Mar 16, 2021

What Do We Mean by Environmental Justice?

For decades, low-income, immigrant, and communities of color across New England have been overburdened by air pollution from power plants, congested highways, and industrial facilities. CLF connected with two of our Massachusetts-based partners to discuss what needs to change to relieve these burdens and how racism contributes to environmental justice inequities.

Environmental justice is racial justice
Oct 15, 2020

UPDATE: What Would Massachusetts’s Environmental Justice Laws Accomplish?

Low-income, immigrant, and communities of color experience more environmental burdens than whiter, wealthier neighborhoods. Having strong environmental justice legislation would make a significant difference in these neighborhoods, in part by simply ensuring residents have a voice in what happens in their own communities.

Playground at Chelsea Flats
Oct 14, 2020

UPDATE: How Has Racism Contributed to Environmental Justice Inequities?

Environmental justice requires reversing and repairing the impacts of decades of environmental racism. Residents of environmental justice communities are the most likely to bear the burdens polluting industries and infrastructure, while having to fight for their share of resources we all need — healthy homes, schools, transit, food, and open space.

Environmental racism contributes to inequality
Oct 13, 2020

UPDATE: What Are Environmental Justice Protections?

For decades, low income, immigrant, and communities of color across the Commonwealth have disproportionately born the burdens of air pollution from power plants, congested freeways, and industrial activity. After generations of disenfranchisement, what would having strong environmental justice protections mean for these communities?

The Tobin bridge runs through Chelsea, an environmental justice community
Jul 02, 2020

What Do Environmental Justice Protections Mean for Our Communities?

Decades of environmental injustices won’t be addressed without strong legislation to drive change. Local organizations are working to reduce burdens on environmental justice communities, but it’s up to the Massachusetts legislature to redress decades of wrongs and put our state on a path to a more equitable future.

Holyoke, an environmental justice community, is working on becoming a climate-resiliency hub
Mar 05, 2020

East Boston Substation Fight Exposes Inequities in Public Siting Process

East Boston residents overwhelmingly oppose a proposal to build a massive electrical substation in their neighborhood. In a case highlighting issues of language justice, many residents have been unable to participate fully in public proceedings because of inadequate translation services.

The waterfront site near the dangerous electric substation proposed by Eversource in the Eagle Hill community in East Boston. The jet fuel tanks and other infrastructure in the background highlight the need for climate justice in this community.
Apr 05, 2018

Massachusetts Environmental Justice Act Moves Forward

On a Thursday night in late November of last year, residents from Chelsea and East Boston came out in force for a meeting of Massachusetts’s Energy Facility Siting Board. At issue: a proposal by Eversource, the state’s largest utility company, to build and operate two new 115-kilovolt underground electric transmission lines and an above-ground substation… Continue reading Massachusetts Environmental Justice Act Moves Forward

Massachusetts State House
Dec 08, 2016

Community Voices: A Message to ExxonMobil

Roseann Bongiovanni is a lifelong Chelsea resident who has led significant environmental justice campaigns for more than 21 years. She is the Executive Director of GreenRoots, Inc., an organization dedicated to achieving environmental and climate justice for Chelsea. Growing up in Chelsea and neighboring Everett, many in our community, myself included, never realized we were… Continue reading Community Voices: A Message to ExxonMobil