Environmental Justice conference
This is the meeting I’ll be attending tomorrow morning:
Registration at 8:30 am, program through 5 p.m. – attend all or part
Salvation Army Moore Street Community Center
5325 N. Williams Ave., Portland, OR 97217
Keynote Speaker: Van Jones, Civil rights activist and founder of the Ella Baker Center
Agenda: Hear updates from local Environmental Justice (EJ) Groups; Learn about Tribal EJ Issues, EJ & the Law; and EJ & Emerging Green Industries. And Celebrate Environmental Justice Action Group (EJAG)’s 10 Year Anniversary!
The conference is organized by students at Lewis & Clark Law School.
What is Environmental Justice? From the EJAG site:
The EPA defines environmental justice as follows:
“The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no group of people, including racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic group should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies.”
What it means to me in practice, here in Portland, Oregon, is caring about and seeking to remedy environmental problems disproportionately suffered by people with low incomes, many people of color, by recognizing and supporting leadership and advocacy by leaders within the affected communities. Obvious examples of issues include pollution from I-5 in North and Northeast Portland, and toxins such as mold and lead paint in subsidized housing.
I’m unable to stay the whole day because it’s my weekend to work, but I’m anticipating learning a lot in just a few hours in the morning.