The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed not only the true value of nature and open public spaces, but it reified the presence and persistence of racism in and throughout American institutions. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health officials encouraged people to visit parks and green spaces as a way to be safe against COVID-19 transmission, the toxic presence and persistence of racism experienced by Black,…
Biennial Spring Symposium: Environmental and Social Determinants of Child Mental Health
The Picower Institute’s Biennial Spring Symposium, in conjunction with the JPB Foundation Abuse, neglect, trauma or adverse experiences during childhood coming from personal, environmental or social sources can lead to lifelong struggles including with mental health. Fortunately research also indicates that solutions and interventions at various stages of life can be developed to help and to promote resilience. Please plan to join us online or in person on May 11,…
President Biden Signs Executive Order to Revitalize Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All
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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Readout of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Invest in Nature Summit
Today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) hosted the Invest in Nature Summit. This event brought together federal government leaders, academia, industry, non-profits, philanthropies, and others to celebrate the progress being made through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, and underscore the importance of continued efforts to drive even more progress. This event featured OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy…
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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Na’Taki Osborne Jelks
Assistant Professor Environmental and Health Sciences Department Spelman College Atlanta, Georgia nosborne@spelman.edu Na’Taki Osborne Jelks is an assistant professor at Spelman College. She also is the manager for Community and Leadership Development Programs for the National Wildlife Federation and chair of the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, an organization committed to ensuring environmental justice in southwest and northwest Atlanta’s African-American neighborhoods. An environmental engineer by training, Osborne Jelks is committed to…
JPB Fellow Marccus Hendricks Joins White House Council on Environmental Quality
The White House Council on Environmental Quality has tapped Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning, Marccus Hendricks, to serve as a Senior Advisor for Climate and Community Resilience on the inaugural Environmental Justice team. A one-year appointment through the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Hendricks will support the development of federal policies, initiatives and efforts that advance place-based strategies and solutions related to water, hazard…
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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…