A Renewed Focus on Environmental Justice

Online, December 20, 2011 (Newswire.com) - As communities evolve, so does the meaning of 'environmental justice.' In an effort to disseminate effective information and encourage change agents amongst communities and their leaders, the National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program leaders are calling upon representatives from federal and state agencies, local governments, tribes, community groups, businesses small and large as well as public interest groups, academia and other entities to participate in a three-day discussion on advancing the environment through people, policy and change.

To commemorate the renewed focus on the environment, the board of directors of the conference, now in its sixth year, reorganized, selected a new conference coordinator and changed the conference name. This new name and fresh outlook ensures that this year's conference will be more current and valuable than ever.

From April 11-13, 2012, in Washington, D.C., the action-packed National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program will focus specifically on youth outreach and enhancing communities through capacity building and technology assistance.

Expert panelists will guide attendees--ranging from students to seniors--through insightful discussions, interactive sessions and introduce participants to the many aspects, challenges and opportunities of environmental justice. Anyone ready to openly engage in conversation on a variety of viewpoints and environmental justice strategies should mark their calendars to take advantage of the conference, which includes a training program that allows federal employees and others to earn professional-level education credit.

As it has in previous years, the conference will unite the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Howard University School of Law and various other Federal agencies to provide insight and expertise as well as be a sounding board to those in attendance.

The National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program welcomes anyone who is interested in the environmental justice surrounding their community or business, and seeks to bring together interested parties from all walks of life. To register your attendance or to submit your interest as a speaker, visit the conference web site at www.thenejc.org.

"We received an overwhelming amount of interest for the conference during our appearance at the Fifth Annual National Conference on Health Disparities gathering, earlier this month," said Conference Coordinator, Lloyd Moore. "That kind of reaction serves as a reminder to our entire team that our conference is not only an expectation, it's a need for many who are at a loss for ideas on how to improve their life, community and health."

The National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program will take place in Washington DC, April 11 - 13, 2012. The conference will be held at Howard University School of Law, 2900 Van Ness Street NW, Washington DC, 20008 and the Washington Marriott at Metro Center, 775 12th Street NW, Washington DC, 20005.

For more information please contact Melinda Downing, U.S Department of Energy's Environmental Justice Program Manager ([email protected]; 202-586-7703), or the Conference Coordinator, Lloyd Moore ([email protected]; 202-827-2224).

Stay in touch with the National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/nejc2012 and via twitter at: @nejc2012