Environmental Justice History for The Heights
Access to clean air, water and soil and to a healthy safe, livable community are intrinsic human rights.
What Is EJ?
Environmental Justice is 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. ~ EJ US EPA
Image Source: www.epictop10.com
Principles Of Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice is important to maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment, especially for those who have traditionally lived and worked closest to the sources of pollution.
Environmental Justice affirms the right of all workers to a safe and healthy work environment without being forced to choose between an unsafe livelihood and unemployment, whilst being free from environmental hazards.
Environmental Effects
- Poor public transportation
- Air pollution
- Water infrastructure
- Unsafe households
The Environmental Justice Movement
In October 1991, the growth of the environmental justice movement became evident when the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit met for three days in Washington, D.C. The summit brought together hundreds of environmental justice leaders from the United States, Canada, Central America, the Marshall Islands and elsewhere, for the first time to network and strategize.
Events
- In the 1960s, Latino farm workers organized by Cesar Chavez fought for workplace rights, including protection from harmful pesticides in the farm fields of California’s San Joaquin valley.
- In 1967, African Amer students took to the streets of Houston to be against a city garbage dmp in their community that had claimed the lives of two children.
- In 1968, residents of West Harlem, in New York City, fought unsuccessfully against the siting of a sewage treatment plant in their community. The Warren County protests marked the first instance of an environmental protest by people of color that collected widespread national attention.
The Environmental Justice Movement emerged in response to an alarming amount of evidence that low-income communities of color are burdened with a disproportionate share of environmental hazards. As well as, are less likely to enjoy the environmental and human health benefits of parks, recreation and other quality of life factors because of disproportionate allocation of public resources.
The health and human-oriented approach, environmental justice emphasizes the interaction between the physical and natural world.
In this sense, environmental concerns not only the ecological preservation of natural resources, but also the protection of healthy living spaces: the daily settings where people live, work, play, worship, and go to school.
EJ advocates seek to prevent environmental threats in housing, land use, industrial sightings, health care, and public sanitation services.
Urban living conditions during the late-19th century, which deteriorated rapidly from industrial pollution and the failure of public sanitary systems to accommodate an increasingly dense urban society, stimulated a growing public health movement in the United States.
People who live, work, and play in America's most polluted environments are commonly people of color and the poor.
Communities of color, which are often low-income, are routinely targeted to host facilities that have negative environmental impacts.
The statistics provide clear evidence of what the movement rightly calls "environmental racism".
Even still, according to a 2007 survey, nearly 90 percent of environmentalists were non-Hispanic whites, even though that group made up just 62 percent of the U.S. population at the time. This lack of representation is problematic now and could become even more so.
By 2044, non-Hispanic whites will constitute less than half of the U.S. population.
The simple passage of time will likely diversify the environmental movement.
The question is whether the broader movement will adjust quickly enough to maintain its relevance and liveliness. As the history of the environmental justice movement has already proved, progress can be made with relentless community advocacy backed by the law and solid science.
NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) is proud to partner with environmental justice communities and grassroots organizations around the country, often contributing technical resources and legal and policy tools to communities' ongoing fight for healthy, vibrant neighborhoods.
View A Comprehension Historic Timeline Of Washington Heights & Inwood:
~ Video ~
CAGC: History of Washington Heights
Social Issues that lead to EJ
- Pollution - producing facilities are often sited in poor communities of color. Corporate decision makers, regulatory agencies, local planning and zoning boards had learned that it was easier to site such facilities in low-income African American or Latino communities than in primarily white and middle to upper income communities. As they lack access to information about how their new neighborhoods pollution would affect people’s health.
- Poor Living conditions negatively affect physical and mental health. Additionally, inadequate or unsanitary living conditions can contribute to the spread of diseases, which adds to health care costs, prevents individuals from working and threatens the well being of community members.
Human Impacts
- Overpopulation
- Pollution
- Burning fossil fuels
- Deforestation
Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality and undrinkable water.
