Environmental Justice

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What Is Environmental Justice?

Environmental justice refers to the effort to ensure that all people, regardless of background, have an equal opportunity to protect themselves and their community from the harm posed by pollution and other environmental threats. Everyone has the right to clean water and a saved Bay where they can live, work, and play safely.

At the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, we are working actively to support communities and ensure that everyone has the opportunity and ability to participate in decision-making processes that affect their environmental and social well-being. This work also includes efforts to address pollution and toxic contamination in the Bay region that harms communities across the watershed. A few of the ways CBF is working to ensure that all people in the Chesapeake Bay region have access to clean water, clean air, and a safe environment include:

• Planting trees in areas like Richmond, Virginia because trees provide countless health, economic, habitat, and environmental benefits. In urban areas, trees contribute to the resilience of communities in the face of rising temperatures, flooding rains, and other environmental harms.
• Advocating for solutions for people that live near facilities that emit harmful toxins like mercury, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulate matter. These emissions contribute to respiratory issues, heart conditions, and other serious health problems. In addition, air pollution eventually falls into and pollutes our waterways.

What Does It Truly Mean to "Save the Bay"?

Saving the Bay is about the water and air in the watershed, but also the communities who are connected to the Bay and are a part of the ecosystem. We cannot save the Bay if we leave anyone out. Our role is multifaceted, and we are committed to building a healthy and sustainable Bay for all people.

Forty Years of Environmental Justice: Where is the Justice?

An article by former CBF Vice President of Litigation Jon Mueller and Environmental Justice Staff Attorney Taylor Lilley was published in the Public Interest Law Review. "Forty Years of Environmental Justice: Where is the Justice?" examines the history of environmental justice (or EJ) primarily through the lens of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the White House, and evaluates the progress made in terms of regulations and permitting. It also examines administrative and judicial decisions addressing EJ claims and, in conclusion, provides recommendations for ways in which EJ issues can be better presented and addressed. Read the article

Here are a few of the ways CBF is working to ensure that everyone has equal access to clean water, clean air, and a safe environment.

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