Note: This application is now closed. The Environmental Justice Fund (EJ Fund), a program of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment, is seeking six community members to serve on the Environmental Justice Committee through December 2024. Members of the Environmental Justice Committee will have a chance to make a meaningful… Filed Under: Climate Action, Grants and Partner Spotlights, Greenspace
Are you committed to centering community needs and improving environmental, health and economic conditions for our communities? Are if you interested in working toward shifting power to community to further advance the City’s environmental work? If so, consider applying to the Environmental Justice Committee! The Environmental Justice Committee (EJC) centers… [ Keep reading ]
Pah-tu Pitt G. is the Co-Chair of the Environmental Justice Committee and currently works on advocacy for indigenous climate change resiliency, sustainable economic development, and grassroots organizing at regional and local levels in the Pacific Northwest and Seattle. What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?More broadly, I… [ Keep reading ]
Dennis Comer, a small business owner and former military officer, serves as the Executive Director for the Central Area Collaborative. A founding member of the Central Area Collaborative and Central Area Land Use Review Committee, his work within the community helped facilitate the creation of Central Area Design Guidelines and… [ Keep reading ]
A citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and descendant of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Melissa Watkinson partnered with the Urban Indian Health Institute during her first year on the Environmental Justice Committee, serving as Co-Chair her following years as a community liaison. She currently works at Washington Sea Grant as… [ Keep reading ]
Abdullahi Jama is a current member of the EJC with a long history of advocacy and community building, in both his South Seattle East African community and in his home country of Somalia, where he previously taught Human Rights Law at the Somali National University. Abdullahi was a member of… [ Keep reading ]
Paulina López has lived and worked in the South Seattle region for over a decade, engaging her community on the grassroots level through volunteer work in South Park, where she promotes action on local social and environmental justice issues, such as the Superfund clean-up of the Duwamish River. A key… [ Keep reading ]
Bringing with her an extensive background in environmentally sustainable city planning and grassroots activism, Debolina Banerjee joined the EJC committed to amplifying community voices in the fight for just, equitable development. She currently works as a Climate Policy Analyst for Puget Sound Sage, where she delivers research-based analysis of climate… [ Keep reading ]
César García has been a member of the EJC since 2017. Working as an interpreter, César found his calling in advocating for his community in North Seattle. He co-founded the Lake City Collective (LCC) in 2018 and currently serves as Co-Director, where he works to uplift and empower the diverse… [ Keep reading ]
This article the first in the “EJC Spotlight” series – highlighting the backgrounds and work of current and former Environmental Justice Committee (EJC) members. Since 2017, the EJC has strived to uplift those most impacted by environmental inequities and center community needs in the City’s environmental efforts while building partnerships… [ Keep reading ]
