Title: The Environmental Justice Committee
Author:
Section/SPIG: Environment
Issue Date:
The Environmental Justice Committee of the APHA Environment Section provides leadership on understanding how environmental hazards, unhealthy land uses, pollution, and poor access to health-promoting infrastructure disproportionately impacts disadvantaged and underserved populations and how this disproportionate burden leads to environmental health disparities. The activities of this committee include helping to plan sessions for the Annual Meeting, advising APHA staff on environmental justice issues, developing environmental justice-related policies, commenting on proposed legislation through the lens of environmental justice, building partnerships with other organizations to address environmental justice and health issues, and developing the next generation of environmental justice advocates and researchers.
Many environmental public health concerns are also social justice concerns and therefore it’s especially exciting that the theme of the 2010 APHA Conference in Denver is “Social Justice: A Public Health Imperative.” Members of the Environmental Justice Committee have provided leadership on getting the word out about opportunities to present at the 2010 meeting. We have received a vivid response from a wide range of social justice organizations, community-based environmental health organizations, and community-university partnerships for environmental health who are all motivated in presenting at the conference on environmental justice issues and further, building partnerships with the Environment Section. For 2010, the committee has bold plans to promote environmental justice within and outside of APHA. This year we have set goals to help with publication opportunities for APHA members on environmental justice and health topics; develop environmental justice policy on water, climate change, and green issues; organizing an EJ and environmental health town hall meeting at the 2010 meeting; having teleconferences and Webinars on EJ topics; and using social media to discuss EJ and health issues and development of partnerships with other organizations who may be working on social justice and public health issues. If you would like more information or want to get involved please do not hesitate to contact either Dr. Simone Charles, Georgia Southern University (scharles@georgiasouthern.edu) or A.J. Cuevas, New York University School of Medicine (amj316@nyu.edu).