Overpopulation Are As Old As Civilization: Photo By Rob Curran
Rising Pollution & Burning Of Fossil Fuels: Photo By Sandy Uniyal
Inwood Area: Before (1924) & After (2020)
Historical Landmarks
Jumel Mansion
Morris Jumel Mansion Chamber Room - Image Credit: New York Public Library Archive
The Morris-Jumel Mansion was completed in 1765 as a summer house for British Colonel Roger Morris, his wife, Mary Philipse, and their family on 135 acres of land that was estimated to stretch from the Harlem to Hudson Rivers between what is now 155th and 165th streets.
Their country estate was named “Mount Morris” and, being situated on one of the highest points of Manhattan, offered clear views of New Jersey, Connecticut, and all of New York Harbor. In addition to serving as a summer retreat, Mount Morris was also a working farm with fruit trees, cows, and sheep as well as a variety of crops.
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
Dyckman Farmhouse Summer Kitchen - Image Credit: Post Card View, 1916
The founding father of the Dyckman family was Jan Dyckman, who arrived in New Amsterdam in the 1600's from Westphalia. By the time of the American Revolution, the Dyckman family homestead was located near 210th Street and the East River. Jan's grandson, William had inherited Dyckman land from his father.
The farmhouse had two kitchens during this period. The Winter Kitchen, located in the main farmhouse, would have kept the farmhouse warm during the cold months. In the heat of summer the cooking would have moved to the Summer Kitchen, a small one and a half story building adjacent to the farmhouse. The Summer Kitchen also had a small bedroom space above it and it is believed that the free blacks and enslaved workers would have used this space.
High Bridge Waterworks
High Bridge Waterworks - Image Credit: Picryl, World's Largest Public Domain Source
High Bridge, which connects High Bridge Park near West 174th Street, Manhattan and West 170th Street in the Bronx, is the oldest bridge connecting two boroughs.
When it was built between 1837 and 1948, it actually connected two separate towns, since that area of the mainland would not become a part of New York County until 1874.
Originally, High Bridge featured massive stone arches, like the Roman aqueducts had.
High Bridge was built in 1872 as a conduit to bring the City water form the Croton Aqueduct and equalize the water pressure.
The Little Red Lighthouse
The Little Red Lighthouse - Image Credit: Axel Taferner
In the early 20th century, barge captains carrying goods up and down the Hudson demanded a brighter beacon. The Little Red Lighthouse had been erected on Sandy Hook, New Jersey in 1880.
Today, the Little Red Lighthouse remains a stalwart symbol of the area’s heritage, lighting the way into the city’s past.
The Little Red Lighthouse is owned by NYC Parks and is part of the Historic House Trust of New York City.
Inwood Slave Burial Ground
Inwood Slave Burial Ground - Image Credit: New York Public Library
In March of 1903 workmen in the Inwood section of northern Manhattan made a startling discovery. On a hilltop, near the present intersection of 212th Street and Tenth Avenue, were discovered row after row of skeletons buried beneath crude stone markers.
The workers had been digging up material for 10th Avenue at 212th Street, when they hit grave markers and human skeletons that were buried in an upright position.
It turned out that the 36 sets of remains belonged to African Americans who were enslaved by colonial landowners during the 1600s and 1700s.
Health Hazards:
Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health and is estimated to cause approximately two million premature deaths worldwide per year.
A reduction of air pollution is expected to reduce the global burden of disease from respiratory infections, heart diseases and lung cancer.
Environmental hazards increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma and other illnesses.
Environmental Sites
Kingsbridge Bus Depot
A polluting site in Inwood is the Kingsbridge bus depot and bus parking lot. It is located near a public school. The depot consists of a building used for maintenance and a storage facility that can accommodate more than 250 buses. The bus depot is an exception to the MTA’s own standards around placement; typically, the MTA justifies the location of its depots and stations by the proximity to their routes. However, the Kingsbridge bus depot serves 22 routes – only four of which actually serve customers in the local area. The Department of Sanitation also has a parking lot where trucks that transport and collect refuse and garbage are parked. These trucks bring with them diesel exhaust, noise, and pests.
