What is environmental justice?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmental justice or environmental equity means that all people—of all races, cultures, and incomes—should be treated fairly with regard to environmental laws, regulations, and policies. In other words, all people have a right to live in a healthy environment: to breathe clean air, to drink clean water, and to eat uncontaminated foods. In 1994, President Clinton established environmental justice as a national priority when he declared: "All communities and persons across this Nation should live in a safe and healthful environment."

Photo courtesy of Hartford Environmental Justice Network Earth Day Fair in Bushnel Park, Hartford, CT - April 1999

EPA considers a community to be an environmental justice community if

For additional information about this program, contact the EPA Region 1 Environmental Justice Program  

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, in its Environmental Equity Policy (1993), states: "no segment of the population should, because of its racial or economic makeup, bear a disproportionate share of the risks and consequences of environmental pollution or be denied equal access to environmental benefits."

Although environmental justice is a goal at all levels, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in Healthy People 2010,  recognizes that at present poor people and minorities are at greater than average risk of exposure to environmental hazards. For example, low-income individuals and people of color are more likely than other groups to live near landfills, incinerators, and hazardous waste treatment facilities.

Hartford’s background

In 1990 Hartford was the nation’s 8^th poorest city with a population over 100,000. Its poverty rate was nearly 28% (compared with 7% statewide), and 45% of its children under the age of 18 lived in poverty (compared with 5% statewide).

In 1995, 62% of Hartford’s population was living in poverty.

According to the most recent census figures available, Hartford has a population of approximately 130,000 people. Of that number, 70% are people of color, with 36% black and 34% Latino.

Using maps to understand environmental justice Maps help us to see where environmental problems are most common. This section includes a map that shows where households in poverty are living (according to the 1990 census). It also shows a map indicating the percentage of persons with low and moderate income and locations where blood lead levels greater than 10 micrograms/deciliter (that is, levels of concern) have been found. To compare income levels and other environmental issues, see maps in other sections.

Click map to see a larger view

In terms of poverty, income, employment, and education, Hartford had the greatest disparity with its suburban neighbors of any U.S. city. As a measure of its poverty, Hartford has the largest Women’s, Infants, and Children’s program, a federal food subsidy program, in the state, with more than 11,000 clients. Some 67% of all Hartford children under the age of 5 are enrolled in WIC.

In 1998 Hartford had more than 8% unemployment, while the State of Connecticut had only 4% unemployment. In the past thirty years, Hartford has lost about one-third of its manufacturing jobs.

Blood lead levels in Hartford > (greater than) 10 micrograms/deciliter
Click map to see a larger view