Three UCLA School of Law graduates are becoming increasingly involved in the fight for environmental equity through the Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). This organization is one of the first to actively focus on environmental justice, a social movement to address disproportionate exposure to environmental harms in low-income communities of color.
The three attorneys’ legal work is rooted in the experience of communities most at risk from environmental harms. Their work in the community includes reducing air pollution, water contamination, noise and other potential harms that affect certain communities more severely.
“There is a sense that because this is the environment we live in, these disparate conditions are inevitable,” said Shana Lazerow, one of the three attorneys leading this project. “But there is nothing inevitable about disproportionate impacts in low-income communities of color.”
CBE prides itself on community-led campaigns to bring residents’ voices into government decision-making processes, such as permitting for industrial facilities and air quality policy planning. In addition, it was recognized as one of the first environmental justice organizations to staff lawyers to represent communities. Jennifer Ganata, CBE’s senior staff attorney, commented on the value of community involvement. “Meaningful public participation is at the center of what we do,” Ganata said. “How do we get the communities that have been impacted to have a seat at the table?”
Idalmis Vaquero, another UCLA alumnus leading the project, spoke on her own experiences at UCLA Law as she dove into the field of environmental justice. “I felt like I was not alone at UCLA Law working on environmental justice issues. I became more comfortable with asking, ‘If there isn’t a specific law … what else is out there?’ Maybe there’s not a specific law or policy, but we figure out how to create one or use other laws to push for change.”
Read more about the efforts of these UCLA alumni at UCLA Newsroom.
Image Source: Reed Hutchinson/UCLA
