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Principals of Environmental Justice

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 Principals of Environmental Justice

Adopted, Washington, D.C., October 1991

               First National People of Color Environmental   Leadership Summit

                1. Environmental Justice affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the  interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction.

               2. Environmental Justice demands that public policy be based on mutual respect and 

justice for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias.

               3. Environmental Justice mandates the right to ethical, balanced and responsible uses of                land and renewable resources in the interest of a sustainable planet for humans and other

 living things.

               4. Environmental Justice calls for universal protection from nuclear testing, extraction,

production and disposal of toxic/hazardous wastes and poisons and nuclear testing that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land, water and food.

               5. Environmental Justice affirms the fundamental right to political, economic, cultural and

environmental self-determination of all peoples.

               6. Environmental Justice demands the cessation of production of all toxins, hazardous

wastes, and radioactive materials, and that all past and current producers be held strictly  accountable to the people for detoxification and the containment at the point of  production.

               7. Environmental Justice demands the right to participate as equal partners at every level of decision-making including needs assessment, planning, implementation, enforcement  and evaluation.

               8. Environmental Justice affirms 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.

               9. Environmental Justice protects the right of victims of environmental injustice to receive  full compensation and reparations for damages as well as quality health care.

               10. Environmental Justice considers governmental acts of environmental injustice a

 violation of international law, the Universal Declaration On Human Rights, and the UN

               Convention on Genocide.

               11. Environmental Justice must recognize a special legal and natural relationship of Native Peoples to the U.S. government through treaties, agreements, compacts, and covenants affirming sovereignty and self-determination.

               12. Environmental Justice affirms the need for urban and rural ecological policies to clean

up and rebuild our cities and rural areas in balance with nature, honoring the cultural  integrity of all our communities, and providing fair access for all to the full range of  resources.

               13. Environmental Justice calls for the strict enforcement of principles of informed

 consent, and a halt to the testing of experimental reproductive and medical procedures and vaccinations on people of color.

               14. Environmental Justice opposes the destructive operations of multi-national             corporations.

               15. Environmental Justice opposes military occupation, repression and exploitation of

lands, peoples and cultures, and other life forms.

               16. Environmental Justice calls for the education of present and future generations which

emphasizes social and environmental issues, based on our experience and an appreciation of our diverse cultural perspectives.

               17. Environmental Justice requires that we, as individuals, make personal and consumer

choices to consume as little of Mother Earth's resources and produce as little waste as  possible; and make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our lifestyles to  insure the health of the natural world for present and future generations.


  Highlight underlines by Louisiana Democracy Project, Inc. Baton Rouge, Louisiana  stephanieanthony@yahoo.com


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