environmental justice

On the seventh floor of Boston City Hall, there’s an office with windows facing out over the recently renovated plaza. Whiteboards are filled with scrawled notes and planning. Trophies and mementos and books line the shelves. Two buttons — one that says yes, the other no — sit on the desk ready to verbally voice agreement or dissent.

As a volunteer restoring six-story walk-ups in Harlem in the early 90s, I saw how lead paint chips and dust were wreaking havoc on the kids in those low-income buildings.

Milton’s vote to ignore the MBTA Communities Law ignores the twin realities of our climate and transportation crises and what they mean for environmental justice communities.

Three local New England nonprofits are teaming up to distribute federal funds in a streamlined process to meet the needs of grassroots community-based organizations focused on environmental justice and climate issues.

Doctors urged to make connection between ailments and emissions

A $11.4 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service will support implementation of the city’s urban forest plan released in 2022, which focuses on how to handle planting and maintenance of city-owned trees.

A state commission that Gov. Maura Healey established by executive order in late September is to make recommendations on expediting the creation of clean energy infrastructure in Massachusetts.

An ongoing tour of listening sessions with the state’s first undersecretary of environmental justice and equity aims to hear directly from community members to better address their concerns about those issues.

Besides civil rights and civic engagement, the national NAACP convention had on its agenda environmental justice and artificial intelligence, which were featured in topical sessions and draft resolutions presented to delegates.

Boston is exploring ways to add electric vehicle chargers curbside in neighborhoods to create greater access for residents who drive electric vehicles, but can’t charge them at home. The city’s current selection of chargers is installed in municipally owned parking lots.

A bill pending in the Massachusetts legislature that would establish funding to address climate change also aims to amplify the voices of community organizations.

Members of the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) held a final listening session Feb. 15 to present and get feedback on the draft of an environmental justice strategy that would govern how departments within the office approach their work.