Addressing Environmental Injustice through Upstream Interventions

Environmental Justice explores how patterns of environmental harm are often felt and seen most in rural communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color. Why these patterns look like they do is not a mystery. Long-standing legal practices and historic divestment from these communities has limited how, when, and where people can advocate for better ecological conditions, with significant downstream impacts for human well-being that can be mapped on the landscape. 

Here in Maine, these patterns of environmental inequity hold, despite relatively small and geographically dispersed impacted communities. From clean energy development to waste processing facilities, to access to green spaces and public transit, who benefits and who is harmed by environmental factors is intertwined with policy, history, and the natural landscape. Join Leeann Sullivan, Research Specialist and Rae Sage, Policy Coordinator from the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations as they document their ongoing work related to food and land access in Maine, its role in disrupting environmental injustice, and possible pathways toward mitigating downstream inequalities through upstream interventions.