Environmental Justice
Image by 2021 Workplace Sustainability Fellow, Ingrid Morales.
What is Environmental Justice?
Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys:
1) The same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and
2) Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.
Environmental Justice at SMCCCD Sustainability
The SMCCCD Sustainability Team recognizes environmental justice as an intersectional issue that encompasses a variety of important social and ecological topics. As a community college district, our primary focus relies on increasing the access to educational resources to strengthen the minds and confidence of our academic community to move into spaces where they can become decision-makers and collaborators for equitable climate change solutions.
We also recognize environmental justice requires us to listen and center the voices of marginalized community groups that often bear the brunt of climate change. In California, we experience these impacts of climate change through wildfires, urban heat islands, food insecurity through agricultural shifts, energy insecurity, and negative health impacts that are caused by a disproportionate proximity to high polluting facilities. We want to equip our academic community with the resources they need to shape a more environmentally-sustainable and justice-focused society.
Lastly, we understand that we cannot solve these climate and environmental problems individually, nor can one organization do it alone. That is why we are working every day to foster education for those interested in environmental justice while also working to educate ourselves in the process.
Our commitment to environmental justice manifests in our programs, policies, and practices and is most visible in our curriculum integration, student internships, and Campus as a Living Lab opportunities. We continue to strive towards more inclusive and equitable outcomes that foster a healthier and more sustainable future for our college communities.
Environmental Justice in California
The California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) is statewide, community-led alliance that works to achieve environmental justice by advancing policy solutions. Members from the communities most impacted by environmental hazards – low-income communities and communities of color – work together to create comprehensive opportunities for change at a statewide level.
Environmental Justice Readings & Resources
The Sustainability Team has compiled a growing list of SMCCCD courses & university programs related to environmental justice, organizations & careers in environmental justice, and various other environmental justice-related readings and resources. We invite you to browse and learn at your own pace!
Key Concepts & Definitions
Diversity is the representation of all our varied identities and differences (race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, tribe, caste, socioeconomic status, thinking and communication styles, etc.), collectively and as individuals.
Cultural Competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals which enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.
Equity seeks to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to information and resources for all.
Inclusion builds a culture of belonging by actively inviting the contribution and participation of all people. Every person’s voice adds value and we strive to create balance in the face of power differences. No one person can or should be called upon to represent an entire community.
