Skip to main content

Search

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck

 The EHC faces several challenges and concerns in its workplace problem spaces. One barrier is inadequate resources; the EHC's staff and community leaders often meet significant workload demands, hindering the organization's ability to conduct research, organize communities, and engage in policy advocacy. The EHC also deals with political resistance, given that the organization's work often involves analyzing policies they have to take on powerful corporations and government agencies who resist change. Because Environmental Health Risks are complex, it is tough to identify and address. The EHC must often navigate complex scientific and technical information to identify sources of pollution and advocate for practical solutions. Additionally, many of these institutions make it extremely difficult to access such information in the first place, making it harder for low-income communities of color to engage in effective community organizing and advocacy. Historically, other forms of oppression and injustice, such as redlining, segregation, and other discriminatory policies, influenced the environmental health disparities they are dealing with today.

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck

The EHC does not explicitly claim to have a unique way of addressing problems they work on. Still, the nature of their work does include advocating for low-income communities of color in the San Diego/Tijuana region, which does have a significant proportion of undocumented and immigrant residents. They claim that because of racist policies and the prioritization of profits over health, many of the low-income communities of color within the local San Diego region have not had the political power to fight for their rights and thus became burdened with a significant amount of pollution.

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck

The EHC produces and shares a range of data and research which includes; Environmental Health Impact Assessments, which evaluate the potential health impacts of proposed development projects on communities, Community Air Monitoring, by conducting community-based air monitoring to measure air pollution levels in neighborhoods and identify sources of pollution. This data is used to inform advocacy efforts and support community-led solutions. The EHC also has a team of folks who conduct research and analysis on environmental health and justice policies that inform the organization and tailor their advocacy efforts. This team looks at legislation, analyzes policy proposals, and evaluates the effectiveness of existing policies.

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck

This organization works on various initiatives: Climate Justice, Transit For All, Healthy Homes, Healthy Communities, Clean Air, Building Community Power, Voter Empowerment, and Lead-Free Candy. Each of these projects supports a range of diverse environmental justice issues that promote healthy communities, reduce environmental health risks, and advance environmental justice for low-income communities of color.

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck

The EHC has physical offices in San Diego, National City, Barrio Logan, and the Tijuana Border. This is where the organization's staff and board conduct most of their administrative work and is also a location the community can use to mobilize their collective strategies and tactics. The organization also utilizes various forms of social media, including its website, videos, and accounts on multiple platforms, including; Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Additionally, you can sign up for their newsletter to be one of the first to receive updates on how and when to get involved!

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck
  1. The EHC is a non-profit environmental justice organization and includes a team of board members as well as directors, advisors, managers, and organizers of course dedicated volunteers are essential to the success of this work. There is a diverse arrangement of varying expertise from community organizing, policy advocacy, transportation justice, climate justice, and more that make up the body of staff that operate the EHC.

  2. There are no terms for membership other than the network of community based-groups and partners that work together to advance environmental justice and promote healthy communities. The EHC has a broad base of individual supporters who contribute to the organization's work through donations and volunteer work.

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck
  1. The mission is as follows, the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) is dedicated to achieving environmental and social justice. We believe that justice is accomplished by empowered communities acting together to make social change. We organize and advocate to protect public health and the environment threatened by toxic pollution. EHC supports broad efforts to create a just society and foster a healthy and sustainable quality of life.

  2. The EHC’s missions are often explained in terms of its core strategies, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, creating a clean and affordable public mass transportation system, improving children’s health, maintaining and creating healthy communities, growing and sustaining community power and overall, build and support the environmental, social, economic and racial justice movement.

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck
  1. Since the EHC’s inception, they have been involved in numerous health studies documenting environmental pollution’s impacts on public health. These studies have provided essential data supporting the organization's advocacy efforts and bringing awareness to ecological justice's needs.

  2. Environmental disasters have occurred in the San Dego region, including toxic spills, wildfires, and natural gas leaks. These events highlighted the urgency of addressing ecological hazards near residential communities and spurred the EHC to develop new campaigns and strategies to advocate for environmental justice.

Beck, Nyah E. | Winter 2023 EiJ Annotations

nebeck

Riding the wave of Environmental legislation and activism movements taking off in the 1970s, there was a growing awareness of low-income communities of color being disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards such as toxic waste sites, air pollution, and pesticide drift. The EHC organizes a predominantly Latino community with the necessary resource and training to fight for environmental justice. The organization has mobilized to prevent new polluters from taking hold in their community and hold current polluters accountable for their industrial waste that harms the residents.