ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
EJ in New England
UEP PROGRAM
EPA New England's
Urban Environmental Program
U.S. EPA | ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AT EPA NEW ENGLAND
EPA NEW ENGLAND'S ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE PROGRAM works to protect all people, regardless
of race, color, national origin or income, from environmental harms and
risks, and to involve all citizens in making decisions that affect their
environment. The program is designed to achieve environmental and public
health improvements for communities disproportionately burdened by the
impacts of pollution.
INTRO:
The Urban Environmental Program became a formal program of EPA New England in 2002, following on the heels
of a successful pilot program that had worked since 1995 to improve the quality of life for urban residents in Boston,
Mass., Providence, Rl, and Hartford, Conn. The Urban Environmental Program has expanded its efforts since then to
address environmental and public health concerns in many other urban areas throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts,
and Rhode Island.
OVERVIEW:
Environmental conditions in cities throughout New England
and across the country expose residents to significant public
health hazards every day, from toxics and heavy metals to
poor indoor and outdoor air quality and a lack of open, green
space. These conditions create cumulative and unfair health
risks to urban residents, especially
to high risk populations such as chil-
dren and the elderly. The mission of
the Urban Environmental Program
is to improve the environment and
thus the quality of life for urban resi-
dents throughout New England. The
program achieves this by building
community capacity to identify and
resolve environmental problems,
achieve measurable and sustainable
improvements, and restore and revi-
talize neighborhoods.
Condor Street Urban Wild
in Chelsea, Mass.
The Urban Environmental Program
is dedicated to addressing large and complex problems associ-
ated with cities in a way that includes the community. The
program staff listens to the concerns of residents, identifying
projects and providing resources to implement projects that
will make measurable improvements in public health and the
urban environment. The program's managers work with
other organizations and government agencies to identify the
most critical issues for a particular community or state. The
program has focused its work on the following issues: environ-
mental health; urban toxics in air, water and soil; and urban
redevelopment of open space, vacant lots and transportation.
These environmental and public health issues and topics
are crosschecked with internal and
external partners to ensure that
the Urban Environmental Program's
work reflects the concerns, priorities,
and needs of the target communities.
The Urban Environmental Program
often works with other EPA New
England programs with related
concerns. For instance, the Urban
Environmental Program coordinates
dosely with EPA New England's
Environmental Justice Program.
The Urban Environmental Program
managers work with the Lead, Pesti-
cides, Indoor Air Quality/Asthma,
Brownfields, Smart Growth or Children's Health programs to
develop common goals, put in place strategies, or offer exper-
tise in support of projects for the target communities.
For additional information, please access the key contacts
provided, as well as: Sandra Brownell, EPA New England
Rhode Island Program Manager, 617 918-1552, brownell.
sandra@epa.gov.
KEY CONTACTS:
STAGEY JOHNSON.PRIDGEON
EPA New England
Team Leader and Program
Manager for Connecticut
(617) 918-1552
johnson.stacey@epa.gov
KWABENA KYEI-ABOAGYE
EPA New England
Program Manager
for Massachusetts
(617) 918-1609
kyei-aboagye.kwabena@epa.gov
GENERAL INFO:
EPA NEW ENGLAND
5 Post Office Square
Suite 100
Boston, MA 02109-3912
(617) 918-1111
www.epa.gov/region1/
TOLL-FREE
CUSTOMER SERVICE
1-888-EPA 7341
LEARN MORE AT:
www.epa.gov/region1/
eco/uep/index.html
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
on 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 50% post-consumer waste, using vegetable-based inks
EPA-901-F-11-003
April 2011
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