Environmental Justice

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Environmental Justice
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How do you define environment?
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How do you define justice?
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EPA EJ Definition

• The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of
  all people regardless of color, national origin,
  or income with respect to development,
  implementation, and enforcement of environmental
  laws, regulations and policies. Fair treatment
  means that no group of people should bear a
  disproportionate share of negative environmental
  consequences from industrial, municipal, and
  commercial operations or the execution of
  federal, state, local, and tribal programs and
  policies.

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EJ movement redefines environmentalism

• It basically says that the environment is
  everything where we live, work, play, go to
  school, as well as the physical and natural
  world. And so we cant separate the physical
  environment from the cultural environment.

Bullard,1999
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Agree or Disagree

• Does the environment impact health more than
  socio-economic conditions, such as poverty,
  education, and income?

Environment
Health
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Air Pollution
Asthma

• Increases of 74 between 1980 and 1996 in US.
• 20 million suffering from asthma in 2005 with
  cost at 14 billion/yr
• Blacks and poor 15-20 more likely to have
  asthma
• 113 children have asthma
• Causes Indoor and outdoor air pollution

Brown et al, 2003
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Global EJ

• Love Canal toxic chemical site near Niagara
  Falls, NY
• Global Trading of Toxic Waste, dumping waste in
  West Africa
• Positive movements that created change and
  increased awareness around environmental health

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Portland EJ and Environmental Justice

• PACE- EH Community Environmental Health
  Assessment
• EJAG North Portland Diesel Emissions Project
• OPAL Organizing People, Activating Leaders

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People of Color
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People in Poverty
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Exposure to multiple environmental problems
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Exposure to multiple environmental problems
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Children with Asthma
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Why PACE ?

• Hazard of the Week
• Lack of community involvement
• Disparity between science and public perception
• Limited local data
• Seeking available resources rather than community
  desired resources
• Addressing health disparities

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Collaborative Definition of Community

• Environmental justice area
• large of people of color
• low-income
• disproportionately affected by environmental and
  health threats
• people with historically limited access to
  political decision-making power
• Exposure to multiple environmental problems
• Availability of existing data on that area
• PACE-EH support is welcomed by the community

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Assessment Tools and Results

• Focus Groups, Surveys, Photo Voice

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Healthy Homes Program and Summit

• 200 families under federal poverty line, 63
  Hispanic, 25 African American children with
  asthma under age of 6
• Advocacy for and with Community Alliance of
  Tenants
• EH Education in affordable housing units, i.e.
  Somali families in Cully Neighborhood
• Policy Recommendations

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Env. Justice Action Group

• EJAG is dedicated to developing and utilizing
  community-based leadership in people of color and
  low-income communities to address the issues of
  health, safety and environmental justice.
• The community that educates and speaks out for
  itself can best protect itself."  
• NE Portland Air Quality Project
• No More Lanes on I-5 Corridor Project

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OPAL

• OPAL (Organizing People, Activating Leaders) is a
  grassroots organization formed in 2005 to engage
  individuals and organizations around
  environmental justice issues, including the
  social impacts of pollution and health hazards,
  in the low-income/people of color communities of
  Portland Metro.
• Ben Duncan, 988-3400,
• Mult. Co. Env. Health Services
• www.opalpdx.org

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• How can you impact the environments health and
  support environmental justice?