NYC's Environmental Justice Report Is Here! Along with a Fairly Cool Mapping Tool
When Peggy Shepard co-founded WE ACT, one of her goals was to get environmental justice on New York City’s official agenda. The publication of the EJNYC Report, the first citywide report on environmental justice, is a clear indication that she has achieved that goal.
Those of you who listen to our Uptown Chats podcast got the backstory on this report a few weeks ago (click here to listen). We helped pass legislation seven years ago that required the City to form an Environmental Justice Advisory Board, produce a report outlining environmental justice issues throughout all five boroughs, and then develop a plan to address these issues.
Peggy Shepard is chair of the New York City Environmental Justice Advisory Board, which helped produce the EJNYC Report. It was officially released on Friday, April 5 by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ). MOCEJ Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson and his team, past and present, were on hand. Sadly, the Mayor was not. But Peggy Shepard was one of the speakers, along with Costa Constantinides, a former New York City Council Member who helped champion the legislation that made this happen – and current CEO of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, which hosted the announcement.
Clockwise from top: Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder & Executive Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice; Costa Constantinides, former New York City Council Member & current CEO of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens with Elijah Hutchinson, Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice; and Peggy Shepard and Elijah Hutchinson.
In her remarks, Peggy acknowledged this milestone moment for environmental justice in New York City. But her focus was on the next phase – developing a comprehensive, citywide plan to address the issues identified in the report. And to that end, WE ACT will engage the city’s environmental justice communities to find equitable solutions for these issues and then make sure they are effectively implemented.
In addition to the report, MOCEJ unveiled a mapping tool that lets you explore sources of pollution and other environmental hazards throughout the city. And children from the Variety Boys & Girls Club were on-hand to show how easy it is to use.
We wanted to share this milestone with you, and we encourage you to read the report and explore the mapping tool (click here to access both). Not only can these tools help us in our current advocacy efforts, but they will be essential as we work together to develop solutions to the issues they identify. And if you have the time, you can read the coverage from the announcement, which appeared in outlets ranging from the New York Times to Harlem World – all of which feature quotes from Peggy.
