Commission honors Health Care Without Harm and local organizer Poder for environmental justice and sustainability work

The Commission recognized two organizations with Environmental Service Awards. Commissioner Ollos introduced Josh Carliner of Health Care Without Harm and Antonio Diaz of Poder and invited each to speak.

Josh Carliner, international director for program and strategy at Health Care Without Harm, described the organization's 21‑year global network, work to eliminate mercury in health care, closure of thousands of medical‑waste incinerators, energy‑reduction efforts in U.S. hospitals, and initiatives to harness health care purchasing power for sustainable, locally sourced food (including a Bay Area production facility called My Cultivar). Carliner said Health Care Without Harm works with major Bay Area systems such as the VA, Kaiser Permanente and Dignity Health and partners with local hospitals and the Department of Public Health.

Antonio Diaz of Poder described his organization's 25 years of community organizing in the Mission and Southeast neighborhoods, youth leadership programs, the Bike Kitchen cooperative that helps young people build bikes in exchange for volunteer hours, and recent projects with the SF Public Utilities Commission to establish an urban farm at Crocker‑Amazon Park and a new park and garden at Seventeenth and Folsom. Commissioners and members of the public praised both organizations’ contributions to environmental justice and community resilience.

Public commenters also connected award themes to broader issues including hospital sustainability, anti‑displacement work in the Mission and Bayview, and the role community groups play in environmental campaigns. The commission did not take formal action on this ceremonial item.