Environmental Justice

Chicago’s communities of color have been historically marginalized in a variety of ways, but one of the greatest is the disproportionate burden of pollution they have received from industry and other sources. Here are some resources to learn about the legacy of environmental pollution in Chicago, ways to find out if your neighborhood/home is affected and to protect yourself, and some local organizations you can get involved with.

Air Quality

  • Ineffective By Choice, A Review of Environmental Enforcement Data in Chicago from 2002-2022 - This damning report highlights the lack of enforcement of pollution laws in the city of Chicago since the dissolution of the Department of the Environment in 2012. It provides data evidence that the division of environmental issues between unrelated city departments has benefited corporate polluters at the expense of Chicago residents.

  • Midwest Comprehensive Visualization Dashboards: The Image of an Overburdened Community - published by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, these visualizations show that the majority of Chicago’s asphalt plants and rail yard support facilities are on its southwest side. These rail yard support facilities also require especially heavy truck traffic levels to manage the shipments delivered by train cars. This, coupled with the prevailing wind direction in the area, lead to significantly higher air pollution in Pilsen, Little Village, McKinley Park, and the surrounding areas.

  • Report an Air Pollution, Odor, or Dust Complaint - This 311 request can be submitted to the city if you are observing an air pollution issue.

  • Check today’s air quality: Purple offers a live view of all the air quality monitoring it is currently doing in Chicago.

  • Receive Air Quality Alerts from the Illinois EPA: Sign up to receive email notifications when an Air Quality Action Day is declared.

  • Install an Air Quality Monitor at Home - N4EJ has been installing Purple Air Monitors around the city and can set one up at your home so your area can be included in their data collection.

Image from Midwest Comprehensive Visualization Dashboards: The Image of an Overburdened Community. Image credit to L. Johnson and M. Cailas, via UIC. Full text and graphics can be found HERE.

Water Quality

Illinois has more water pipes made of lead than any other state. There is no amount of lead that is safe in our drinking and household water, and the effects of lead poisoning are extremely damaging, especially to children. Black and brown neighborhoods are significantly more likely to still have lead piping and greater exposure to water contamination. Here are some resources for you to take action in your own home:

Soil Quality

Credit: University of Illinois Extension

Elevated levels of heavy metals in soil are rampant across Chicago.

  • Urban Soil Information - This article describes the lead contamination problem in Chicago soil, and what can be done to test the soil in your area.

  • Cook County Farm Bureau - Kits are not free but members get a discount on prices ($30-$58 for members and $40-$68 for non-members)

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison - Kits are $30 per sample, can pay extra for additional testing and UW Soil and Forage Lab does not test for lead

  • Grow-Op - (Confirm)

Urban Flooding

Environmental Justice Organizations

BIG: Blacks in Green - BIG is an environmental justice and economic development nonprofit in the West Woodlawn community of Chicago. BIG is the creator of the Sustainable Square Mile™ – a whole-system solution for the whole-system problem common to Black communities, and considered the gold standard for Black community economic development. Here, families can walk to work, shop, learn, and play, and live the conservation lifestyle. BIG is building new green economies and measures success by an increase in household income. Some of their projects include the Campaign to End Energy Poverty, Garden-Oriented Development (GOD), and the conversion of the Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley House into a Museum.

Chicago Asian Americans for Environmental Justice (CAAEJ) - is a group of progressive Asian Americans in the greater Chicagoland area working to provide an Asian American voice in the environmental movement and center the people impacted by environmental injustice. In addition to engaging and educating Asian Americans on local and national environmental justice issues, they mobilize their community to stand in solidarity with other organizations doing this work in Chicago and beyond.

Chicago Environmental Justice Network (CEJN) - The Chicago Environmental Justice Network is a network of allied environmental justice organizations working to change systems and build power through transformative campaigns, policy advocacy, and community-based education. It is also a collaborative hub for environmental justice organizations to develop and share movement strategies, resources, and experiences.

Faith in Place - Faith in Place empowers people of diverse faiths and spiritualities in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin to be leaders in advancing environmental and racial justice, providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities. They implement programs in five areas – Climate Change & Energy, Sustainable Food & Land Use, Water Preservation, Advocacy, and Youth Empowerment. They also help start and support Green Teams, which are groups of 3 or more people from a house of worship who provide cooperative leadership to educate and advocate for healthier communities. 

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) - The mission of LVEJO is to organize with the Little Village community to accomplish environmental justice and achieve the self-determination of immigrant, low-income, and working-class families. Their vision is to build a sustainable community that promotes the healthy development of youth and families, provides economic justice, and practices participatory democracy and self-determination. Building upon the successful clean power, public transit, and open space campaigns, LVEJO remains committed to organizing with those most impacted by industrialization and climate change.

Chicago Center for Health and Environment (CACHET) - CACHET was established to address dramatic racial/ethnic health disparities prevalent in the Chicago area for multiple diseases and outcomes. While the national life expectancy gap between African Americans and Caucasians is narrowing in the US in general, Chicago exhibits one of the largest gaps in the nation. Although studies have identified multiple contributors to these inequities, a major component is undoubtedly rooted in environmental factors, as it is known that the burden of environmental toxicants is not evenly shared. CACHET’s main focus groups include Air, Water, and Soil Pollutants, Biomarkers of Exposure, Effect, and Susceptibility (BEES), and Molecular and Cellular Processes on Environmental Toxicity (McPET).

Neighbors for Environmental Justice (N4EJ) - The purpose of Neighbors for Environmental Justice is to educate, advocate and organize with their community to accomplish environmental justice on the southwest side of Chicago. They believe environmental justice cannot be separated from racial justice, and so they align and advocate to support the larger struggle for justice in all the forms it takes.

People for Community Recovery (PCR) - People for Community Recovery was founded in 1979 by visionary leader Hazel Johnson, who is widely considered to be the mother of environmental justice. PCR’s mission is to enhance the quality of life of residents living in communities affected by environmental pollution. They advocate, educate, and organize on community-identified priorities including environmental and climate justice, safe and affordable housing, economic equity and community health.

Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO) - PERRO is a volunteer-led, grassroots community group of Pilsen residents that formed in 2004 to fight the disproportionate amount of pollution in the Pilsen neighborhood. PERRO believes all people have the right to live in a clean and healthy environment, regardless of their race and class. PERRO informs residents about the health dangers of pollution from all sources in Pilsen and works with the city departments, the EPA, and elected officials at all levels to develop a solution to reduce pollution to make Pilsen a cleaner place to live, work, and breathe. You can check out their current campaigns here, including several against major polluters on the southwest side.

Southeast Environmental Task Force - Southeast Environmental Task Force is a non-profit organization dedicated to mitigating environmental racism seen on Chicago’s Southeast Side and Calumet Region. The fight for clean air, water and environmental justice is a service that benefits everyone. The group works tirelessly in order to bring about  fundamental change for Chicago’s residents in historically disenfranchised Black and Brown neighborhoods.

Banner Art Credit: Provoke Culture x Sergio Maciel for Patagonia Chicago and NRDC