Environmental Justice
Environmental problems have an outsized effect on poor people in our country and across the world. Everyone has a right to equal environmental protection under the law. And we all deserve to live, work and play in communities that are safe and healthy. However, disproportionate environmental impacts mean that people of color have the greatest exposure to environmental hazards and related health burdens.
As environmental educators, it is our responsibility to recognize the disparities in environmental impacts; to engage all students in learning about the science and other factors that contribute to these situations; and to provide opportunities for student problem-solving and decision-making that can make a difference in the world.
As environmental educators, it is our responsibility to recognize the disparities in environmental impacts; to engage all students in learning about the science and other factors that contribute to these situations; and to provide opportunities for student problem-solving and decision-making that can make a difference in the world.
Resources for Teaching Environmental Justice
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Whether you identify as an environmental educator, a classroom teacher, a naturalist, professor, or ranger, environmental justice is relevant and appropriate to teach. This interdisciplinary topic includes elements of social studies, policy and science. To help your students become "JEDI warriors" who can identify and analyze Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion issues in the context of environmental problem-solving, consider using some of the following lessons in your teaching practice and engaging students in collecting data with the tools provided in the next section.
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Lessons from Teaching Tolerance
Analyzing Environmental Racism in an Oil Spill Clean-Up and Analyzing Environmental Justice in Pollution Impacts. Also, feel free to check out EEA's instructional strategies for culturally responsive teaching or sign up for one of our occasional workshops on this topic.
Analyzing Environmental Racism in an Oil Spill Clean-Up and Analyzing Environmental Justice in Pollution Impacts. Also, feel free to check out EEA's instructional strategies for culturally responsive teaching or sign up for one of our occasional workshops on this topic.
Tools for Examining Evidence of Environmental Impacts
EPA's EJ Screen provides a way to create and overlay maps that show low income or minority communities, industrialized areas, waste disposal or chemical release sites, and other sources of pollution. Created as a tool for staff of the Environmental Protection Agency to use, EJ Screen is available to the public as a screening-level tool with the caveat that it does not constitute an official risk assessment and is an unofficial indicator of the need for further investigation.
EPA's TRI Explorer offers a way to retrieve data from the EPA Toxics Release Inventory and sort it by facility, chemical, geographic area, or industry. This inventory was ordered by Congress to inform the public of their exposure to substances that cause environmental health problems.
EPA's My Environment is a searchable database that enables users to find out about the quality of air, water, land, climate, energy and health associated with a particular location. Students can enter a zip code, city name, community, or park to learn about environmental quality.
EPA's TRI Explorer offers a way to retrieve data from the EPA Toxics Release Inventory and sort it by facility, chemical, geographic area, or industry. This inventory was ordered by Congress to inform the public of their exposure to substances that cause environmental health problems.
EPA's My Environment is a searchable database that enables users to find out about the quality of air, water, land, climate, energy and health associated with a particular location. Students can enter a zip code, city name, community, or park to learn about environmental quality.
