Promote Environmental Justice Working Group
Addressing toxic exposures and climate change threats to create a healthy tomorrow for families.
Creating a safe community where families can thrive requires us to acknowledge and address the harmful impact of climate change and environmental hazards through programs, education, research and advocacy.
This working group will take actions that include:
- Promoting consumer and provider education on environmental threats to maternal and infant health
- Creating toolkits to aid local and state emergency planning and ensure inclusion of pregnant people in their plans
- Advancing policy changes that support free testing and grants for remediation of current toxins and control of environmental toxins
- Supporting review and expansion of workplace accommodations for pregnant people
- Promoting data collection on birth outcomes to help identify major environmental hazards
Working Group Co-Chairs
Susan Kendig, JD, WHNP-BC, FAANP
Co-Chair of the Promote Environmental Justice Working Group
Women’s Health Integration Specialist, SSM Health Maternal Services, St. Louis, MO, and Director of Policy for the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH).
Skye Wheeler
Co-Chair of the Promote Environmental Justice Working Group
Senior Researcher, Women’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch
WORKING GROUP MEMBERS
This working group is comprised of over 40 individual and organizational partners, including:
News and Resources
The Mom and Baby Action Network (M-BAN) is working with a national action-oriented coalition of cross-sector partners to address inequities in maternal and infant health, including environmental justice. M-BAN partnered with The Sierra Club, The Honest Co., and local moms to create awareness about the water emergency in Hawaii. Learn more about how Americans near the Red Hill leak do not have access to clean, safe water for consumption or household use.
NCEH works to prevent illness, disability and death from contacts between people and the environment. Its staff is committed to protecting the health of vulnerable populations — children, the elderly, and people with disabilities – from certain environmental hazards.
Learn about the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice. 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.
GET INVOLVED
Every family can have the best possible start. But today, too many moms and babies are dying or experiencing serious health complications related to childbirth—and far too many are moms and babies of color. Only by working together can we confront inequities and ensure the health and wellbeing of every family.
