On the first day of her visit to her childhood hometown, Administrator Lisa P. Jackson kept a busy schedule. She spoke to the Brownfields2009 Conference, met with community members and environmental stakeholders, and took a helicopter tour of the area. Check out the images below.

On Sunday, November 8, Administrator Jackson spoke at the American Public Health Association’s 137 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. The Administrator told thousands of health professionals in attendance that environmental protection, the work of EPA, is public health protection. Whether it’s elevated asthma rates in our children, heart disease, cancer or respiratory illness we know many public health challenges we face are linked to our environment.

Read Administrator Jackson’s full speech

On August 25, Administrator Jackson spoke at the Blacks in Government 31st Annual Conference. The Administrator announced the creation of a new position at EPA - Associate Assistant Administrator for Outreach, Diversity and Collaboration – to “spearhead and coordinate diversity initiatives across the entire agency.” The announcement reflects the Administrator’s commitment to “diversify the voices of those calling for environmental change – even if they don’t call themselves environmentalists.” Remarks

Administrator Jackson spoke to the 2009 graduating class of the Student Environmental Development Program (SEDP). The SEDP is an environmental education and leadership development program for students ages from 12-14 from diverse backgrounds. Below are excerpts from her remarks:

On August 7, Administrator Jackson asked the National Association of Black Journalists for help in communicating the impacts of environmental issues on communities of color across the country. The Administrator laid out the ways that environmental challenges contribute to other challenges faced by low income communities across the country – how unclean air and water drive up health care costs, put children at risk and undermine economic growth. The Administrator conveyed her belief that “environmentalism goes hand-in-hand with traditional civil rights and social justice issues in our community.” Remarks

On August 5, Administrator Lisa P. Jackson traveled to Florida to announce a $95 million grant for Saft America, Inc. to construct a new plant in Jacksonville, Fla. The new plant will manufacture battery technology for electric vehicles. Nationwide, President Obama announced $2.4 billion in recovery act funding for advanced battery and electric drive components manufacturing and electric drive vehicle deployment.

Administrator Jackson said the following:   

“President Obama has called for us to unleash American innovators, engineers, workers and entrepreneurs. We need to get into the global clean energy race – and today we’re firing the starting gun. This recovery funding will propel America into global leadership in innovative battery manufacturing, position our auto industry to reclaim the lead in producing the cars of the 21st century, and lay a new foundation for prosperity with new jobs in clean energy.”  Read the press release

Administrator Jackson joined Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and members of Green the Block at a community meeting and press conference at the White House to discuss potential opportunities in the 21^st century green economy. Green the Block is a non-profit devoted to ensuring low-income communities take advantage of those opportunities. Administrator Jackson announced $61 million in funding to train local workers and fund the cleanup of contaminated sites in neighborhoods that can be restored and reused. That funding will put residents to work at good jobs cleaning their neighborhoods and preparing for them new development. Read more

On July 30, Administrator Jackson announced that eighty Chicagoans will receive critical job training funded by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. These workers will be trained for various environmental jobs, including the clean-up of so-called “brownfields,” which may be contaminated by hazardous chemicals or pollutants, turning sites from rundown eyesores to revitalized, productive properties. Workers will also be trained to weatherize buildings, lowering energy costs and reducing wasteful energy usage. Read the press release

On July 21st, Administrator Jackson spoke to the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council. The Administrator told the Council about her personal passion for environmental justice, driven by the environmental dangers facing residents of the 9th ward in New Orleans, where she grew up. The Administrator reiterated her commitment to addressing environmental justice issues and to changing the face of environmentalism. As the Administrator said in her remarks, “Environmentalism is not only about protecting wilderness or saving polar ice caps. As important as those things are, environmentalism is also about protecting people in the places where they live, and work, and raise families.” Remarks