In Jason Corburn’s book, Street Science: Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Justice, one of the examples used to explain his term street science is the West Harlem Environmental Action (WEACT). According to research compiled, the case of WEACT and its use of street science to address growing health concerns is one of the more famous examples demonstrating how street science can become empowering to the community. Furthermore, this case study exhibits broader implications that can arise from street science regarding policy changes. The area of West Harlem is adversely affected by environmental health justice concerns. The creation of WEACT was to establish an organization that would directly address community concerns, rather …show more content…
An extensive part of WEACT’s mission is to “promote actions that people can take in their own homes as well as addressing the larger policy issues of where industry is located and its effects on the health of neighborhood residents” (Carlson & Stroebel). In order to take these actions and help guarantee that policy makers were listening, the creation of the risk maps were vital. The risk map was able to present areas where “young people experienced foul odors, irritated throats, watery eyes, shortness of breath, and other self reported symptoms” (Corburn 55). The mission of this street science project was to safeguard the community’s health concerns, in addition to allowing further action to be implemented. However, the risk maps were not the only way that WEACT sought to address these …show more content…
So, one of the main question that can be asked is; what is is about WEACT and its engagement with street science that proved successful? As Corburn states, “street science fuses local and professional knowledge with the aim of achieving environmental health justice” (Corburn 4). The goal is not to just claim professional science as inherently bad, but to instead actively work towards “good” science that engages the community and components of social justice. This radically changes the dominant theory behind the production of knowledge that systematically prefers a top-down approach. WEACT and its collaboration with Columbia University demonstrates clearly Corburns argument advocating for co-produced research. Corburn states that “street science offers a way for environmental-health decisions to draw from the best science has to offer while upholding the democratic ideals of participation and justice” (Corburn 11). WEACT and the researchers at Columbia’s ability to effectively collaborate together was one of the most successful aspects of the community’s engagement with street science and Corburn’s
Throughout the risk assessment process, ideas for action were identified and documented. The documentation of these ideas led to the development of potential action item worksheets which were then selected, prioritized, and refined. Detailed risk assessment information for each hazard is included and located through this document.
Being susceptible to health issues, can result from an interaction between the resources available to individuals and the built environment. Also, these negative health issues can be due to disadvantaged social status, leading to a plethora of ill effects, such as degraded neighborhoods, food deserts, and lack of community mobilization. The complex interactions of these factors over the course of time can create vulnerabilities in the
In his article entitled The "environmental racism" Hoax, white male, David Friedman explains his disbelief in the existence of environmental racism. He argues that the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to prevent environmental injustice make it too difficult to push business projects through in urban areas. Therefore business efforts, “shift operations to white, politically conservative, less-developed locations,” to avoid complications with EPA requirements (Friedman). Moving industrial facilities to predominantly white areas creates jobs and economic growth in these areas rather than in areas with larger colored populations. Therefore, it could be seen that the EPA’s efforts ironically counteract their purpose of protecting colored communities. This view attributes for lack of industrial plants in urban areas, but fails to consider the relationship between environmental horrors such as Hurricanes Katrina, Irma, and Jose, DAPL, and the Flint Water Crisis. Effort is not actively put into protecting communities of color in our country. Citizens fail to recognize the weight of this issue because our leaders themselves don’t prioritize
Shriver, Thomas, and Gary Webb. “Rethinking the Scope of Environmental Injustice: Perceptions of Health Hazards in Rural Native American Community Exposed to Carbon Black.” Rural Sociology 74.2 (2009): 270-292. EBSCO Host. Web. 12 December, 2009.
The environment and the health of the surrounding population go hand in hand. The Environmental Protection Agency takes on this ever so important mission of protecting them both. The mission statement of the EPA states, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Small Business Programs is to support the protection of human health and the environment by advocating and advancing the business, regulatory, and environmental compliance concerns of small and socio-economically disadvantaged businesses, and minority academic institutions (US Enviromental Protection Agency, 2010).” The impact of its mission can be defined clearly as it examines the impact of contamination in the air, the water, and the land on human health.
