Empowering Environmental Justice Decision Makers: Increasing Educational Resources for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Mapping Tools
Citation:
Hartley, J., S. Lobatos, J. Daniel, AND T. Lung. Empowering Environmental Justice Decision Makers: Increasing Educational Resources for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Mapping Tools. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., New Rochelle, NY, 14(5):383-390, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2021.0037
Impact/Purpose:
This article addresses the need for environmental justice (EJ) focused educational materials and outlines the development of the EPA Case Study as a first attempt to fill this gap and provide an EJ educational case study that utilizes the EnviroAtlas and EJSCREEN mapping tools.
Description:
Policy development and subsequent action occurs at all levels of government with various opportunities for input from non-governmental organizations and individual citizens. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) mapping tools like EJSCREEN and EnviroAtlas incorporate environmental and demographic data to inform local decision-makers on issues and policies in their communities by putting data, resources, and information in the hands of citizens, but the tools are only as powerful as their reach and accessibility, especially when it comes to communities with Environmental Justice (EJ) concerns. In this paper, we present the development of an EJ educational case study based on a collaboration between US EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) and Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). Through the EPA Case Study, we state the need for EJ-focused educational materials that leverage the US EPA’s mapping tools, describe the development and application of the EPA Case Study, and share lessons learned and recommendations for future educational materials development. We conclude with a literature-backed call to action for continued federal support in the development of tools and educational materials to inform decision-making that can galvanize policy change.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Empowering Environmental Justice Decision Makers: Increasing Educational Resources for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Mapping Tools