BUILT
environmental justice:
built environment
The built environment in Los Angeles hasn’t been designed equitably.
Black and Brown people face more environmental burdens in their neighborhoods, which includes everything from experiencing water quality concerns and worse air quality to the presence of toxic facilities like oil wells.
At BWW, we work to address some of these harms. Our main areas of work are listed below (please keep scrolling to read more about each of these EJ campaigns):
- The Elimination of Neighborhood Oil Drilling
- Water Equity
- Reducing Plastic Pollution
- Green Social Housing
eliminating neighborhood oil drilling
There are over 7,000 oil wells across Los Angeles, mostly located in Black and Brown communities – and the Inglewood Oil Field, located right next to Kenneth Hahn Park, is the largest urban oil field in the country!
BWW is a proud member of STAND LA (Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling), where we work with other community groups to protect the health and wellbeing of Angelenos harmed by urban oil extraction. We are fighting to ensure the phase out of oil drilling across both LA County and LA City, and to make sure community voices are centered in the discussion of what these sites become.
Are you interested in learning more?
- Check out BWW’s No Drilling webpage for more information and resources
- Read and share our 1 pager for some quick facts about the harm of urban oil drilling
- If you want to dive much deeper into the background of oil drilling and the fight against it in Los Angeles, the Power of Persistence report has these details!
water equity
Our Environmental Justice team works to understand and address our community’s water quality, affordability, and accessibility concerns. We have developed resources to help you address concerns you might have about your tap water, and understand where your water comes from.
Water is closely linked to our health, and clean water is an essential human right for everyone. Clean water is also a reproductive justice issue, because clean water is crucial to fertility, healthy pregnancies, and raising children in safe and healthy conditions!
Check out our Drinking Water Guide for South Los Angeles, a comprehensive guide designed to offer you the information and resources you deserve about your drinking water! For a quicker read, you could look at our water equity 1 pager.
reducing plastic pollution
Plastic is everywhere – in cosmetics, our clothes, food and drink packaging, toys, car parts, and so much more. Plastic is a product of the fossil fuel industry, and its production, use, and disposal all involve significant health harms. People of color and low-income communities are affected the most by this toxic supply chain, which is referred to as the lifecycle of plastic.
At BWW, we are working to mitigate the harms caused by the lifecycle of plastic, through health education and advocacy. We are part of a California-wide coalition called EJCAP (Environmental Justice Communities Against Plastic), and are working to uplift your concerns about plastic on the state, national, and global level!
Check out our handout on the lifecycle of plastic for more details about plastic, its link to reproductive health, and how you can protect yourself.
green
social housing
Green social housing is a housing model that aims to ensure permanently affordable and environmentally sustainable housing for residents, and to guarantee residents democratic decision-making power over their homes. As members of the California Green New Deal Coalition, we are working to advocate for community-oriented solutions to the statewide housing crisis.
Take a look at this webpage for more detail on what green social housing actually is, and why it is important.
