Environmental Justice Initiative

Exterior of Vanderbilt Hall Courtyard

The Environmental Justice Initiative at NYU School of Law is dedicated to advancing environmental and climate justice in partnership with community-based groups in New York and across the United States. The EJ Initiative uses a range of tools, including litigation, policy advocacy, research, and public education, to protect the rights of all people to clean air, clean, water, and a safe place for children to play. 

Given urgent needs at this moment in history, the Environmental Justice (EJ) Initiative has four priorities: 

  • Providing legal technical assistance and representation to defend environmental justice groups facing termination of federal grants or that may be subject to inquiry from the federal government
  • Representing communities advocating for strong state and local environmental justice laws
  • Strengthening and defending the application of civil rights laws to advance environmental justice, and
  • Representing communities across the country fighting for their health and future by relying on environmental and civil rights laws
 
 
The EJ Initiative is thankful for the generous contribution by Marie and Paul Napoli.

October 15 Launch Event

Join Environmental Justice Movement co-founders Charles Lee and Vernice Miller Travis, and NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Director Abre’ Conner for a discussion on "The Past, Present, and Future of Environmental & Climate Justice—How Can the New Environmental Initiative Support the Movement?"

Find out more about our launch event
Charles Lee, Vernice Miller-Travice, Abré Conner

Explore the EJ Initiative

Environmental & Climate Justice Lab

In Fall 2025, the EJ Initiative launched the Environmental and Climate Justice Lab, an experiential learning opportunity for students to represent and partner with community-based organizations in their efforts to address gross disparities in access to clean air, clean water, and a safe place for their children to play, as well as experiencing greater risks from climate change. As a practice dedicated to community lawyering, the Lab provides students with a hands-on opportunity to explore the role of the lawyer in social change movements.

The EJ Initiative is a joint effort of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law (CRIL), and the Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy & Land Use Law, and benefits from relationships with other centers and institutes at NYU, including the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center and the Institute for Policy Integrity.

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