Environmental Justice (EJ) is a field of study and action that addresses the inequitable distribution of environmental hazards and opportunities, examining its effects on low-income communities, and communities of color. EJ also promotes the inclusion of historically disadvantaged populations in meaningful participation and decision-making about their environment. Using a collaborative research approach, the Center for Regional Change's (CRC) Environmental Justice Research Initiative helps inform public policy, support community self-empowerment, and improve conditions for people who are most affected by environmental harm.
The CRC’s Cumulative Environmental Vulnerability Assessment helped inform the development of California’s CalEnviroscreen that is used to allocate billions of dollars of public investments towards cleaning the environmental in disadvantaged communities such as the San Joaquin Valley and the Coachella Valley. Its research on drinking water access in Disadvantaged Unincorporated Disadvantaged Communities has been used to support the passage of the $1.3 billion Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. And, its policy evaluations of Assembly Bill 617 has helped improve implementation of the state’s efforts to improve air quality and public health in communities beset by toxic air pollution. Learn more about CRC's EJ initiative through our flyer.
