Environmental Justice

The concept of environmental justice (EJ) grew out of the civil rights and other social justice movements. It seeks to address the unequal impact of environmental degradation on poor people, people of color, women and children, and other vulnerable populations, and ultimately to prevent further problems and restore environmental health everywhere.

At Preterm, we take on the work of EJ as we try to create a healthy space for our employees and our patients—all of whom are women and many of whom are low-income and women of color—and to have a positive impact on the environmental health of our local community (by eliminating toxins, reducing our heat island effect, increasing green space, and so on). We seek to educate women on the effects of environmental degradation on their health and well being and to encourage them to create and advocate for healthier places and products in their own lives. 

Here are some good working definitions of EJ:

"Environmental Justice is the right to a decent, safe quality of life for people of all races, incomes and cultures in the environments where we live, work, play, learn and pray.

Environmental Justice emphasizes accountability, democratic practices, equitable treatment and self-determination.

Environmental justice principles prioritize public good over profit, cooperation over competition, community and collective action over individualism, and precautionary approaches over unacceptable risks.

Environmental Justice provides a framework for communities of color to articulate the political, economic and social assumptions underlying why environmental racism and degradation happens and how it continues to be institutionally reinforced." —Asian Pacific Environmental Institute

 "Environmental equity: Poison people equally
  Environmental justice: Stop poisoning people, period."
  —EJnet.org