A First-of-its-Kind Coastal Justice Lab Launches Today to Advance Environmental Justice
Online: Español
For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 9th, 2023
Media Contacts
Betsy López-Wagner, betsy@equitablecomms.com
Lucila Garcia, lucila@equitablecomms.com
Maeve Stewart, maeve@equitablecomms.com
A First-of-its-Kind Coastal Justice Lab Launches Today to Advance Environmental Justice, Offering Legal Access and Interdisciplinary Research to Communities
Azul, a leading California-based grassroots environmental justice organization, joins UCI Law to announce the launch of a new world-class law center to advance environmental justice, ecosystem management and community involvement in coastal regions
San Francisco, CA (March 9, 2023) – Azul, a grassroots environmental justice organization working with Latinx communities to protect the ocean and coast, is teaming up with the University of California – Irvine (UCI) in a partnership program, to be announced today, that will offer legal access and interdisciplinary research to “ensure that the work of federal, state, and local agencies, planning and regulatory proceedings, and compliance and enforcement initiatives advance principles of environmental justice and community involvement and ownership.”
Azul’s Founder and Executive Director Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, a lauded environmental justice and policy advocate, and Gregg Macey, UCI Law’s Associate Director for Environmental Justice, Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources, will launch the Coastal Justice Lab live today on the school’s campus, while unveiling a co-authored report on coastal justice.
“This Coastal Justice Lab builds on 12 years of Azul’s grassroots environmental justice organizing and policy successes with the co-founding of this initiative,” Gutiérrez-Graudiņš said. “We believe the Coastal Justice Lab will be a catalyst for securing advances in ocean conservation, coastal policy, and environmental justice for our communities, especially those at the forefront of ocean-climate injustices.”
Media availability: The Coastal Justice Lab launches today from noon to 1:30 p.m. PT at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, 401 E Peltason Dr Suite 1000, Room EDU 111. Reporters and attendees should register to attend in person or on zoom.
Speakers: Gutiérrez-Graudiņš will be joined by Emma Cervantes, California Sea Grant Law and Policy Fellow, California State Lands Commission; Gregg Macey, Associate Director for Environmental Justice, Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources at UCI Law; Yessica Ramirez, Environmental Justice Liaison, California State Lands Commission; Sumi Selvaraj, Environmental Justice Manager, California Coastal Commission and Noaki Schwartz, Deputy Director of Communications, Environmental Justice, and Tribal Affairs, California Coastal Commission to announce the program and provide a panel Q&A regarding coastal, ocean and environmental justice and the work of the Coastal Justice Lab.
Background: The Coastal Justice Lab is unique among efforts to advance environmental justice in coastal regions – its work will include supporting policy proposals, draft legislation, convening reports, facilitated dialogues and peer-reviewed research to support ongoing community and agency initiatives. Coastal regions including public trust lands, are of unique importance to environmental and climate policy, infrastructure development and ecosystem management.
The Coastal Justice Lab is a joint program led by Azul, and UCI Law’s Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources. It focuses on legal and interdisciplinary research to ensure that the work of federal, state, and local agencies, planning and regulatory proceedings, and compliance and enforcement initiatives advance principles of environmental justice and community involvement and ownership.
About Azul
Azul is a Latinx-led and serving grassroots environmental justice organization working to conserve the ocean. Founded in 2011 to increase opportunities for Latinx participation in ocean conservation, Azul has long advocated for environmental justice and equity in the state of California, across the nation, and at international levels. Follow Azul on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at @AzulDotOrg, or on its website at www.azul.org.
About UCI Law
UCI Law provides an innovative and comprehensive curriculum, and prioritizes public service and a commitment to diversity within the legal profession. UCI Law students have completed more than 125,000 hours of pro bono work in the past decade. Forty-six percent of UCI Law’s graduates are students of color. Follow UCI Law on Twitter at @UCILaw.