A resource created in 1991 at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit. These principles are helpful for understanding more about the movement and are essential for planning any grassroots EJ organizing.

Whose voices are being heard?

How could you work to improve the diversity of perspectives that are represented? For example, are notices about meetings distributed in all the major languages spoken in your area? Will there be interpreters at your event?

How can you build new relationships with others in your community that you don’t normally interact with? For example, could you support an event that you’ve never attended before?

Who has benefited from similar policies in the past? For example, many clean energy actions such as residential solar and updated heating/cooling technologies are only accessible to high-income households. How could you update the policy to ensure that it’s accessible to low- and middle-income residents?

What funding resources could you utilize to increase accessibility? Are there grants that could help improve equity?

On December 6-8, 1996, forty people of color and European-American representatives met in Jemez, New Mexico, for the “Working Group Meeting on Globalization and Trade.” The Jemez meeting was hosted by the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice with the intention of hammering out common understandings between participants from different cultures, politics and organizations. The “Jemez Principles” for democratic organizing were adopted by the participants.

Read about the Sierra Club's adoption of the Jemeze Principles.

Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool

Reducing Energy Burden: Resources for Low-Income Residents

Energy Burdens in Boston