Thursday, September 06, 2012
regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or income, have the right to a clean
and healthy environment in which to live, work, go to school, play and pray.
However, evidence shows that low-income communities and communities of color
disproportionately bear health and environmental burdens resulting from
uneven development patterns-such as pollution from oil refineries, poor
access to healthy foods, and long commutes due to lack of affordable housing
near jobs. As these communities continue to grow-and as research shows that
they care strongly about environmental issues-including their voice in
decision-making and regional planning processes and equipping all
stakeholders with the tools necessary to measure EJ can ensure that regions
across the nation achieve truly sustainable growth.
Hosted by the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at the
University of Southern California, this webinar will define EJ and its
importance in building sustainable communities, introduce tools for
measuring EJ impacts, outline best practices for engaging marginalized
communities in planning processes and policy development, and discuss recent
climate justice efforts. Join us for an engaging webinar that will connect
the dots - between research, metrics, community organizing and policymaking
- and offer strategies for building environmentally just communities.
Moderators
* Manuel Pastor, Director, USC Program for Environmental and Regional
Equity and the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration
* Justin Scoggins, Data Manager, USC Program for Environmental and
Regional Equity
Presenters
* Elva Yañez, Policy Consultant, LA Collaborative for Environmental Health
and Justice
* Richard Marcantonio, Managing Attorney, Public Advocates
Establishing nutrition guidelines for food served on government property or through government programs is emerging as a promising, low-cost public health strategy. State and local government nutrition guidelines can positively affect the eating habits of government agency workers and visitors, help shape social norms, and influence how food companies market and formulate their products. Public agencies can be a model for healthy eating, reinforcing other agency-sponsored obesity-prevention efforts while showing that healthy food tastes good while also generating revenue.
As part of the What You Need to Know to Promote Healthy Eating in Your State! series, this webinar will discuss food procurement policies; describe how states and localities are addressing challenges and promoting the acceptance of healthier food guidelines; provide tips for working with blind vendors; and identify available resources for pursuing healthier food for public agencies.
