Environmental justice (EJ) is the principle that all people, regardless of race, disability status, age, or socioeconomic background, have a right to live, work, and play in communities that are safe, healthy, and free of harmful environmental conditions.
Work
Environmental Justice NYC (EJNYC)
The EJNYC initiative guides the City’s efforts to advance environmental justice in New York City. Those include the development and release of the EJNYC Report and Mapping Tool, plus the forthcoming EJNYC Plan.
Report
The EJNYC Report is as an assessment of environmental justice issues in NYC today and historically, and identifies a series of policy opportunities that the City will explore further in the forthcoming EJNYC Plan to advance environmental justice for New Yorkers.
Mapping Tool
The EJNYC Mapping Tool equips all New Yorkers with information necessary to advocate for and make more informed decisions about environmental justice in New York City. We hope this information will help you advance our common goal of achieving environmental justice in New York City.
In 2017, New York City passed Local Laws 60 and 64 to assess environmental equity issues and develop a plan to incorporate environmental justice into the fabric of City decision-making. This legislation centers on three main products: a report, a mapping tool, and a plan. To carry out this work, the local law mandated that the Mayor and City Council appoint an independent Environmental Justice Advisory Board (EJAB) comprised of nationally recognized EJ advocates and local subject matter experts, and that an Interagency Working Group comprised of staff from 19 city agencies be convened.
Development of the EJNYC Report began with a public scoping process that included thousands of comments from New Yorkers. The City, in partnership with the Environmental Justice Advisory Board (EJAB), conducted this process to ensure the resulting report would lay the foundation for addressing the issues EJ communities face. Comments were open to all New Yorkers, though efforts were made to prioritize outreach in the low-income communities and communities of color that have borne the brunt of environmental health issues, the climate crisis, and impacts of the fossil fuel industry. Public input was formalized into a report scope by the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice and the EJ Interagency Working Group, with input from the EJAB. Read the Scope of Work.
The EJNYC Report and Mapping Tool serve as the foundation for the next major milestone required by Local Law 64: the development of a comprehensive citywide environmental justice plan. The EJNYC Plan will propose actions to address environmental injustices in communities of color and low-income communities in consultation with EJ communities.
Local Law 64 of 2017 established an Environmental Justice Advisory Board comprised of external environmental justice leaders (advocates, academics, and public health experts) to advise the City as it implements these laws and to bring this work to New Yorkers through public hearings and other forms of engagement. The EJAB’s charge is to ensure the work is grounded in the lived experiences of New Yorkers in the city’s EJ communities.
Board Members
Peggy Shepard, Chair, Co-Founder and Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Rebecca Bratspies, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
Shoshanah Brown, Founder, AIRnyc
Marco Carrion, Executive Director, El Puente
Dr. Luz Claudio, Professor of Environmental Medicine & Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, Mt. Sinai
Costa Constantinides, CEO, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens
Omar Freilla, Co-Founder and Coordinator, Collective Diaspora
Diana Hernandez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health
Anhthu Hoang, New York City Resident
Albert Huang, Senior Attorney, Urban Program, Natural Resources Defense Council
Tina Johnson, Lifelong NYCHA Resident and Community Activist
Morgan Monaco, Executive Director, Red Hook Initiative
Beryl Thurman, Founder/Executive Director, North Shore Waterfront Conservancy of Staten Island
The Environmental Justice Interagency Working Group (IWG) is the implementing body established to deliver on the requirements of the City’s Environmental Justice Laws. Members were selected based on their expertise in environmental policy and data analysis, and their agencies’ contribution to the local environment as well as the health of New Yorkers.
Participating Agencies:
Commission on Human Rights
Department of Buildings
Department of City Planning
Department of Citywide Administrative Services
Department of Education
Department of Environmental Protection
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Department of Parks and Recreation
Department of Sanitation Department of Transportation
Economic Development Corporation
Law Department
Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination
Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation
Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget
Mayor’s Office of Operations
NYC Housing Authority
Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings
Office of Technology and Innovation
Office of the Chief Climate Officer
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations
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When we bring our voices, our action, and our advocacy to our schools, our homes, and our workplaces, we can create a more sustainable and resilient future for the 8.3 million people who call our five boroughs home.
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