Shirley Goldsmith Interview

Shirley Goldsmith was the founder of Calcasieu League for Environmental Action Now, Inc. (CLEAN) established in 1982 to address environmental concerns in Calcasieu Parish. CLEAN was one of the earliest environmental groups in Louisiana and at its peak, there were over 500 members. Under Shirley’s skillful leadership, CLEAN was instrumental in stopping At Sea Incineration (ASI), a multi-million dollar project proposed for the Gulf of Mexico. She was well known not only in Louisiana but around the United States for her passion to stop ocean incineration from burning toxic waste in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1986 she was invited to testify before Congress with Jacques Cousteau and others interested in the ASI project. On many occasions, she traveled to Texas to work with a group there on the same issue. Shirley played a key role in the closure of the Willow Springs hazardous waste landfill, and many other environmental issues in Calcasieu Parish. Audio interview with Flo Shirley Goldsmith for Women Pioneers of the Louisiana Environmental Movement by Peggy Frankland, conducted by Jennifer A. Cramer, Director of the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History. Copyright: Louisiana State University Special Collections.