Group 11 (1)

Environmental Justice

Advancing DEIJ in the Chesapeake Bay Region

DEI Readiness Assessment Survey
DEIJ Guide: A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Guide for the Chesapeake Watershed
Diversity Toolkit: Building Principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice in Organizations

Chesapeake Bay Trust, Chesapeake Founders Network, Choose Clean Water Coalition. Produced by Skeo Solutions, 2018-2019,

DEIJ Survey Results

83% of environmental organizations hold DEI as a core value yet only 9% consider their DEI processes effective.

Shifting U.S. Demographics

2018 Demographic Profile:

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 60.4%
Hispanic or Latino 18.3%
Black or African American alone 13.4%
Asian alone 5.9%
Two or More Races, percent 2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 1.3%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander alone 0.2%

By 2060, the U.S. Census predicts people of color will make up 57% of the U.S. population.

Ethnic Minorities and the Environment


Greater Concern

  • 68% of minority voters polled feel that climate change is an immediate problem to address.1
  • Latinos are more concerned with global warming than non-Latinos. Spanish-language Latinos are even more concerned.2
  • Environmental issues are as important as the passage of comprehensive immigration reform.3

Disproportionate Burden

  • More exposed to air pollutants and hazardous land uses.1
  • Less tree canopy in lower income neighborhoods.2
  • Vulnerability to health impacts from climate change.3
  • Globally, climate change is driving human migration and displacement

Faith and the Environment

  • Taking action is a spiritual obligation.
  • Spiritual values drive their dedication to protecting the creation
  • Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home

An Environmental Justice Gap

Seven in ten Latinos (71%) have never been contacted by an organization working to reduce global warming.

Climate Change in the Latino Mind, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 2017