President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that every person has a right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a healthy community – now and into the future. During his first week in office, President Biden launched the most ambitious environmental justice agenda in our nation’s history. To continue delivering on that vision, today the President will sign an executive order further embedding environmental justice into…
After the Marshall Fire: Survey Offers Community Snapshot of Recovery
Public health researcher works in her community to enhance resilience, shape smart policy The story of the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history didn’t end with the receding of hurricane-strength winds and the extinguishing of the blaze’s last embers. Over a year later, while some questions the Marshall Fire left in its wake have been answered, many others remain, including where future public policy should go. For those answers, the Marshall Fire Recovery…
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REI-Funded Center Promotes Nature-Based Research and Reparation
The name of a new University of Maryland research center is rooted in West Africa, but its promise to offer deeper understanding of the human-nature connection will come to fruition in College Park and around the country. The Wekesa (which means “born during harvest time”) Earth Center will conduct research on the connection between nature and wellness, offer programming that offers people new ways to interact and feel a belongingness…
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After the Marshall Fire, Households with Fewer Financial Resources Are Falling Behind
Fifteen months ago, the Marshall Fire swept through Boulder County, Colorado, killing two people and destroying 1,084 homes—making it the most destructive wildfire in state history. Since the fire, Boulder County has progressed toward recovery, with nearly all of the destroyed structures demolished and their lots cleared. As of March 24, 2023, the three local governments coping with fire recovery have issued 440 rebuilding permits to allow for construction to begin,…
Dr. Tony Reames: Remaining Optimistic About Energy Justice
NCSEA is excited to feature JPB Fellow Dr. Tony Reames, Deputy Director for Energy Justice at the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Reames was appointed to this position in the Office of Energy Justice Policy and Analysis in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity by the Biden Administration in June 2021. He is responsible for developing a research and policy agenda around understanding energy burdens on low-income communities and…
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Three JPB EH Fellows have been appointed to HEI Research’s Environmental Justice Oversight Panel
HEI has established an Advisory Council and an Oversight Panel, to advance HEI’s environmental justice (EJ) work. Council and Panel members have expertise in environmental justice, environmental health, community engagement, and air pollution monitoring or modeling, among other areas of expertise. The Oversight Panel is comprised of representatives from academia and functions similarly to the HEI Research Committee, including JPB Fellows from Cohort I Diana Hernandez, Madeleine Scammell and Christina…
Black communities burdened by air pollution may finally get answers
For Naeema Gilyard and other residents of cities in south Fulton County — a mostly Black area west of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — the air they breathe has been a worry for years. Since 2018, an illegal landfill located near homes, churches and two schools has repeatedly caught fire, spewing thick black smoke into the air. Despite investigations by state and federal environmental regulators and multiple judges’ orders to clean up the dump,…
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Data on Indoor Environmental Hazards Is Missing in National Data Collection Systems
Unsafe housing conditions and indoor environmental hazards contribute to significant illness and death worldwide. In the U.S., approximately 20-30% of asthma cases are triggered by environmental factors at home. Twenty-one thousand lung cancer deaths are caused by radon poisoning, and over 24 million homes have lead-based paint hazards. Unintentional injuries, such as burns, suffocation, drowning, gun injuries, falls, choking, and poisoning, are the leading causes of death for children under 14. Worldwide, 3.2…
Blood on the Leaves – Earth in Color
Exploring the racist and colonial roots of nature and “wilderness,” from forced land labor to green space gaps. This contributed piece is a part of our Featured Voices series, which invites writers, poets, artists, and creators to explore the various intersections of Blackness and Greenness. This personal essay is by Dr. Jennifer D. Roberts, a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health at the University…
New echo study investigates the relationship between a mother’s oxidative stress levels and preterm birth
A collaborative research study led by Stephanie Eick, PhD, MPH of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and Rachel Morello-Frosch PhD, MPH of the University of California, Berkeley found an association between elevated levels of oxidative stress and higher risk of preterm birth. This study examined data from 1,916 racially, ethnically, and demographically diverse pregnant people from four ECHO cohorts across the United States and Puerto Rico. This research…