Region 8
Environmental Justice and English as a Second Language Environmental Education Resources
EPA defines environmental justice (EJ) as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
As a result of community concerns and activities, Executive Order 12898 was signed in 1994. The Executive Order, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low Income Populations," applies to federal agencies that conduct activities that substantially affect human health or the environment. The order directs federal agencies to:
- Focus attention on the human health and environmental conditions in minority communities and low-income communities with the goal of achieving environmental justice.
- Foster nondiscrimination in federal programs that substantially affect human health or the environment.
- Give minority communities and low-income communities greater opportunities for public participation in, and access to public information on matters relating to human health and the environment.
With these goals in mind the Region 8 Environmental Education Program would like to make available the following education resources to assist teachers and community leaders in educating all community members about the environment, sustainability and stewardship.
General Resources
Some of the sites listed on this page are not on the EPA Web site. Please see our disclaimer information.
EPA's Environmental Justice Web site
EPA Region 8 Environmental Justice Program
K-12 Education Resources
| History of Environmental Justice |
http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/
basics/ejbackground.html |
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North American Association for Environmental Education: |
http://www.naaee.org/programs-and-initiatives/
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Model Schools is an award-winning program which, through a unique partnership with Eco Education, provides schools with an interdisciplinary environmental education model that leads students from knowledge to action. The Model Schools in Urban Environmental Education program consists of two interconnected courses, City Connections and Urban Stewards, both of which provide opportunities to address science, social studies, language arts and mathematics standards. |
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Adult Education Resources
| EPA in Spanish | http://www.epa.gov/espanol/ |
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EPA in Chinese |
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EPA Tribal Portal |
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The Environmental Justice Geographic Assessment Tool, provides information for preliminary analysis of Environmental Justice areas of concern. Assessment variables include demographics, such as persons per square mile, per capita income, and percent below the poverty line. The EJ Assessment tool provides the ability to review these assessment variables and others with respect to several types of regulated facilities. |
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DVD - Communities and Environmental Laws This is a DVD, Communities and Environmental Laws, was created by a collaboration of three non-profit organizations: Environmental Law Institute, United Church of Christ, and the Southwest Network for Economic and Environmental Justice. The DVD focuses on how citizens can learn about the environmental laws and how these laws can be utilized to help the people make their communities healthier places in which to live. It consists of two case studies where local communities have worked together to address their local environmental or public health issue. It shows how people just like you have done this by using the environmental laws to make their homes a healthier place. The DVD contains an English and Spanish 20 minute video as well as copies of the publication "A Citizen's Guide to Environmental Law" upon which the video was based. |
To obtain a free copy, visit the EPA National Center for Environmental Publications (NCEP) web site . Click on "Publications By EPA Number" and enter the publication number EPA-300-C-04-001 at the requested location on the order form. |