Establishing “Environmental Justice Earth Day”

Adopted

WHEREAS, a safe and clean environment should be protected as a civil right; and 

WHEREAS, 2010 is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day which has created greater awareness of the need to protect the environment, and progress has been made in cleaning particular rivers and lakes; and 

WHEREAS, the greater use of chemicals, plastics, oil and gas, coal, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture with chemical based fertilizers and pesticides, has created significant water pollution, food pollution, and pollution in our bodies; and 

WHEREAS, the poor and minorities are specifically susceptible to this pollution such as largely Hispanic farm workers exposed to agriculture chemicals and also health disparities among minorities including such as high blood pressure, obesity and literacy; and 

WHEREAS, 'Environmental Justice' is defined as a range of rights including a cleaner environment and poor and minorities have the right to determine policies such as placement of landfills which create methane gas and polluted water or plants which manufacture chemicals [The Principals of Environmental Justice(EJ)]; and 

WHEREAS, that 'environmental justice' does not now exist for minorities and the poor who live near landfills, consume water laden with agriculture, pharmaceutical, and industry chemicals, who live and work in areas of intense chemical manufacture, or who live near other polluters. 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP affirms its commitment to 'environmental justice' including open decision making process that allows those injured by pollution to participate in decision making; and 

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP will work on environmental justice issues and observe with "like-minded" citizens and groups on "Environmental Justice Earth Day" in April of each year to further define progress which must be made toward achieving Environmental Justice.