Conclusions and Recommendations The results for this initiative illustrate the power to change societal practices through the collaboration of individuals and organizations that hold the same advocacies.
Nydia Velazquez is a representative for New York’s Twelfth Congressional District, which includes parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. In her essay “In Search of Justice,” Velazquez describes several unjust situations that happened in her district. She points out that the residents of Greenpoint, which is the heart of her district, are among the poorest in the country. She argues that large corporations carelessly dump their waste next to poor minorities’ living areas and emphasizes the terrible air conditions in her district. Velazquez believes that minority communities are treated unfairly under the environmental law, which targets large corporations.
For our group community assessment, we assessed the neighbourhood of Moss Park. Throughout our assessment at Moss Park, we noted many of the community’s characteristics including physical environment, resources available, strengths and weaknesses etc… Moss Park is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, the area is mainly comprised of worn-out buildings and houses with a satisfactory number of resources including a public library, school, health care centers, pharmacies etc… During the assessment of this neighbourhood we noticed that the physical environment was contaminated with the presence of garbage on the streets and in residential areas. As we were walking through this area during our assessment, we noticed a strong smell of cigarette smoke in many areas on the streets and in some residential areas. We also observed many people smoking in the area which creates a harmful environment of second-hand smoke. Lastly, we noted th...
This essay focuses upon evidence gathered from people who provide good examples of ‘making and remaking’ on City Road in relation to connections and disconnections. Evaluations are drawn from the relevant Open University reading and visual resources and the essay is revised following ‘TMA 01 feedback’ (TMA FORM PT3e: TMA No 01, 2016).
Racism is commonly thought of as an act that is synonymous with violence; however, one common form of racism, environmental racism, often takes place without people being aware the events are happening before detrimental activities have been put into action. In Melissa Checker’s book Polluted Promises, she relates that Reverend Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. coined the term environmental racism while stating that there is “deliberate targeting of communities of color for toxic waste disposal and the siting of polluting industries” (Checker 14). This problem is important to discuss, as many groups of people around the United States continue to be impacted by these events every day. Such people include
It wasn’t until a study called Toxic Waste and Race done by the Church of Christ in 1987 showed that the most significant factor is deciding a location of a hazardous waste facility was racial did the movement gain momentum. While there are many debate on what environmental justice is, most would say the first significant documentation of it was when the Principles of Environmental Justice was written, signed, and sent to DC to be reviewed in the 1990’s. Various community leaders from churches to council members to school teachers came together at the National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit and made a point in showing that the citizens are not happy with how their environment has been handled and the ideals that legislation has come to fruition under. Ideals such as fairness when making policy, responsible use of renewable resources, balanced relations with native americans, use of military force on peoples, and mitigation for victims domestically and abroad are only a few controversial topics they
This means freedom from pollution, and dumping sites, access to clean water, and air quality, and freedom from environmental hazards, such as chemical toxins, industrial pollution, solid waste disposal and noise. Studies have shown that the social distribution of pollution suggest that poor households with low income, minorities, and poor African Americans in the United States are most affected by the environmental quality issues, (1) and “concerns about the environmental inequality led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency for Environmental Justice in 1992.” (1) The EPA is responsible for distributing and regulating the risks. (2) Since environmental Justice concerns where people work, live and play, it is also important for these people to be included in the decision making process.
I remember when I first thought about the power one person could have to create change. I was a teenager growing up in the South when I read Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring”. This beautifully written book is a powerful indictment of the widespread use of pesticides. Rachel Carson criticized the chemical companies for claiming that pesticides were safe despite mounting evidence to the contrary. And she criticized public officials who accepted the chemical industry’s claims.
O’Faircheallaigh, C., 2010. Public participation and environmental impact assessment: purposes, implications, and lessons for public policy making. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 30 (1),
...ffects on human health. These have high negative effects on low income areas, as a result of pollution, visual, oral and air, as well as high levels of overcrowding. The World Health Organisation predicts that in the next 30years most of the world’s population growth will occur in cities and towns of poor countries. This rapid, unplanned and unsustainable pattern of urbanisation, is creating cities into focal points for environmental and health hazards (World Medical Association, 2010).