SJC’s Environmental Health & Justice Stewardship Program For A #HealthierJC

Building on the success of our previous Heat Watch & Air Quality Campaign in 2021 (UHI + AQ , Sustainable Jersey City’s latest initiative will target environmental health educational outreach across the City, and in particular focus on those communities considered part of Jersey City’s EJ (environmental justice) corridor, according to NJ DEP.

• SJC Urban Heat Island Story Map (UHI + Opportunities For Green Infrastructure To Mitigate UHI In JC)

• JC Schools + Healthy Environment Story Map / SJC Green Corridors Program / Trees + GI

For example, this map of “Asthma Alley” in the context of major transportation corridors through Jersey City reflects on concerns we developed during our communications campaign to inform people about the negative impact of the urban heat island effect (UHI) on air quality (AQ) and now, looking at public health factors like transportation corridors, which cause additional stress on already vulnerable populations in certain geographies of the City.

• Jersey City “Asthma Alley” flat map

• Extreme heat and the Urban Heat Island Effect, worsens air quality, impacting people with respiratory ailments and other health conditions. Jersey City has the highest adult asthma rates in Hudson County and the County received an F for air quality from the American Lung Association last year.

• NJ Department of Health & Department of Environmental Protection collaborative project called the Healthy Community Planning (HPC) initiative -

  • Jersey City Report by DOH & DEP with an explaination of each line item here - detailed report.

  • Regional comparision /source - DOH DEP HCP Program - Jersey City, Newark, Elizabeth

• New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance Board Member Nicky Sheats Interview On Cumulative Impacts - this is an excellent discussion we recorded for the public to learn more about Environmental Justice & the Cumulative Impacts that are the focus of the new NJ Environmental Justice Legislation

  • more about the NJ Environmental Justice Alliance (NJ EJA) here

  • NJ EJA Board Member Nicky Sheats Bio here

  • more about he NJ EJ Legislation here

• Air Quality (AQ) Glossary here.

SJC, in partnership with JC HHS and JCHA, and in collaboration with institutional partners Rutgers EOHSI and Gensler, along with community partner GNA, has been awarded an EPA grant to undertake a crucial initiative focused on monitoring air quality conditions (AQ) in Jersey City, with a special emphasis on Environmental Justice (EJ) neighborhoods.  Fostering environmental health across Jersey City is one of the intended outcomes of this funding opportunity, which also has environmental, social and economic equity objectives as part of the project work to be delivered.

SJC pledges to deliver on several key aspects outlined in the EPA grant award. These include the development of a community information and education dashboard, leveraging AQ data to empower the public and foster better health outcomes through informed decision-making and enhanced policy development. Additionally, SJC and our partners will establish an Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Task Force, ensuring the engagement of all stakeholders. More information to follow!

For now . . .

• Overview of the JC Environmental Health & Justice Leaderhsip Training Program ( JC EHJ LTP) - APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN and ALL are welcome to submit 👍 Deadline is Sat Oct 15th at 12 midnight !

  • Information Flyer with FAQs and Application link here

  • FAQs about the JC EHJ LTP

  • Sign-up for our :30 min info session Tues eve Oct 4th at 6:30pm here

  • Course begins with the first Orientation Session on Sat Oct 22nd 9:30pm - 3pm, with the other four session dates listed below -

    • Sat Nov 19, 2022

    • Sat Dec 3rd, 2022

    • Sat Jan 7th, 2022

    • Sat Feb 11th, 2023

    • added session - Sat March 4th

  THANK YOU and please apply to this program if you have a concern about Environmental Health in

  YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.