We believe the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the products we use, and the places where we live, learn, work, and play should not make us sick.
Yet, that is exactly what is taking place on a daily basis in the U.S. and around the world. Toxic chemicals are being put into the very places and things that keep us sick and stuck with preventable diseases and cancer.
Informed by the latest science, and common sense, at CFE we believe the best way to avoid the devastating social and economic impacts of cancer on our families and communities is to PREVENT cancer, whenever and wherever possible, from occurring in the first place.
That’s where the Cancer Free Economy comes in. We are a dynamic collaborative multi-sector network, led primarily by leaders from BIPOC and disproportionately impacted communities, seeking solutions that are broader and deeper than what we can accomplish on our own. Our strategies are derived from an in-depth cross-sector analysis of the “system.” We found that our economy is entrenched in a co-dependent relationship with hazardous chemicals. This process led us to a common goal:
Within our generation, we will lift the burden of cancer and other diseases by driving a dramatic and equitable transition from toxic substances in our lives, our communities, and our economy to safe and healthy alternatives for all.
Together, we can move beyond incremental changes and bring about a just transition to a cancer-free economy that works for all people and the planet. Find out more…
The Cancer Free Economy (CFE) is a network cultivating an inclusive movement to promote healthy environments where no one gets sick because of toxic chemicals where they live, learn, work, and play.
We believe that cancer is an all-too-common diagnosis that devastates families and communities, for which a key opportunity for prevention has been largely left on the sidelines: hazardous chemicals in the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the products we use.
We believe everyone’s health matters, and that the most effective change comes from a holistic approach that engages new voices and strengthens existing movements.
Since 2014, the Cancer Free Economy has built a dynamic collaborative network among a diverse set of teams and stakeholders working together to accelerate progress towards a healthy, regenerative economy.
The Cancer Free Economy proposal was submitted by the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, Breast Cancer Fund (now Breast Cancer Prevention Partners), BlueGreen Alliance, Jenifer Altman Foundation and the New York Community Trust on January 1, 2014, and was chosen for multi-year funding from the Garfield Foundation’s Collaborative Network’s Initiative. A leadership team formed from this partnership and began the multi-year systems mapping process that has deeply guided our formation, and influences how we work today.
Our strategies are derived from an in-depth multi-year process to analyze the “system” that has created an economy that depends on hazardous chemicals. This process gave us strategic insights and built a spectrum of productive, on-going relationships with a common goal—to lift the burden of cancer within a generation—and a shared understanding of how to achieve that goal effectively.
The network is organized into working groups, teams that address different strategic pathways to a safer materials economy including:
Building Power, Health & Science, Shifting the Market, and Policy & Legal.
Our work is grounded in and guided by these Equity Principles.
CFE Strategic Director
Market Shift Node Leader
Clean Production Action
Massachusetts
Equity Team Representative
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
Maryland
Health + Science Node Leader
Children's Environmental Health Network
Maryland
Policy + Legal Node Leader
Green the Church
California
Policy + Legal Engagement Manager
Capacity Building
Manager
Washington
Building Power Node Leader
National Day Laborer Organizing Network
Connecticut
X-Node PFAS
Lowell Center for Sustainable Production
Fundraising Chair
Children’s Environmental Health Network
At-Large
Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles
California
Building Power & Impact Manager
New Jersey
Building Power Node Leader
NAACPMichigan
At-Large/Climate, Toxics, Health + Equity
University of Northern Iowa, Center for Energy & Environmental Education
Iowa
Vermont
State Cancer Plans
CENSWPAPennsylvania
University of Ghana
Ghana, West Africa
University of Ghana
Maryland
Building Equity and Alignment
Childhood Cancer Prevention Initiative Lead
American Sustainable Business Network
New York
Childhood Cancer Prevention Initiative Coordinator
American Sustainable Business Network
New York
Household Cleaners Health & Safety Lab Coordinator
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York
The Cancer Free Economy Network is expanding the movement to protect people from harmful chemicals, uniting advocates and scientists working on cancer, public health, fossil-fuel reduction, and economic justice to name a few.