New upcoming series for discussions about protecting our environment and community.
Join SJC for a new Environmental Justice (EJ) discussion series about protecting our environment and our community. This discussion series will educate you about EJ and how to participate in this movement in NJ and Jersey City.
Workshop dates –
October 21, 2026 with Brooke Helmick – NJ EJA
November 18, 2026 with David Larrabee – SJC
December 16, 2026 with David Larrabee – SJC
UPCOMING MEETING DETAILS BELOW . . .
This season’s 3-part series (Oct, Nov, Dec) on Environmental Justice (EJ) will dive in to discussions about EJ Legislation in NJ and upcoming EJ Legislation in Jersey City, to help the community better understand opportunities for a better quality of life for everyone who lives and works here in Jersey City.
Tuesday October 21st Meeting details…
Special Guest Brooke Helmick, Policy Director NJ Environmental Justice Alliance (NJEJA)
October 21st meeting topic:
Environmental Justice Overview – NJ Legislation and Update on the Van Keuren Trash Facility Proposal in Jersey City
This session will focus on unpacking the NJ EJA Toolkit and will walk you through the NJ EJ Law and the RULES that govern these protections and how the law is intended to be applied. This is a foundation discussion intended to ground you in your understanding of how this is being applied to the proposed Van Keuren Trash Facility in Jersey City, which is an environmental justice issue that will be assessed by NJ DEP and potentially decided in the courts.
Tues November 18th and December 16th Meeting Details …
This 2-part discussion focuses on the following and attending both sessions is recommended to building on your knowledge and ability to contribute to the dialog –
Special Guest David Larrabee, SJC Board Member, Retired Profossor, Physicist
November 18th meeting topic –
Session 1: Environmental Injustice: What can the NJ law accomplish and what work remains to be done ?
This session will give examples of environmental injustice: – globally, nationally, and locally. We will explore the cumulative impacts of environmental stressors from multiple sources and over time. The environmental burden is disproportionately placed on “overburdened communities” that are low income, minority populations, and / or english is not their first language and whom typically have less political or social power. We will review the NJ DEP definition and show the current map of both NJ and Jersey City Overburdened Communities (OBCs). We will reflect on the NJ NJ Environmental Justice Legislation and provide some commentary on what it does and does not do.
Dec 16th meeting topic –
Session 2: How might we ethically and morally handle Environmental Injustices in the future?
Minimizing environmental issues requires the expenditure of resources, time, and money. When these issues are not minimized, some segments of the population benefit from reduced prices or the availability of goods, while others bear the burdens. Put plainly: those with the resources collectively impose a burden (the perpetrators) on another group of persons who do not have the ability to resist (the victims).
To create a just and sustainable future requires more than just legislation. It requires both the elimination of the injustice, and restitution of some kind for the past wrongs. These two steps are the pathway toward restorative justice. But this can still leave society divided. The next step, which is not always possible, is the reconciliation of the parties. Successful reconciliation is driven by the needs and desires of those harmed. It cannot be legislated. The discussion will also include the City of Jersey City in this context and the upcoming Jersey City EJ Legislation.