CJTC — Environmental Justice


	About Us News and Events Research and Community Projects Community-Based Regionalism Digital Divide Environmental Justice Globalizing Civil Society Regional Equity Summer Institute Women as Social Warriors Publications Audio and Video Archives Support the CJTC Contact Information		Research and Community Projects Environmental Justice Since 1998, CJTC Co-director Manuel Pastor and a team of researchers from UCSC, Occidental College, and Brown University has worked with Communities for a Better Environment, the Liberty Hill Foundation, and others to conduct research on environmental inequity in Southern California. With funding from The California Endowment and the California Wellness Foundation, we have been documenting racial and other disparities in exposure to local hazards and air pollution. Our most recent efforts are in the Bay Area and include the first published analysis of the overall state of environmental disparity in the nine-county San Francisco metropolitan region. The results are available in a report entitled, "Still Toxic After All These Years... Air Quality and Environmental Justice in the Bay Area." From West Oakland's diesel-choked neighborhoods to San Francisco's traffic-snarled Mission District to the fenceline communities abutting Richmond's refineries, poor and minority residents of the San Francisco Bay Area get more than their share of exposure to air pollution and environmental hazards. For the full press release, go to the UCSC Press Release. In a project funded by The California Endowment and coordinated by the San Francisco Foundation the CJTC put together Building a Regional Voice for Environmental Justice about the partnerships and a presentation about the arc of the work. As you will see, the project is an innovative combination of research and organizing that has both firmly documented the case for action to reduce disparities and provided the research basis for organizing for improvements in air quality and siting practices. One example of our recent research in this area is a report entitled Reading, Writing, and Breathing which looks at the distribution of air toxics, respiratory hazard, and school children in the state of California. The report finds evidence of disproportionate exposure and a potential link between such exposure and school-level academic performance, and calls for policy changes that can better situate environmental health concerns within initiatives for school improvement. To contribute to the Center's research on this and other topics, please click on Support CJTC. Presentations "Air Pollution and Environmental Justice: Integrating Indicators of Cumulative Impact and Socio-economic Vulnerability into Regulatory Decision-Making" Presented by Manuel Pastor, James Sadd, and Rachel Morello-Frosch State of Environmental Justice: Research Summary Reports and Briefings Still Toxic After All These Years...Air Quality and Environmental Justice in the San Francisco Bay Area Building a Regional Voice for Environmental Justice Environmental Justice Opportunity Assessment and Analysis The CJTC was asked to provide the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB/Board) of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal EPA) with an analysis of the environmental justice (EJ) context for its decision-making, examples of strategies to increase public participation and community input, and recommendations on how the Board might effectively address EJ through its programs and activities. This report, released in early 2005, describes methods to increase effective communication and public participation, with a special focus on best practices by public and private sectors in the fields of outreach and relations with environmental justice communities. Reading, Writing, and Breathing Building a Regional Voice for Environmental Justice California Policy Research Center Brief: "Racial/Ethnic Inequality in Environmental-Hazard Exposure in Metropolitan Los Angeles" By Manuel Pastor Jr. CPRC Full Report: " Racial/Ethnic Inequality in Environmental-Hazard Exposure in Metropolitan Los Angeles" By Manuel Pastor Jr. Op-Eds Neighborhood pollution data at risk By Rachel Morello-Frosch, Bill Gallegos, and Manuel Pastor San Jose Mercury News Sunday, January 8, 2006 Tainted Justice at the EPA By Manuel Pastor, Bill Gallegos, and Michele Prichard Los Angeles Times Thursday, August 18, 2005 Assumption is wrong — Latinos care deeply about the environment † By Manuel Pastor and Rachel Morello-Frosch San Jose Mercury News Monday, July 8, 2002 Who's Minding the Air at Your Child's School? By Rachel Morello-Frosch, Manuel Pastor, and Carlos Porras Los Angeles Times June 3, 2001 Put LAX Expansion in a Holding Pattern Pending Further Research By Manuel Pastor and Jim Sadd Los Angeles Times November 15, 2000 Which Came First, Hazardous Site or Minority Population? By Manuel Pastor, Carlos Porras, and Jim Sadd Los Angeles Times October 17, 1999 Environmental Equity Makes Business Sense By Manuel Pastor Los Angeles Times November 2, 1997 Academic Articles "Reading, writing, and toxics: children's health, academic performance, and environmental justice in Los Angeles" "Environmental Justice and Regional Inequality in Southern California: Implications for Future Research" "Which Came First? Toxic Facilities, Minority Move-In, and Environmental Justice" by Manuel Pastor Jr., Jim Sadd, and John Hipp "Environmental Justice: The U.S. Experience" by Manuel Pastor News Articles About the Research Spring 2004-"Unfair Exposure" By Jennifer McNulty in the UCSC Review May 2003-"Environmental Justice Rising" by William J. Kelly April 30, 2001-"A Study looks at which came first: Toxics or minorities" By Jennifer McNulty in Currents November 15, 2000-"LAX Faces Questions on Minority Areas" by Shirley Leung Community Partners Communities for a Better Environment CBE is an environmental health and justice non-profit organization, promoting clean air, clean water and the development of toxin-free communities. CBE's unique three-part strategy provides grassroots activism, environmental research and legal assistance within underserved urban communities. CBE directly equips residents impacted by industrial pollution with the tools to inform, monitor, and transform their immediate environment. * Requires Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Powerpoint.