Work Group Report:

ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY AND HUMAN RESOURCES

Critical Issues Menu

The concept of environmental equity implies that some populations, particularly minorities and those of low income, are disproportionately exposed to environmental injustices. The major concern of environmental equity is expressed in the idea that minority and low-income residential neighborhoods are most proximate to elevated concentrations of environmental hazards such as waste treatment facilities, waste dumps, incinerators, landfills, and other industrial and commercial toxic release sites.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), environmental justice is defined as "the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures and income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and programs and policies. Fair treatment means that no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic group should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from the operation of industrial, municipal and commercial enterprises and from the execution of federal, state and local, and tribal programs and policies."

In 1990, the EPA Science Advisory Board issued a report entitled Reducing Risk: Setting Priorities and Strategies for Environmental Protection. This report recommended that EPA "target its environmental protection efforts on the basis of opportunities for the greatest risk reduction." In July of 1990, EPA Administrator William K. Reilly formed the EPA Environmental Equity Workgroup. The charge to the Workgroup was to assess evidence that racial minority and low-income communities bear higher risk burden than the general population. In February 1992, the Workgroup issued a draft of its report, entitled Environmental Equity: Reducing Risk for All Communities.

The Report defined "environmental equity" as embracing three main concerns: (1) the environmental policy-making process; (2) the administration of environmental protection programs; and (3) the distribution and effects of environmental problems. Environmental policy-making, according to the Report, raises issues about the access of racial minority and low-income communities to the process. This, in turn, requires the need for hiring more minorities in policy and decision-making positions and managing programs.

The connection between economic distress and the location of toxic waste facilities has been clearly established and widely accepted in the fields of environmental technology and education. In response to these concerns, a number of federal agencies have turned their collective attention to the problems of environmental justice and equity. A recent collaborative report from the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) strongly encourages the transfer of knowledge from the research institutions and federal laboratories to the general public via two-year colleges (EMCT3I Final Report, p. ES-2). Because of two-year colleges' geographic locations and relatively low tuition rates, these institutions can play a pivotal role in assuming major responsibility for initiating an acceptable remediation process. Through leverage of resources and cooperative efforts, funded in large part by federal grants, important community college activities are already underway in this critical area.

Providing accessible, quality education and training that meets the needs of learners with diverse backgrounds and learning styles is the mission of all two-year colleges. Two-year college leadership and commitment are essential for developing an effective environmental technology education program. This effort must incorporate environmental equity to ensure equal participation and representation of a diverse population.

ISSUE: The concepts of "environmental justice and equity" are not usually addressed in environmental technology programs.

RECOMMENDATIONS: To create an environmental technology program that incorporates the concepts of "justice and equity," two-year colleges should provide environmental enlightenment and enrichment activities for the general public, and most importantly, for communities of diversity. These environmental activities require the involvement of other community organizations, agencies, and institutions who are stakeholders in resolving environmental inequity. It requires that two-year colleges lead in community and individual renewal. To accomplish this goal of enlightenment about environmental justice and equity, two-year colleges should:

• Collaborate with local grass roots/community groups to identify environmental issues in their own communities;
• Provide communities of diversity with greater opportunities to understand the principles of environmentalism, community rights, and the needed training to help reduce environmental risks in their communities;
• Integrate environmental and social/economic issues into curricula;
• Provide education and training, so that communities of diversity can be better informed and involved in decisions affecting their communities;
• Create forums where communities engage in enlightening environmental awareness dialogues with leaders of color who are recognized and accepted by diverse groups;
• Provide for youth environmental awareness experiences that promote sustainable development and environmental citizenship;
• Identify formal and informal leaders of affected communities of diversity;
• Seek funding to support community outreach/education initiatives; and
• Evaluate impact of environmental awareness activities and initiatives.

ISSUE: Generally, the environmental field has done a poor job of attracting and retaining people of color (African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans). However, in recent years, this has begun to change because employers are aware that the United States is becoming more multicultural and that people of color represent the fastest growing sector of people entering the labor force.

