Mission,Constituency, Structure:
Mission:
ACAT is a statewide environmental health organization founded in 1997 in response to requests from individuals, tribes, and other communities seeking technical assistance because of concerns related to toxic contaminants. We work collaboratively to facilitate environmental justice by holding corporations, the military, and governments accountable for their environmental practices. We help communities put in place effective strategies to limit their exposure to toxic substances and to protect and restore the ecosystems that sustain them and their way of life. ACAT?s mission is to assure justice by advocating for environmental and community health. We believe everyone has the right to clean air, clean water, and toxic-free food.
Constituency:
All residents of Alaska who are affected by environmental contaminants--especially those suffering from environmental injustices such as workers, women, children, and the Indigenous people of Alaska (Alaska Natives).
Structure & Decision-Making Processes:
ACAT is governed by a volunteer board with three of the eight members living in Anchorage and the others in communities throughout Alaska. Quarterly board meetings and board committee meetings are conducted by teleconference, with a face-to-face meeting for the entire board and staff conducted annually in a retreat setting. The board and staff members of ACAT avoid a hierarchical structure, preferring to work together as colleagues who form consensus whenever possible. Staff members meet weekly in ?harmony meetings? to share food and discuss plans, successes, and challenges; and board members join the staff periodically for the harmony meetings in person or by teleconference. The Executive Director meets individually on an ad hoc basis with staff members to discuss strategies for specific programmatic actions. The Executive Director supervises the work of all of the Anchorage staff members directly and meets annually with each person to facilitate mutual evaluations, encouraging staff members to recognize both their accomplishments and challenges. Without resorting to a hierarchy of authority, the Executive Director shares managerial responsibilities with the Environmental Justice Program Director.
Diversity: ACAT engages a broad diversity of people. Six of our eight-member governing board and six of our ten permanent staff are from the ethnically- and culturally-diverse Indigenous peoples of Alaska. At the same time, those in the mainstream of U.S. society who may not ordinarily think of themselves as environmentalists (physicians, nurses, clergy, teachers, students, horticulturalists, parents) participate in our public events and actively contribute to our work. ACAT staff members span a five-decade age range, and youth are involved in our efforts on a daily basis, as ACAT participates in high-school mentorship and college internship programs.
