There is a lot on the plate of the Westside Environmental Justice Alliance as it seeks to build a coalition to tackle problems of environmental injustice in the region.
Climate change, environmental health hazards such as lead pipes, flooding and more are among the concerns of the organization, formerly named the Greater West Side Climate Justice Coalition.
Crystal Gardner, co-founder, said she wants the alliance to be a space for curious minds to learn more about the local environmental factors in their neighborhood.
“I envision this to be a place where you come and participate…to learn,” Gardner said. “It’ a hub…whenever these issue areas are prioritized through government. We have the opportunity to jump up and say, ‘Yep, we need that too.’”
She works in collaboration with Laurie Casey, programs director for One Earth Local with the Oak Park nonprofit One Earth Collective. Gardner is also a founding member of the 290 IPO, a grassroots progressive political organization.
Collaboration between the two organizations began in February, when One Earth Collective and 290 IPO co-hosted a virtual community conversation to discuss the local impact of climate change with experts.
Since then, the alliance has promoted civic engagement. Casey and Gardner both see the alliance as a resource for educational content surrounding the local environment.
The alliance has hosted guest speakers related to their cause including a representative from the Chicago Teachers Union to talk about the Green Schools Initiative, and Sharif Walker from Bethel New Life, who talked about a food hub initiative,
Some examples of environmental hazards causing health concerns that the Westside Environmental Justice Alliance seeks to address include the high concentration of lead pipes in Chicago, lead pollution in soil caused by leaded gasoline, flooding concerns on the West Side, and rising heat waves due to climate change.
One factor of climate change that residents in Chicago are prone to feel more than residents in other places is the extreme heat. According to a study from the climate science nonprofit Climate Central, the high density of skyscrapers in Chicago, in combination with asphalt and lack of green space, exacerbates the impact of heat. Heat is increased by more than 8 degrees for every 1 million people, and access to air conditioning is becoming less feasible for low-income, environmental justice communities as higher temperatures raise the electricity bill.
The impact of environmental burdens varies across neighborhoods in Chicago, as reported by the Chicago Department of Public Health in the Cumulative Impact Assessment. The citywide project, which was conducted from May 2022 to August 2023, collected data and community input to identify environmental justice neighborhoods, which are predominately Black, Latino, or low-income communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards.
Several neighborhoods on the West Side of Chicago were among the environmental justice communities listed in the assessment, including Austin, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, North Lawndale, and South Lawndale. Specific environmental burdens that were faced by these communities that were highlighted in the assessment included the large presence of polluting industries, air and water pollution, and the negative impact on a resident’s health pollution exposure.
In a press release about the assessment, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson advocated for policy reforms mentioned in the assessment to support the environmental justice communities.
“Advancing environmental justice alongside economic development is necessary to better guide our actions to mitigate environmental burdens in Chicago,” Johnson said. “In the months to come, we will work to build support for a new ordinance that protects all Chicagoans from the cumulative impact of air and water pollution, climate change, improper land use and other stressors…”
As a long-time Austin resident, Gardner said the advocacy she saw for environmental justice neighborhoods interested her to learn more about environmental hazards faced by residents in Austin. Encouraging members of her community to advocate for resources to improve public safety in Austin was one of her motivations to get involved with the coalition, Gardner says.
“Once it was announced that these neighborhoods are going to be prioritized as far as environmental justice is concerned, I said, ‘Well, maybe I should become a student of the environment,’” Gardner said. “Someone should be engaging the community around…like what are the opportunities that are coming from the administration that will support these neighborhoods that have been identified? I was curious.”
As the alliance continues their efforts to increase membership, Casey says that the alliance is open to anyone that is interested in climate change solutions and environmental justice. Those interested are encouraged to fill out this Google Form titled “Our Love Letter to the Greater West Side.”
“This is open to individuals, any individuals, and community-based organizations, and nonprofits,” Casey said. “We are open to anybody who is curious and wants to learn.”
The alliance plans to meet in December on a date not yet announced. Although the agenda for the next meeting is fluid, Gardner said that the alliance is focused on creating an inclusive discussion for residents to be heard in addition to learning about environmental justice.
“I want us to continue to identify what does environmental justice look like,” Gardner said. “Is there one project? Is there one issue? Is there one campaign? Trying to just build out the capacity. I think that education and engagement, community conversations are a priority.”