Library Program Explores Environmental Impacts and Injustice

New Jersey is known as the Garden State. Few understand that the name highlights that the other states traditionally used New Jersey as their garden—a place to take beneficial resources and then bury their refuse, back when it was customary to bury your garbage in your backyard.

East Brunswick Public Library (2 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive) hosts a program that explores this topic. The online presentation "Disparate Environmental Impacts: Causes and Solutions to Environmental Injustice" on Thursday, March 11 at 7:00 pm focuses on the economics and discrimination that causes environmental inequality, their effects and how to prevent these inequalities.

The program is led by Dr. Maritza Jauregui, an Associate Professor of Sustainability at Stockton University. She grew up in an area of New Jersey, where finding chromium blooms, construction debris and other unwanted materials was all too familiar. Jauregui became extremely interested in why some towns face these problems while others do not. Her research focuses on the social, economic and historical factors that produce environmental hazards in vulnerable communities and sustainable solutions to promote resilience.

"Disparate Environmental Impacts: Causes and Solutions to Environmental Injustice" is presented virtually. Tickets are required for this free program; to reserve, visit www.ebpl.org/calendar.

This event is sponsored by the East Brunswick Public Library and the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission. It is funded by the American Library Association's "Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change" pilot program.

It is part of the Option Green environmental education program series. Other partners include Highland Park Public Library, Matawan-Aberdeen Library, New Brunswick Free Public Library, North Brunswick Library, Old Bridge Public Library, Plainsboro Public Library and South Brunswick Public Library.