worked to prevent this, building relationships with decision-makers at all levels, largely to benefit the citizens of Glynn County and the city of Brunswick, whose population is mostly Black and poor, the poverty rate being 3 times the national average. GEC wants to educate and support new environmental leaders in this population to build the capacity to prevent disaster through nature-based solutions and build their environmental resilience.
Map of Superfund sites in Brunswick, Georgia.