Catalog of Environmental Programs 2012
| Federal agencies that contribute to EPA's environmental goals, and how they make a difference. |
the Catalog |
All Programs |
Programs by EPA Strategic Goal 1. Climate Change and Improving Air Quality 2. Protecting America's Waters 3. Cleaning Up and Sustainable Development 4. Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution |
Programs by Agency AID, ARC, CNCS, CPSC, CSB, DHS, DOC, DOD, DOE, DOI, DOJ, DOL, DOS, DOT, ED, FHFA, GSA, HHS, HUD, NASA, NRC, NSF, OSTP, SBA, TVA, USDA, USPS, USTR, VA |
Department of Health and Human Services |
EPA Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development |
Environmental Justice & Community-Based Participatory Research
Purpose
In 1994, the Institute launched the Environmental Justice: Partnerships for
Communication Program. The purpose of the program was to enable community residents
to more actively participate in the full spectrum of research. To achieve this goal,
the program was designed to bring together three partners: a community organization,
an environmental health researcher and a health care professional to develop models
and approaches to building communication, trust and capacity, with the final goal
of increasing community participation in the research process. The rationale of
this program was multifaceted.
1. Community residents are challenged daily to make decisions about what exposures may be harmful
to their health. Training and education to better understand the exposures and their sources
empowers them to make informed decisions.
2. Lack of communication has fostered distrust between community members and researchers.
Tools and models to promote interaction and communication between the two groups foster trust
and mutual understanding, which benefits researchers and community members.
3. Active participation of community members in the identification of research questions
provides residents with a sense of ownership and understanding of direct benefit to their
public health. Consequently, residents are more likely to volunteer for and participate in
the research project. Greater community participation may benefit research outcomes.
Source(s) of Information
1. Environmental Justice & Community-Based Participatory Research
Related EPA Program(s)
Environmental Justice:
Environmental Justice is defined 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. The Environmental Justice program provides support to the Administrator, Office of
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), other Agency program offices, and regional offices to address environmental
and human health concerns in minority, low-income, tribal and other historically underrepresented communities. This
support is provided by facilitating the Agency’s environmental justice integration efforts in all programs, policies, and activities.
EPA - Environmental Justice Showcase Communities (a Community-Based Coordination Project*) This program aims to address
environmental justice challenges in ten communities across the nation to help alleviate the environmental and human health
challenges facing many American communities.
This effort brings together governmental and non-governmental organizations and pools their collective resources and expertise
on the best ways to achieve real results in communities. The successes and lessons learned in these demonstration projects
will be used to help guide the design and implementation of future Environmental Justice projects and will help EPA increase
its ability to address local environmental challenges in more effective, efficient, and sustainable ways.
*The Community-Based Coordination Project was initiated by EPA’s Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe in March 2010, to help
the Agency better understand the Office of Sustainable Communities’ efforts to work with communities, how to better coordinate
and leverage its work across different community-based programs, and how to make the concept of “community” an organizing
principle for the Agency. EPA has committed $1,000,000 in ten communities across the nation. The Agency is providing $100,000
per project over the next two years. (Per webpage dated June 22, 2011)
Authorizing Legislation
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
• Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
• Oil Pollution Act
• Safe Drinking Water Act
• Clean Water Act
• Clean Air Act
• Toxic Substances Control Act
• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
• Food Quality Protection Act
• Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act
• Ocean Dumping Act
Other Programs under Goal 3
Other Programs from HHS
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