Environmental Justice

“Sustainability efforts at Columbia University cannot succeed without explicit attention to equity and justice. This plan situates our University within the Morningside Heights and Harlem communities and acknowledges our lasting obligation to be good neighbors. Reducing emissions across all sectors – transportation, procurement, energy, and buildings – will have broad positive impacts. More needs to be done to firmly embed the goals of environmental justice into everything the University does to promote sustainability for all.”

- Lisa Dale, Lecturer in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development

What is Environmental Justice?

Environmental Justice can be defined as a fair distribution of environmental harms and benefits that also recognizes the need to redress historical and cumulative harms.

Columbia’s Commitment to Environmental Justice

In the coming years, the University will seek ways to better educate the community on issues of equity and environmental justice, and look for ways to further embed environmental justice initiatives into the plan in a thoughtful and impactful way.