Environmental Justice: A Native American Perspective

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PEPH Network Friends,

On September 19, 2012 at 12 noon ET we will host a webinar titled, “Environmental Justice: A Native American Perspective.” The 90-minute webinar will feature three presentations that highlight several ongoing EJ issues that Native American tribal groups have mobilized around for many years and will discuss emerging threats, such as climate change, that will affect Native Americans disproportionately. Case studies will exemplify both successful approaches and issues that remain unresolved despite existing efforts to mitigate or prevent harmful environmental exposures. This includes the harmful effects of leach mining on tribal lands, Superfund-designated cleanup sites, and Native American perspectives on environmental reproductive justice.

Register today! http://bit.ly/EJ_NA
(registration required)

Presentation abstracts will be available on the PEPH Events page shortly.

Please share with your colleagues!

Webinar Description:
Environmental justice (EJ) has emerged as an important component of environmental public health that moves beyond the identification of environmental health disparities to research and policy change that attempts to address ongoing grievances and injustices related to environmental exposures. The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) vision for environmental justice is “a nation that equitably promotes healthy community environments and protects the health of all people.” Since the development and implementation of the first HHS EJ strategy in 1995, progress has been made in identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse environmental exposures among minority and low-income populations and Indian Tribes. However, inequities persist.

This webinar will highlight several ongoing EJ issues that Native American tribal groups have mobilized around for many years and will discuss emerging threats, such as climate change, that will affect Native Americans disproportionately. Case studies will exemplify both successful approaches and issues that remain unresolved despite existing efforts to mitigate or prevent harmful environmental exposures. This includes the harmful effects of leach mining on tribal lands, Superfund-designated cleanup sites, and Native American perspectives on environmental reproductive justice.

The webinar also will highlight a key element of the 2012 HHS EJ Strategy and Implementation Plan: the importance of community partnerships and engagement. As HHS implements policies that have tribal implications, these community partnerships are critical for establishing regular and meaningful consultation and collaboration. Although consultation traditionally has focused on tribal officials, the intention of the implementation plan is to establish and maintain community partnerships with a broad range of tribal representatives, encompassing the full range of generations, languages, and religious and educational backgrounds within a community. By expanding community partnerships, the HHS EJ Implementation Plan ensures its relevance to all segments of affected communities.

Presentation abstracts will be available on the PEPH Events page shortly.

Best,
--Liam O’Fallon
Coordinator, Partnerships for Environmental Public Health
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/PEPH