Promoting Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities
Thoughts for the Patrick-Murray Administration
Penn Loh, Executive Director ACE and Charles Lord, Executive Director UEI
December 14, 2006

The incoming Patrick-Murray administration has the opportunity to address old problems in new ways. New approaches are desperately needed to address the growing disparities between the health and environmental conditions of communities in the Commonwealth. It is now well documented that lower income communities and communities of color in Massachusetts suffer from extreme inequalities in environmental conditions. They are overburdened with pollution, while lacking parks and greenspace. Meanwhile, these are many of the same communities suffering from poor health, unaffordable housing, lack of economic opportunities, unreliable and slow public transit, rising rates of violence, and lack of resources for education. In short, these communities have borne the brunt of unsustainable and inequitable development.

At the same time, these communities are developing and implementing visionary new methods for building healthy communities. Neighborhood partnerships in Lawrence and Boston are bringing together affordable housing and environmental organizations to launch healthy neighborhoods initiatives that will increase housing, reduce pollution and increase social networks. Youth in these neighborhoods are combating violence by connecting residents to each other. Residents are building social capital by planting trees and building gardens, and thereby are improving public health and reducing crime while restoring the urban environment.
By addressing historic challenges and embracing the visionary healthy communities efforts emerging in our cities, the Patrick-Murray Administration can become the national leader on a new model for community development and sustainable economic transformation.

The 2002 Environmental Justice policy of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs defines environmental justice communities that encompass about 29% of the state’s population, living on 5% of the state’s land. While this policy was a good start to addressing environmental disparities, it only applies to EOEA agencies and does little to promote the building of more healthy and sustainable communities.

The existing environmental inequalities are simply unacceptable and morally wrong. But we are not simply advocating for the equitable distribution of existing environmental hazards. There need to be new policies and initiatives to: 1) prevent disproportionate environmental impacts; and 2) promote healthy and sustainable communities. Building a sustainable economy is the only sure way to close the environmental gap between communities without simply shifting these burdens elsewhere. At the same time it will help Massachusetts lead the way towards stabilizing the climate and ending our addiction to fossil fuels.
The environmental justice and sustainable communities framework offers a holistic way to address the combined needs of our communities, while at the same time addressing our global responsibilities. Instead of governing from the existing “silos,” there is the opportunity to join up environment, health, housing, economic development, transportation, public safety, and education in innovative ways to produce tangible results for residents.

The new Governor can promote this framework by:
1. Issuing an Executive Order on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities
2. Working with the Legislature to enact an Environmental Justice and Health Act.
Both of these efforts should apply to all state agencies to ensure that environmental justice and sustainable communities goals are incorporated at all levels of state action. Specific workgroups should be established among the appropriate state agencies to address priority issues. The following is a list of just some of the interconnected issues to consider:

• Reducing existing health disparities by establishing cumulative burden thresholds for pollution and establishing adequate green space and recreational opportunities.
• Making public transit more affordable, reliable, and accessible, especially for transit-dependent residents.
• Building healthy and affordable housing linked to sustainable neighborhood design that includes improved urban tree cover, increased green space and reduced stormwater runoff.
• Promoting transit oriented development and brownfields redevelopment based on clean technologies and is linked to preservation and creation of affordable housing, encouragement of local business, and employment opportunities for residents.
• Creating green jobs that help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and that do not poison workers or our communities.
• Linking educational opportunities in secondary and post-secondary schools to emerging technologies and green jobs.
• Reducing the health impacts of diesel emissions.
• Connecting our cities to the Commonwealth’s Global Warming Initiatives through an investment in urban forestry projects that will reduce energy bills and increase carbon sequestration while improving neighborhood health in urban centers.

We welcome the opportunity to work with the new administration to develop and promote an environmental justice and sustainable communities initiative. Thank you for this opportunity to provide these comments.