Event Details - Environmental Justice Webinar

We have two speakers: 

1. Deneen M. Simpson, Director of Environmental Justice at Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection: will discuss the 2017 EEA EJ Policy, EJ activities at MassDEP and community engagement/public involvement with EJ populations. Ms. Simpson's current work includes advising senior leadership about Environmental Justice issues, concerns, activities, opportunities and informing MassDEP staff about their requirements under the 2017 EEA EJ Policy and other authorities. Ms. Simpson's job responsibilities include training and educating MassDEP staff about how to conduct meaningful engagement and thoughtful public involvement with EJ populations/community leaders and organizations. In addition, Ms. Simpson shares grant funding opportunities with the EJ organizations and EJ community leaders in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to ensure they have access to fully participate in MassDEP's program and key agency activities. 

2. Sara Wylie, PhD, is an Associate Professor Sociology/Anthropology and Health Science in Northeastern University’s Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI). Dr. Wylie will discuss on enacting environmental data justice. Dr. Wylie will speak: Premature births, unexplained human and livestock sicknesses, flammable water faucets, toxic wells and the onset of hundreds of earthquakes, the impacts of fracking in the United States are far-reaching and deeply felt. In this talk Dr. Wylie explores how extractive resource systems, like natural gas extraction through fracking, are proceeded and supported by extractive data systems that create asymmetric access to information. Drawing together the fields of Environmental Justice and Data Justice, Wylie explores how we can build community centered information systems that help create accountability for corporations and state agencies. Based on her work building tools for community monitoring of the oil and gas industry and co-developing the watchdog organization the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) Dr. Wylie reflects on how we can create community centered research and data systems that move beyond mapping exposure disparities to address the drivers of toxic contamination and make corporations responsible for their environmental harms. This precious present moment of rebuilding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provides an opportunity to jointly create sustainable and just systems. Now is the time, Wylie argues to organize and collectively theorize, develop, and enact environmental data justice.