Environmental Issues: Environmental Justice

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All Documents in Environmental Justice

Cleaning Up the Anacostia River
After more than a century of abuse, plans are being made to bring Washington, D.C.'s Anacostia River back to life.
Overview

After more than a century of abuse, plans are being made to bring Washington, D.C.'s "Forgotten River" back to life.

Testimony of Dr. Gina M. Solomon on Disease Clusters and Environmental Health
Testimony

Gina M. Solomon, M.D., M.P.H. testified before the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on March 29, 2011 on the subject of Disease Clusters and Environmental Health. Dr. Solomon is a Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council; and is also Director, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. Get document in pdf.

Our Work in the Gulf
Overview

Since 2005, NRDC has been working to support Gulf communities to protect their health and environment. In the wake of the BP oil disaster, we remain committed to pushing for a full recovery of the rich ecological, cultural, and economic centers in the Gulf of Mexico. Through our Gulf Coast Resource Center we will work to ensure that neither the stories of this disaster nor the lessons we can learn from it are lost.

New Orleans Environmental Quality Test Results
Analysis

Results of NRDC's monitoring for mold, contaminated soil, particulates and other substances of health concern in the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina.

Rebuilding New Orleans
Overview

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a team of health and environmental specialists from NRDC has been working with the people of New Orleans to ensure their safe recovery from the disaster.

Katrina’s Wake: Arsenic-Laced Schools and Playgrounds Put New Orleans Children at Risk
Issue Paper

When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans in August 2005, the levee failures inundated the city -- particularly its most vulnerable neighborhoods -- with a hazardous sea of fuel, sewage and chemicals.  This August 2007 issue paper reveals that people in New Orleans were returning home to communities that have not been adequately cleaned up, and offers solutions on a federal and local level for charting a safer course for New Orleans.

You Can Beat City Hall - Community Action Tips
Guide

These community-action tips will get you started in fighting the introduction of polluters into your neighborhood.

Partnerships for Change
NRDC has worked with many community-based organizations to defend people's right to a safe and healthy environment.
Overview

Over the years, NRDC has joined forces with community-based grassroots groups across the country to help protect the health and environment of local communities from harmful industrial development and toxic pollution.

The Environmental Justice Movement
History

Championed primarily by African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, the environmental justice movement addresses a statistical fact: people who live, work and play in America's most polluted environments are most often people of color and the poor.

Harboring Pollution: The Dirty Truth about U.S. Ports
Report

Marine ports in the United States are major hubs of economic activity and major sources of pollution. This March 2004 report by NRDC and the Coalition for Clean Air assesses efforts at the 10 largest U.S. ports to control pollution, and provides an overview of policy and practical pollution mitigation recommendations.

On the Ground in New Orleans
An NRDC Fact-finding Mission, October 2005
Photo Album

A photo journal from NRDC experts gathering first-hand information about the health and environmental after-effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

After Katrina: New Solutions for Safe Communities and a Secure Energy Future
Report

This September 2005 NRDC report represents the combined efforts of our experts on public health, toxic waste, urban design, coastal protection, energy security and global warming as New Orleans faces the challenge of rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. It offers a set of policies and practices to protect the safety and well-being of Gulf Coast residents -- and all Americans -- during the recovery period, and into a healthier, more sustainable future.

Hidden Danger
Environmental Health Threats to the Latino Community
Report

Pollution poses health risks for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, or country of origin. A large percentage of U.S. Latinos, however, live and work in urban and agricultural areas where they face heightened danger of exposure to air pollution, unsafe drinking water, pesticides, and lead and mercury contamination. This October 2004 report underscores the urgent need for government action on these environmental health threats.

Harboring Pollution: Strategies to Clean Up U.S. Ports
Report

U.S. seaports are the largest and most poorly regulated sources of urban pollution in the country. This August 2004 report by NRDC and the Coalition for Clean Air provides practical strategies and policies for port operators, regulatory agencies, and community-based organizations to reduce health-endangering air and water pollution, noise and light pollution that disrupts communities near ports, and harm to marine habitats.

Trouble on the Farm: Growing Up with Pesticides in Agricultural Communities
Report

A report examining the disproportionate exposure to dangerous pesticides borne by children of farmers and farm workers, and the related threats to their health.

For additional policy documents, see the NRDC Document Bank.