Forum on Race, Climate and Community Health

Setting a New Compass for Climate Justice: A Forum on Race, Climate and Community Health [Foro sobre Raza, Clima y Salud Comunitaria – Español] gathered nearly 200 community activists, policy researchers, and government officials in St. Paul. The January 25th event, on the eve of the 20th Anniversary of the Executive Order on Environmental Justice, featured Chicana Activist, Kimberly Wasserman, 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize Recipient for North America and release of the Twin Cities Environmental Justice Mapping Tool, a community organizing and planning tool for community use. The tool enables community access to information about multiple environmental health hazards, especially with respect to Native, low-income and communities of color.

Attendees heard from, and engaged with, community and governmental leaders on the future of justice in environmental and climate policy in Minnesota:

• John L. Stine, Commissioner, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Alondra Cano, Minneapolis City Council Member
• Elizabeth Glidden, Vice President of Minneapolis City Council
• David Nicholson, Executive Director, Headwaters Foundation for Justice
• Roxxanne O’Brien, Activist and Minneapolis Community Environmental Commission appointee
• Carlos Mariani, Minnesota House of Representatives
• David Pellow, Professor and Don Martindale Endowed Chair, University of Minnesota
• Veronica Burt, Public Policy Advocate/Cultural Organizer, Just Equity
• Jeff Matson and Kristen Murray, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota
• Shalini Gupta and Cecilia Martinez, Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy

A fitting tribute at the Paul and Shiela Wellstone Center, as former Senator Paul Wellstone was an active supporter of environmental justice and at the signing of the executive order back in 1994. Click here to see the English AGENDA and for the agenda in Español].