RECOMMENDATIONS: To create a diverse workforce, environmental technology programs must be designed to attract and prepare students of color for environmental jobs. Colleges must develop, implement, and regularly evaluate a "student success" action plan that will:

• Create a broad-based awareness that student success, satisfaction, and retention rates are the responsibility of faculty, staff, and support personnel college-wide;
• Outline specific steps that faculty, staff, and support personnel must do to help students succeed at their college;
• Provide support services and academic enrichment programs to increase retention and graduation rates;
• Develop marketing strategies that reflect the diversity of environmental technology careers as well as the opportunities for advancement; utilize persons of color as mentors and role models;
• Provide internship/co-op opportunities that actively involve students in environmental issues;
• Encourage industry participation, parental involvement, and student/faculty interaction;
• Create student support/study groups and student organizations;
• Make developmental courses relevant, contextual, and interesting;
• Provide scholarship opportunities and recognition awards to attract and encourage gifted and talented students of color; and
• Evaluate student and program outcomes regularly.

ISSUE: The number of nontraditional students with diverse backgrounds and needs is growing.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Environmental technology programs must develop initiatives to meet the needs of a diverse student population and to provide a learning environment that fosters student persistence and success. This can be accomplished if colleges:

• Recognize diverse experiences, backgrounds and learning styles, and exercise sensitivity towards nontraditional students;
• Encourage cross-cultural communication, in which differences in background, life experience, and values are acknowledged to foster mutual understanding;
• Provide remedial courses and services, life skills and career exploration coursework, and work experience opportunities;
• Provide flexible training schedules, such as education at the workplace, distance learning opportunities, and college credit for work/life experiences;
• Provide alternative teaching/learning methodologies;
• Collaborate with community-based organizations to prepare high school students for college work;
• Provide proactive guidance counseling and developmental academic advising;
• Assess how well students' needs are being met on an ongoing basis; and
• Adequately assess student needs prior to entering an environmental technology program to determine appropriate support services. Providing appropriate support will help ensure student success in the program.

ISSUE: More students will be enrolling in community colleges in need of increased and better support and structure than ever before. Consequently, the role of support services is crucial in fostering student persistence and achievement.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The nation's schools must develop and implement programs that are educationally sound and provide the best opportunities to improve student success. Thus, two-year colleges should provide support services designed to promote academic achievement among a diverse student population. These support services should:

• Identify specific deficiencies in the educational preparation of prospective student populations with diverse backgrounds;
• Establish a pre-environmental technology learning center to assist academically disadvantaged students in overcoming deficiencies prior to enrolling in an environmental technology program;
• Assist students in the enrollment process to ensure a smooth transition;
• Provide assistance in obtaining financial support;
• Assist students in finding solutions to personal problems that are hindering their academic success by connecting them with appropriate social services;
• Enlist the aid of the community in fulfilling student needs;
• Provide orientation programs which help students develop an awareness of educational or career goals; and
• Document the positive impact that student support services can have on student persistence and success.

ISSUE: Research suggests that a diverse faculty can serve as positive role models and influence motivation and persistence in students of color. Faculty diversity is a critical part of any environmental technology program addressing equity.

RECOMMENDATIONS: To achieve faculty diversity, the following steps must be taken:

• Acquire a "top-down" commitment from the president, administrators, and faculty to hire a multicultural staff;
• Foster faculty, staff, and community acceptance and respect for student diversity;
• Provide faculty/staff development regarding the needs of diverse student populations and their preferred modes of learning;
• Appoint individuals of diverse backgrounds to the college's board of trustees; and
• Utilize diverse industry personnel as adjunct faculty.

ISSUE: Clearly the private sector has a stake in environmental education and equitable training of diverse groups. People of color represent a significant and ever-increasing number of the United States' future workforce. The investment private industry devotes to this segment of our society could reap enormous profits in the long run.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Private industry can promote environmental education and the career opportunities available by doing the following:

• Sponsor apprenticeship, internship, and training programs in communities of diversity;
• Help coordinate and fund scholarship programs for students of color;
• Specify current and future occupational skill requirements;
• Provide diverse representation on advisory/planning and curriculum committees;
• Provide and maintain accurate labor market information;
• Establish independent study projects for credit;
• Evaluate relevance and applicability of an environmental technician program and how it meets the needs of industry; and
• Provide "on-loan" technical professionals who will work with high school students, motivating them to explore environmental careers. For example, create a public speaking bureau for schools and civic organizations.