Environmental Health and Justice Program

What’s at Stake?

Many studies have confirmed the connections between socio-economic conditions and health. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the wealthier citizens of the U.S. enjoy better health than do poor people and people of color. The most striking health disparities involve shorter life expectancy among the poor, as well as higher rates of cancer, birth defects, infant mortality, asthma, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Although health care access might account for some of this disparity, differences in working conditions, environmental exposures, and economic advantage also play a role.

This is clearly the case in the Bay Area where the health of low-income communities and communities of color is significantly compromised by poverty, substandard housing, inadequate public transit, and discriminatory land use and zoning decisions.

Program Vision

The main focus of the BAWG’s recent efforts has been on the June 2005 passage by the City and County of San Francisco of the nation’s first precautionary purchasing ordinance. For more information, see the pdf attachment below.

Urban Habitat believes that health is more than the absence of disease. Key components of a healthy community include:

• Clean air, water, and soil;
• Freedom from exposure to toxic chemicals;
• Safe and affordable housing;
• High quality schools;
• Living wage jobs;
• Access to affordable health care;
• Open space and recreational activities
• Reliable and affordable public transportation; and
• Opportunities for meaningful community participation in decision-making processes.  

Program Goals and Strategies
To address the fact that low-income communities and communities of color suffer disproportionately from poor health related to socio-economic and environmental factors, Urban Habitat works to achieve the following goals:

• Support the development and implementation of state, regional and local policies that promote environmental health and justice;
• Integrate a race and class analysis and agenda into the mainstream environmental and environmental health movements;
•  Advance local and regional campaigns that provide solutions to the root causes of poor health in low-income communities and communities of color;
• Increase Bay Area community organizations’ participation and leadership in the range of decision-making processes that impact their health such as transportation, housing, zoning, and land use;
• Work in multi-issue, multi-sector partnerships with community groups, labor, faith-based organizations, businesses and government to advance a regional agenda for environmental, social, and economic justice; and
• Conduct research that advances the goals of the environmental health and justice movements

Current Campaigns and Projects

Race, Class and the EPA's Environmental Justice Strategic Plan

Urban Habitat has been convening a Social Equity Caucus EPA committee to monitor that the final EJSP and the general EPA Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2006-2011, both of which will guide the EPA’s decisions and actions on EJ over that time period, have clear and spelled out environmental justice commitments, strategies and targets for low-income and communities of color. The catch-all phrase “regardless of race, color, national origin, or income” should not be used by the EPA to sidestep its environmental justice obligations to communities disproportionately exposed to environmental harms and risks that threaten their health and lives.
For more information see EPA & Race.

Environmental Health Leadership Institute
Urban Habitat expanded its Leadership Institute to include curricula and trainings on environmental health and health disparities. Using a popular education model, the curriculum looks at the connection between health and key issues such as housing, employment, economic development and the environment.

Urban Habitat’s Leadership Institutes are tailored to meet the needs of the partner organizations and their specific campaigns. The Environmental Health Leadership Institute helps participants understand the root causes of poor health and provide them with the tools to develop and implement solutions.

In addition, Institute trainings identify points of entry where communities can gain access to the decision-making processes that impact their health. By effectively participating in these processes, the most marginalized communities can increase their power and ability to address the root causes of poor health.

Environmental Justice Air Quality Coalition (EJAQC)

Urban Habitat is an active member of the Environmental Justice Air Quality Coalition.  EJAQC exists to demand and achieve air quality policies and practices consistent with the principles of the environmental justice movement through:

• Promoting active community involvement in all aspects of the decision-making process including networking with other environmental and social justice groups
• Holding government agencies accountable to the community
• Resisting corporate control of our community over air quality
• Facilitating community involvement and control over decisions that affect air quality

Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative (DDDC)

The Bay Area Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative arose out of a growing awareness of diesel pollution in communities living along the polluted I-880 corridor, along truck routes, and adjacent to ports, and its connection to adverse health issues like asthma.

The mission of this Collaborative is to build a powerful coalition of environmental justice and health affected groups to implement campaigns to reduce diesel pollution regionally while conducting education and outreach to build awareness and a larger constituency for change.

In June 2004, a group of environmental health and justice organizations initiated a broad planning process to develop a regional strategy to reduce diesel pollution. Since then DDDC has hosted a large conference on diesel pollution in October 2004, developed a mailing list of over 100 groups and individuals, and created a steering committee of 25 organizations.  We have identified two main campaign areas: Diesel Idling and Goods Movement.

Precautionary Principle

Urban Habitat has been working with local Bay Area groups to promote the adoption of more health-protective and equitable policies in the region.  The Bay Area Working Group (BAWG) on the Precautionary Principle is a diverse collaborative of organizations and individuals that promotes and implements precautionary action to protect health and the environment. We create fundamental changes in decision making that build healthier, more just and sustainable communities.