Environmental Justice in the Mystic

To serve all people, the Mystic River Watershed Association must acknowledge and understand that many residents in our watershed are negatively impacted by environmental racism. Residents most impacted are people of color, lower income and/or have limited English language proficiency. They face a lack of green space in their communities, are disproportionately impacted by climate change with dangerous heat and rising water, and they face far more pollution in their day-to-day life. 

For MyRWA, environmental justice is the process of correcting historical inequities by addressing present day barriers that communities of color experience in accessing our natural world, and building a future together where all communities have what they need to drive environmental change. We believe that those most impacted by climate change and environmental racism also hold the most impactful solutions.

 Impacts of environmental health on human health

The Wicked Hot Mystic research reveals disparities in extreme heat and air quality throughout the Mystic River Watershed. Read more to learn how these disparities negatively impact the health and vitality of residents in low-income communities.

A healthy environment and people’s well-being are intrinsically linked. Explore how health and the environment are tied, and learn more about the disproportionate impacts.

Structural inequities in land use and pollution cause sewage spills that impact low income, minority, and linguistically isolated communities in Massachusetts at substantially higher rates than wealthier, whiter, and largely English-speaking ones. Read more here.

How did we get to a place where access to clean air, cooler air temperatures, and access to green space is segregated by race and socioeconomic class? Find out more about redlining and lasting impacts..

our approach

In all our programs and projects, the Mystic River Watershed Association supports and upholds residents most affected by climate, pollution, and other environmental injustices as the leaders in the development of solutions.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

in compliance with 40 C.F.R., Parts 5 and 7, Section 7.90(a), the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) has established a grievance procedure to ensure prompt and fair resolution of complaints alleging violations of Title VI, Section 601 of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and/or the MyRWA’s non-discrimination policy, in the administration of MyRWA’s programs and activities. Click here for the full policy.