WE ACT for EJ

WE ACT for EJ was founded in March 1988 by three fearless community leaders: Vernice Miller-Travis, Peggy Shepard, and Chuck Sutton. Their founding was a direct response to the glaring environmental injustices they witnessed in their West Harlem neighborhood. At the forefront of their initial efforts was the fight against the North River Sewage Treatment Plant, which despite being designed to serve all of Manhattan, was located in West Harlem and frequently emitted foul odors and posed health risks to nearby residents. They also protested the proposed siting of a sixth MTA bus depot in Northern Manhattan, again targeting an already burdened community.

Episode 41 - PFAS

WE ACT quickly evolved from a local activist group into a formidable environmental justice organization. It was one of the first environmental organizations in New York State to be run by people of color and the first environmental justice organization in New York City. Their early legal action against the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding the North River Sewage Treatment Plant led to a significant settlement in 1994, which provided funds to establish WE ACT as a formal, institutionalized planning and advocacy organization.

Mission and Vision: Building Healthy Communities with Meaningful Participation

WE ACT's mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices.

Their vision encompasses a community that has:

• Informed and engaged residents who fully participate in decision-making on issues impacting their health and community.
• Strong and equal environmental protections.
• Increased environmental health through community-based participatory research and evidence-based campaigns.

This mission emphasizes the critical importance of self-determination and the right of frontline communities to shape the environmental decisions that directly affect their lives.

Core Principles and Approach: Intersectionality and Justice

WE ACT's work is deeply rooted in the Principles of Environmental Justice, which were drafted and adopted at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991, an event in which WE ACT played a pivotal role. These principles advocate for:

• Environmental equity: The fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens.
• Meaningful involvement: Ensuring that all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, have a voice in decisions that affect their environment.
• Addressing environmental racism: Recognizing and dismantling the systemic racism that leads to the disproportionate siting of polluting industries and hazardous waste facilities in communities of color.
• Holistic approach: Understanding that environmental issues are interconnected with social, economic, and health disparities.

WE ACT utilizes a multi-pronged approach to achieve its goals:

• Grassroots Organizing and Community Mobilization: They empower residents of Northern Manhattan and beyond through education, training, and mobilization, enabling them to advocate for their own interests. They boast a membership base of over 700 local residents.
• Policy Advocacy and Lobbying: They actively engage with elected officials and policymakers at city, state, and federal levels to push for progressive environmental and climate justice legislation. They have a dedicated federal policy office in Washington, D.C.
• Litigation: As evidenced by their foundational lawsuit, they are willing to use legal action to hold polluters and negligent entities accountable.
• Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR): They collaborate with academic institutions (like Columbia University) to conduct research that is driven by community concerns, providing evidence-based data to support their advocacy campaigns.
• Education and Awareness: They raise public awareness about environmental health issues and their disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities.
• Coalition Building: WE ACT is a central figure in the broader environmental justice movement, leading and participating in numerous coalitions and alliances, such as the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum.

Key Program Areas and Campaigns: Addressing Urban Environmental Injustice

WE ACT's work addresses a range of urban quality of life issues that disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income residents:

1. Clean Air:

   • A primary focus, given the exceptionally high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in Northern Manhattan due to proximity to bus depots, highways, and other sources of pollution.
   • They led the "Dump Dirty Diesel" campaign, which successfully pushed the MTA to switch from diesel to hybrid-electric buses, significantly reducing tailpipe emissions.
   • They engage in air quality monitoring and advocate for stricter emissions standards.

2. Climate Justice:

   • WE ACT is a leading voice for climate justice, advocating for policies that prioritize vulnerable communities in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
   • They actively campaign in support of the Green New Deal and advocate against "false clean energy solutions" like carbon capture and nuclear energy, which they argue can still burden environmental justice communities with pollution.
   • They play a key role in the Justice40 Initiative, working to ensure that 40% of the benefits of federal investments in climate and clean energy go to disadvantaged communities.

3. Affordable, Equitable Transit:

   • Advocating for public and alternative transportation that is accessible, safe, clean, and affordable for all residents, regardless of age or ability.

4. Waste, Pests & Pesticides Reduction:

   • Promoting appropriate management of solid waste and reduction of exposure to harmful pests and pesticides.

5. Toxic Free Products:

   • Working to ensure access to and use of consumer products that do not contain chemicals at levels harmful to human health (aligning with some of the work of Women's Voices for the Earth).

6. Sustainable Land Use & Open/Green Space:

   • Promoting land use planning and zoning policies that support community health and wellness, and advocating for the creation and access to open and green spaces.

7. Healthy Indoor Environments:

   • Working to reduce exposure to indoor pollutants in residences, workplaces, and schools.

8. Community Health Equity:

   • Developing Community-Driven Health Equity Action Plans, working with hospitals and community-based organizations to address social determinants of health (like poor housing, environmental conditions, and access to healthy food). They've produced a "Community Benefits Guidebook" to help residents understand and advocate for hospital community benefits.

Impact and Achievements: A Legacy of Change

WE ACT has a long and impressive list of achievements:

• North River Sewage Treatment Plant Settlement: A landmark victory that established WE ACT's legitimacy and provided resources for their early work.
• Clean Fuel—Clean Air—Good Health Diesel Bus Campaign: Successfully pushed the MTA to transition to cleaner buses, significantly improving air quality in Northern Manhattan.
• Green Depot Development: Influenced the transformation of a former bus depot into the nation's first green depot.
• Influencing Federal Policy: Played a crucial role in the development and implementation of federal environmental justice policies, including the Clinton administration's Executive Order 12898 (Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations).
• State and Local Legislation: Instrumental in passing New York City's Environmental Justice Study Bill and Environmental Justice Policy Bill, and the country's first Safe School Water Act (mandating lead testing and remediation in NY schools).
• National Leadership: Recognized as a national leader in the environmental justice movement, providing technical assistance and guidance to other communities and organizations.
• Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC): Selected by the EPA to serve as an EJ TCTAC, receiving significant funding to help communities access federal resources for environmental justice.
• Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs): Develops and advocates for the use of CBAs, powerful tools for communities to negotiate benefits from large development projects that might impact their neighborhoods.
• Research Partnerships: Continues to lead groundbreaking community-based participatory research to identify and address environmental health disparities.

WE ACT for Environmental Justice stands as a powerful testament to the impact of grassroots organizing and sustained advocacy in the fight for environmental justice. Their work not only addresses specific environmental harms but also fundamentally challenges systemic inequities, striving for a future where environmental quality and health are a right for all, not a privilege.