Marietta Community Activist (2010 winner)
When Caroline Beidler discovered that the “dream home” that she had moved into in Marietta was under daily assault from a terrible chemical odor, she tracked to the nearby Eramet manganese refinery. Caroline then began to do everything she could to tackle this problem, including founding a local citizens group, the Neighbors for Clean Air; recruiting technical and scientific experts from around the country; supporting the plant’s workers when they were locked out; organizing many local events, and working on a “good neighbor campaign” with Ohio Citizen Action.
The campaign to clean up Eramet culminated in 2008 with a commitment by the company to invest $150 million in pollution prevention, and sparked the University of Cincinnati to launch a nationally significant investigation of the health hazards caused by manganese exposure.Susan Hyatt, Senator Metzenbaum’s daughter, commented, “Dad would be very proud to have his name associated with the work that Caroline Beidler is doing. She exemplifies the citizen action that dad so valued and she is proof that one person can make a significant difference.”