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October 2003 | Volume 2, Number 1
Promoting
the Environmental Justice
& Health Union mission, Catalyst identifies training,
research, policies, events, and funding opportunities that
foster partnerships to eliminate environmental disease in
low-income communities of color within the United States. To do
that, Catalyst depends on information submitted by an advisory
board of environmental health professionals and environmental
justice activists as well as our readers.
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TOOLBOX
Digital divide fund
The first state digital
divide dedicated funding legislation was signed into
law in California and will provide up to $6 million to non-profit
community groups.
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OTHER
REPORTS OF INTEREST
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has published reports
about environmental
justice and civil rights activities at federal
environmental agencies, and in currently investigating
health disparities
among Native Americans.
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ADVISORY
BOARD
Lynn Battle
Executive Director, Citizen's
Lead Education & Poisoning Prevention (Birmingham, AL)
Michael
Green
Executive Director, Center
for Environmental Health (Oakland, CA)
Swati
Prakash
Environmental Health Director, West
Harlem Environmental Action (New York, NY)
Alejandra
Tres
Executive Director, Association
of Environmental Health Academic Programs (Portland,
OR)
The Environmental Justice and Health Union is an independent
project of the Center for
Environmental Health
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The Next Step...
"Sound
science" is increasingly called upon to guide government
action. There are two steps to implementing sound science.
The first consists of the pure endeavor of applying the
empirical method to a problem in order to identify a truth.
The second consists of using that truth to guide decisions.
For example, exposing people to dioxin causes cancer. Thus,
policies to prevent exposure to dioxin are necessary to
prevent cancer. The two steps to sound science, however,
are increasingly difficult to achieve.
The first step is
always affected by who has the power to decide what questions
to ask and what resources are available. According to the
National Environmental Policy Commission report on environmental
justice to the Congressional
Black Caucus, no systemic approach has been made to
develop solutions to health disparities. The integrity of
scientific research is increasingly threatened by corporate
sponsorship and government-funded research on environmental
health is threatened by budget cuts that may require the
elimination of several EPA laboratories and the national
children's study.
Even when sound scientific information becomes available
to policy makers, it may not be acted upon. The most obvious
example is the research regarding climate change. Climate
change is taking place. The environmental impacts will be
devastating. But federal policy-makers have not acted. Instead,
they use anecdotes to undermine
research, create a sound
science caucus, and eliminate
global warming information in public reports. Under
such circumstances, the necessity for implementing the precautionary
principle becomes ever more apparent.
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PARTNERSHIPS
Houston
Environmental
Health Houston is a partnership between many Houston-based
health organizations seeking to provide information and
resources in one spot.
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ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH
Race and gender disparities in California
The California Endowment, Institute of Medicine and Cause
Communications have collaborated on Unequal
Treatment, Unequal Health, a report documenting health
disparities within California. The Women's Foundation of
California, in partnership with a dozen other groups, has
examined the impact
of toxics on the health of women and children in California
communities.
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ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE
 Rural participatory research
The Pacific West Community Forestry Center sourcebook
on rural environmental justice participatory research identifies
successes and challenges to such programs.
California
California's advisory committee on environmental justice
has recommended actions the state can take immediately and
in the long-term to support environmental justice. The report
includes extensive appendices
documenting the status of environmental justice in California.
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SUBSCRIBE and PROVIDE
The
Catalyst
is an online newsletter sent monthly to Environmental
Justice & Health Union members.
Groups with annual budgets of less than $200,000
receive free EJHU
membership. The EJHU website (www.ejhu.org) includes
information for activists and professionals about training,
research, and policies, EJHU membership, and past issues of
Catalyst.
If you want to provide information to be considered for inclusion in Catalyst, include a contact name, website, and e-mail address. Please forward the information to ejhu@ejhu.org
or the following address:
Max Weintraub - Director
Environmental Justice and Health Union
528 61st Street, Suite
A
Oakland, CA 94609
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CLOSING DATES
October 1
Partnerships
to reduce disparities
Up to $500,000
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
October 31
Johnson
& Johnson
Up to $150,000
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 1
The Bullitt Foundation
(Northwest)
Up to $25,000
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 1
Occupational
health
Up to $50,000
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 3
Liberty Hill Foundation
(Los Angeles)
Up to $70,000
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 3
Appalachian
Community Fund
Up to $7,500
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 5
Beldon Fund
Up to $200,000
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 17
Corporation
for National and Community Service
Up to $400,000
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 19
CDC
Health Conference Support
Up to $20,000
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 24
The Impact Fund
Up to $25,000
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EVENTS CALENDAR
October 17, Washington DC
Asthma
and Unequal Treatment
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Oct 19 - 21, Baltimore MD
Environmental
health science centers
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
October 20 - 22, Albuquerque NM
New Mexico Environmental
Health
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
October 24, Biddeford ME
Human
Health and Environmental Exposures
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 4-5, Arlington VA
National
Pollution Prevention and Toxics Advisory Committee
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 12, Natural Bridge VA
Farmworker
Health
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nov 13 - 14, Covington KY
Disparities
in the Greater Cincinnati area
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 15, San Francisco CA
Medicine
and the Environment
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November 15 - 19, San Francisco CA
American Public
Health Association
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 18, San Francisco CA
EPA
Draft Report on the Environment
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November 18, Fort Wayne IN
Environmental
Justice from a Native Perspective
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 19, San Francisco CA
HHS Minority
Health Advisory Committee
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
November 23, Berkeley CA
Race
and Genomics
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Return to EJHU or Catalyst
homepage
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