This past summer saw a series of extreme climate events in the Northern hemisphere and around the world. June seemed more like July, and searing heat and extreme rainfalls hit parts of the country, while water shortages and devastating fires hit others. A recent study from the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science predicts that DC will feel like Mississippi within a generation if we don’t slow climate change. We are also becoming more aware that environmental and social challenges intersect.

environmental and social justice are intertwined

Extreme heat hits vulnerable communities hardest, whether residents live in buildings with poor ventilation, are reluctant to spend scarce resources on air conditioning (if it is even available), are elderly, isolated, or have chronic health problems that make them unable to access help. At the highest level, rejoining the Paris Accords is a step in the right direction, but largely, the burden falls on grassroots environmental efforts, combined with grassroots social service efforts – like the ones featured in this Catalogue. And in truth, local nonprofits have the vision and plans to engage the communities most affected by the health of rivers, streams, water, and air, and they see the intersection between environmental health and the health of a community. After all, drinkable water, swimmable and fishable rivers and streams, breathable air, land on which crops can grow without flooding, and cohesive communities in which people know about and care about each other – all these affect the health, livelihood, and lives of our neighbors: environmental justice and social justice are inextricably intertwined. When individuals and groups are empowered to come together, they create healthier communities for generations to come and build their own power as engaged participants in a safer, and often more sustaining, natural world.