This Earth Day, the fight for climate justice isn’t just about protecting the planet—it’s about protecting people. In Massachusetts, low-income communities, immigrant workers, and communities of color continue to bear the brunt of pollution and unsafe working conditions. While the clean energy sector offers new opportunities, over 80% of employers in this field report struggling to find workers with the right skills, underscoring the need for workforce development and training to ensure that these communities can lead in the green economy. 

The first iteration of Earth Day came in the form of a teach-in across university campuses on April 22, 1970. Grounded in the growing environmental movement that sprung up in the sixties along with the anti-war and civil rights movements, Earth Day was conceptualized by a Wisconsin state senator, local activists, and college students collaboratively. The popularity and success of this gathering of activists and supporters led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that very same year. 

Then the work of the seventies and eighties brought about environmental legislation like the Endangered Species Act, Toxics Substances Control Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act, but these policy changes coupled with the establishment of the EPA wasn’t enough to curb the environmental harm directed more and more toward communities of color. 

In October of 1991, the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit was held in Washington, D.C. As a result, seventeen Principles of Environmental Justice were adopted, including the affirmation of “the right of all workers to a safe and healthy work environment, without being forced to choose between an unsafe livelihood and unemployment. It also affirms the right of those who work at home to be free from environmental hazards.” 

Throughout the years, countless studies have linked environmental pollution to poor health outcomes for people of color and those living and working in lower income communities. In fact, the link between poverty and pollution was well documented as early as 1998. But for these communities, which are often the first or only in a region to be industrialized, access to jobs or job security is an essential need, and the promises of “good jobs” to local residents who might otherwise reject the industrialization of their neighborhoods is a persuasive bargaining technique that often entraps people from marginalized communities in a cycle of poverty. And ironically, while so often residents in poorer communities are proposed a false dichotomy between job opportunities within a ‘polluting industry’ and unemployment, there is actually little-to-no “correlation between the proximity of industrial plants and employment opportunities for nearby residents.” (Bullard, 2005) Furthermore, the devastating health impacts and increased mortality rates are not typically addressed through wages, benefits like health or life insurance, or industrial safety practices and policies. And even when these safety policies are adopted, they are often not upheld in accordance with the law. 

Unfortunately, immigrant workers and workers of color are more likely to be victims of work-related injuries, mutilations, death, and other workplace accidents due to unsafe working conditions and environmental hazards. The industrial, agricultural, and construction industries employ immigrants and people of color at higher rates and are also higher-risk and lower-waged. It is not only pressing to ensure that safety measures are implemented and upheld for all workers, but it is also important to create opportunities for advancement within these industries, ensuring that career and economic mobility can also decrease the risk of long-term exposure to harm. 

Today, Massachusetts is investing in climate resilience and green jobs. Through initiatives like the Clean Energy Career Pathway that prepares high school students for jobs in this new sector, and Equity Workforce Training planning and implementation grants administered by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, there is a focus on promoting access to these jobs for the folks who have historically been the most impacted by environmental racism, steering climate justice initiatives toward communities of color. 

Because environmental justice is inseparable from racial justice, some things we can continue to do in our work include: 

  • Supporting and promoting the advancement of workers of color and immigrant workers
  • Targeting and improving workforce development funding access to low-income communities
  • Centering equitable and inclusive funding practices from procurement through implementation
  • Funding and integrating English language learning into training programs
  • Supporting employer partners in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility within their organizations

On this Earth Day, some ways to celebrate include: 

  • Planting a native tree or plants
  • Visiting your local farmer’s market
  • Attending an event: