Who We Are

To love a community means committing to the hard work of healing it.

This ethos drives RISE St. James Louisiana, a faith-based grassroots organization championing environmental justice and opposing the expansion of petrochemical industries in St. James Parish, Louisiana.

Known as “Cancer Alley” due to its disproportionate cancer rates, the region hosts an alarming concentration of polluting industries.

Despite these challenges, the state plans to further expand this chemical corridor with dozens of new factories.

Under the leadership of Sharon Lavigne, a 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize recipient, RISE St. James has mobilized the community to achieve significant victories.

• In 2018, the organization successfully halted the construction of a $1.25 billion plastics manufacturing plant.
• Today, the group remains steadfast in its fight to prevent Formosa Plastics from building a sprawling multibillion-dollar facility in the parish, striving to protect the community’s health, the environment, and the future.