North River Treatment Plant
The North River Wastewater Treatment Plant is an integral part of the network of wastewater treatment infrastructure citywide. The plant, which sits below the 28-acre Riverbank State Park, provides wastewater treatment to hundreds of thousands of people who work, live, and visit the west side of Manhattan — from Greenwich Village to Inwood Hill — and is designed to handle up to 340 million gallons of wastewater on a wet weather day.
Wastewater treatment is fundamental to protect the health of many different ecosystems. Wastewater, properly treated, is a source of water for many purposes. Good wastewater treatment allows the maximum amount of water to be reused instead of going to waste.
The major aim of wastewater treatment is to remove as much of the suspended solids as possible before the remaining water is discharged back to the environment.
George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
To make room for the massive highway, bridge, and bus terminal, the city demolished 76 buildings and relocated more than 8,000 people. Facing plummeting tax revenues after the removal of residents and business, urban planners decided to build residences above the expressway. Architects assured critics the buildings would be safe, modern, and affordable, but once costs overran, many safety features, including interior ventilation and air conditioning systems, were dropped. The apartment complex welcomed its first tenants in 1964, under a state program for middle-income residents. Tenants saw their quality of life plunge as the indoor air quality worsened. “The choice of this location for these apartments, astride one of the most heavily traveled highways in New York City, shows a total disregard for environmental factors on the part of our city planners.”
Con Edison Substation
In 1914, the company that would eventually become Con Edison opened the Sherman Creek Power Generating Station. Months after the opening, noise complaints became so frequent that the plant had to add a silencer to its generators. Due to air quality concerns, Con Edison closed the plant in 1966, and demolished it in 1997 after a series of failed plans to repurpose the structure. In 2011, a smaller Con Edison Academy Substation was opened in that site, raising concerns among residents and advocates.
207 St Subway Yards
This is one of two sites for overhauling, rebuilding, and storing New York City Subway trains. Here, train rebuilding and maintenance includes stripping subway cars of everything, including seats and signs, and removing motor oil, coolants, and grease along with solid pollutants. One of the more common toxins present in subway cars is asbestos, which was widely used as insulation for exhaust pipes, electrical fixtures, and flooring. Asbestos, a known carcinogen, is still present in almost all of the New York City subway and commuter lines. While most of it is contained, the material can often be released during the repair or maintenance of the lines and cars.
~ Video ~
A Brief History of Environmental Justice
Landfills, chemical waste facilities and power plants are more often built in poor and minority communities, which don't have the power or money to support themselves. For decades, these communities have called for environmental justice: the idea that people shouldn't be forced to deal with more pollution because they belong to a certain race, national origin or income category. America has struggled for decades to implement any policies that actually protect poor and minority communities from environmental toxins.
Next Steps:
- -Spread the word
- -Listen more
- -Attend a rally
- -Reclaim your community
- -Support organizations
- -Embrace diversity
- -Practice what you preach
To promote social and environmental justice you must:
People can help & support EJ by:
Backing socially-equal conservation policies and the organizations or politicians supporting them.
WE ACT is an organization that helps low-income communities of color fight harmful environmental policies while participating in the creation of fair environmental policies.
Green For All works to uplift the voices of low-income communities and people of color in the climate justice movement and fights to build a green economy that lifts people out of poverty.
The Environmental and Climate Justice Program helps support community leadership in addressing environmental injustice and its disproportionate impact on communities of color and low-income communities.
Live More Sustainably:
- Save energy
- Use eco-friendly alternatives
- Use renewable energy
- Recycle & reuse
- Grow your own produce
- Save water
- Drive less
- Buy fair trade products
- Don't waste food
- Eat less meat
- Conserve water
- Plant trees
Donate
