Environmental Justice and Service Equity
The Environmental Justice and Service Equity Division (EJSE) helps SPU and partner departments to carry out the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative. Our aim is to deliver inclusive and equitable service to customers across the city. We look at the full picture of the community to account for service equity. We look for gaps in what we know and assume when we plan a project, program or policy. We look carefully for ways we might be making it difficult for people.
Environmental justice is a core element of equity. This means we are fair and ethical in how we spread the risks and the benefits of projects. We consider the health of people and the environment. We know that not all customers have access to government services in the same way. We focus our resources so that race, language, income, age, or disability don’t get in the way of working with us. In this way, EJSE plays an important role in delivering SPU’s promise to customers.
We have 3 key strategies that guide our work:
- Embed race and social justice and service equity across SPU.
- Work to include under-represented groups when we work with communities.
- Continue to align our efforts within SPU, with city, county, and community efforts.
Read more about the goals that support these strategies (pdf).
Main program areas:
- Community Partnerships
- The Women and Minority Business Enterprise program
- Branch Equity Teams
- Equity planning and analysis
- Community Benefits
- Local Hazardous Waste Management Program