LVEJO was founded in 1994 by public school parents who learned about the potential exposure of their children to dangerous particles during renovations at Joseph E. Gary Elementary School. After forcing the school administration to change their plans, these parents turned their attention to other issues of environmental justice in Little Village.
From those beginnings, LVEJO built a grassroots organizing model rooted in intergenerational leadership and community self-determination. Over three decades, that model has produced significant victories for Little Village residents.a
1994
LVEJO founded as the Gary School Environmental Justice Project.
1998
Waste Management Inc. agrees to install $1 million in pollution controls and reduce garbage intake at the waste transfer station on 33rd and Lawndale.
2006
Successfully pressured Honeywell Corporation to clean up harmful toxins from the abandoned Celotex asphalt factory site, where more than 175 families resided nearby.
2010
Won the remediation of the Troy Street Garden site, which would become Semillas de Justicia Community Garden.
2012
Chicago Clean Power Coalition
As part of the Chicago Clean Power Coalition, won the forced closure of the Crawford and Fisk coal plants — two of the oldest and dirtiest in the country, located just a few hundred feet from Little Village homes and schools. LVEJO and PERRO, an environmental justice organization in Pilsen, negotiated a Community Benefits Agreement prohibiting any future fossil fuel industry on the property and requiring new owners to present their development plans to the community.
2013
LVEJO Executive Director Kimberly Wasserman-Nieto was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her leadership on the coal plant campaigns.
The CTA board approves permanent bus service on 31st Street in Little Village, a direct result of LVEJO’s years-long transit campaign.
Ground is broken on the Semillas de Justicia Community Garden at the Troy Street site.
2014
La Villita Park opens, the largest EPA Superfund-to-park conversion in a major American city.
Community members were deeply involved in the design process, including basketball courts, skate park, splash pad, and a recreation area. LVEJO led a community process engaging more than 700 residents to name the park La Villita Park.
2021
LVEJO, La Villita Park Advisory Council, and Chicago Park District announce plans to break ground on a 1.3-acre community farm at La Villita Park.
LVEJO is part of the coalition that wins passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, Illinois’ most comprehensive clean energy legislation, committing the state to 100% carbon-free power by 2045 and prioritizing environmental justice communities for clean energy investments.
2022
La Villita Farm opens its first growing season.
2023
LVEJO along with the Hell No Hilco coalition were successful in lobbying alderperson of the 22nd ward to have the City of Chicago translate the Inspector General summary report of the Hilco botched implosion and accessible online.
2024
LVEJO celebrated its 30th anniversary!
LVEJO was awarded the national Food Sovereignty Prize by the US Food Sovereignty Alliance, recognizing LVEJO’s grassroots food justice work including La Villita Farm, Semillas de Justicia Community Garden, and the Farm Food Familias Mutual Aid Program.
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