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​​​​​​​​Environmental Justice with Dr. Trevor Archer​

​​Dr. Trevor Archer is the Deputy Director of NIEHS and, since 2023, he has served as the Senior Leader Point of Contact for the NIH regarding Environmental Justice under Executive Order 14096. Dr. Archer believes this selection was due to his extensive involvement with environmental justice initiatives in the past, as well as his participation as a coach in the NIH UNITE Initiative. Another crucial factor he suspects was NIEHS and its storied history with environmental justice that dates all the way back to the mid-1990s.

“[NIEHS has] had a very extensive history and a reactive faculty group that works in environmental justice and health disparities. We were able to collaborate with colleagues from more than 20 ICOs and more than 70 individuals at one time.”

This level of collaboration has brought about the NIH Environmental Justice Working Group, which requires an enormous amount of effort from each of the associated colleagues. Given that the EO 14096 mandates are unfunded, Dr. Archer’s teams have had to gain over $9 million in financial commitments across the NIH to support the three initiatives identified to be the primary ways NIH positively advances environmental justice​.

“There are many problems which are very difficult and very intractable, but there are a number of things that we can do and there are examples where we can show that we can make a difference. That's really what we're trying to do with this set of initiatives.”

Dr. Archer is excited about engaging in these initiatives. He believes they can have a broader impact than people may realize, given that environmental justice is a concept that effects everyone.

“One thing we should know is that [environmental justice] affects us either directly or indirectly every day, from the ways that we are exposed. For example, if you [live] where there is a major traffic thoroughfare, you have increased exposure to particulate matters [and] noise. Whereas if you live in a more suburban area, you may have a much more positive [interaction] with the environment. The ideas about justice really affect where we live and how we live, not only the work that we do.”

Dr. Archer believes that every NIH employee can also be involved with environmental justice, but like with much of the work NIEHS and their partners have already done, it will require collaboration.

“Rather than we at NIH going to a community and saying, ‘we're going to fix this problem for you,’ what we want to do is encourage people to engage with their communities and understand the issues, then jointly design solutions that can address the problems. Often, the perception of the problem may be different from the reality on the ground, and we can only get that [reality] by engaging the community.”

To read the rest of Dr. Archer’s thoughts, click here.

Dr. Archer also invites you to reach out to him with any ideas or interests.

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​Environmental Justice Efforts at the NIH ​ ​​​​Environmental justice (EJ) means the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, to fully protect them from disproportionate and adverse human health and environmental effects. Its purpose is to address the fair and equitable distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, particularly for marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Read the full article to learn what the NIH is doing about EJ!​​​​ ​​LEA​RN MORE​​​​​

​​Take Action                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

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​​Environmental Justice Trainings, Indexes and Data Maps​​​​​ ​ ​​There are a wide variety of ways in which NIH employees can help advance environmental justice (EJ) principles. By learning, getting involved, and committing yourself to positive change, you can help progress EJ regardless of your status or position! ​ LEARN MORE​​

NEMS Training                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Did you know? ​​​Environmental Justice covers a wide variety of social justice issues, such as the negative health effects of landfills placed near low income areas or the effects of a lack of access to public green spaces. To learn more about environmental justice at the NIH​, please visit the NEMS T​raining webpage to view a short (20 minute) NIH environmental awareness training video.​​​