I am the Executive Director of a regional organization based in the Northwest called Hanford Challenge.  Hanford is a former plutonium production facility which is today widely regarded as the worst-contaminated facility in the Western Hemisphere, containing two-thirds of the nation's high-level nuclear waste, and the bulk of its low-level and plutonium waste.  The Hanford Site was part of the original Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb, and supplied the US military with most of its plutonium for the nuclear arsenal.  Today, Hanford represents a serious and immediate threat to the environment, to workers, and to the Northwest public.  The cleanup of Hanford is a regional and national challenge that must be met to protect future generations, the Columbia River eco-system, and human health and safety for the short and long-term.  Hanford Challenge's mission is as follows:
 

“Hanford Challenge helps create a future for Hanford that secures human health and safety, advances accountability, and promotes a sustainable environmental and economic legacy for the Tri Cities, Pacific Northwest and other communities.” 

We believe in bringing about change through personal change, modeling behaviors, entering into a spirit of not-knowing (everything) and of inquiry, and of fostering and nurturing collaboration and community-building in recognition of the fact that Hanford is a human-challenge that belongs to all of us.  Visit us at www.hanfordchallenge.org for more information.