EJ Video Challenge for Students: Tools and Data Resources

Below is a list of tools and data that can be used as resources for the Environmental Justice Video Challenge for Students. This list serves as a set of examples and is not a comprehensive list of tools and data that can be used in the challenge. 

EPA Tools and Data Resources

EnviroAtlas

EnviroAtlas is a web-based decision support tool that provides geospatial data, easy-to-use tools, and other resources related to the benefits people receive from nature (i.e., ecosystem goods and services), their chemical and non-chemical stressors, and human health. Users can explore and analyze environmental, demographic, and economic datasets across the United States at multiple extents and scales. EnviroAtlas helps communities understand the relationships between nature, human health, well-being, and the economy.

Questions to Ask:

  1. How do ecosystem services affect health outcomes in my community?
  2. Are there inequities in protections from hazards and access to environmental benefits across my community?
  3. Where and how should I prioritize interventions to have the greatest impact in addressing an EJ issue in my community?

Tips

Consider using EnviroAtlas’ Interactive Map and Eco-Health Relationship Browser together with EJSCREEN to prioritize interventions to help EJ communities.

National Stormwater Calculator

National Stormwater Calculator (SWC) is a software application used to estimate the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a specific location in the United States, (including Puerto

Rico), based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall records. It includes a cost estimation module, which allows users to evaluate low-impact development (LID) controls as they consider how to meet a desired stormwater retention target, with or without the use of green infrastructure. SWC may also be used to plan and design low-impact development (LID)/green infrastructure in communities to make them more resilient to urban flooding and extreme storms.

Questions to Ask:

  1. How can I estimate the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a site of interest in my community?
  2. What is the largest amount of daily rainfall that can be captured at a site in my community before stormwater runoff potentially becomes an issue?
  3. What mix of LID controls can my community use to meet a given stormwater retention target at a site of interest in my community, and what are the estimated costs?

Tips

Consider using the National Stormwater Calculator together with EnviroAtlas to prioritize areas with a large amount of impervious surface.

Smoke Sense

Smoke Sense is a mobile application that supports a citizen science project to better understand and increase awareness of the health effects associated with exposure to wildfire smoke. Participants can use the app to explore maps of current and forecasted air quality and smoke conditions, learn how to protect their health from wildfire smoke, and record their personal smoke experiences and any concurrent health symptoms. The Smoke Sense app is available in both English and Spanish.

Questions to Ask:

  1. What are the current and forecasted air quality and smoke conditions in my community?
  2. How can I learn more about strategies to protect my health, and the health of my community in the event of wildfire smoke exposure?
  3. How can my community contribute to the greater scientific understanding of the relationship between wildfire smoke and health effects?

Tips

Consider using Smoke Sense together with EJSCREEN to facilitate community engagement around this citizen science project in priority communities.

Cyanobacteria Assessment Network Mobile Application (CyAN App)

Cyanobacteria Assessment Network Mobile Application (CyAN App) is a customizable app that provides access to algal bloom satellite data for over 2,000 of the largest lakes and reservoirs across the United States to inform decisions regarding recreational and drinking water safety. Users can view information about cyanobacteria concentrations on a national scale or can zoom in to a specific lake or reservoir at a resolution of one square kilometer or greater. Users can determine their own thresholds for cyanobacteria concentrations and compare multiple water bodies, allowing for better-informed and efficient decisions.

Questions to Ask:

  1. Are there harmful algal blooms in my waterbody that might pose safety concerns for swimming, fishing, or drinking water?
  2. Where in my waterbody should my community prioritize sampling for cyanobacteria blooms and potential algal toxins?
  3. Is the cyanobacteria bloom in my waterbody a one-time event, or is it reoccurring?

Tips

Consider using CyAN app together with EnviroAtlas to investigate areas that are vulnerable to nutrient pollution.

Non-Potable Environmental and Economic Water (NEWR) Reuse Calculator

The Non-Potable Environmental and Economic Water Reuse Calculator (NEWR Calculator) is a simple to use web-based tool for screening-level assessments of source water options for any urban building location across the United States that is considering onsite non-potable reuse. Non-potable water reuse is one solution that can help communities reclaim, recycle, and then reuse water for non-drinking water purposes, such as toilet flushing, clothes washing, and irrigation. NEWR can be used to identify the most environmentally and cost-effective suite of source water options to meet non-potable needs based on geography, climate, building size, and building type.

Questions to Ask:

  1. How can I learn if onsite water reuse for non-drinking water purposes will work for my building (e.g., apartment)?
  2. What sources of water can be collected for non-drinking water reuse purposes in my building?
  3. Is there a cost-benefit to collecting source waters in my building for non-drinking water reuse purposes?

Tips

Consider using NEWR to evaluate apartment buildings for onsite water reuse for non- drinking water purposes to help EJ communities.

Locating and Selecting Scenarios Online (LASSO) Tool

The Locating and Selecting Scenarios Online (LASSO) tool guides you step-by-step through the process of identifying and downloading climate change scenarios—or projections—that are relevant to your interest or research question. At each step you will define criteria that will subset climate change information from a much larger archive, with LASSO providing helpful information and suggestions along the way. At the end of the process, you will have the option to download maps, figures, and GIS-ready spatial data, or use an interactive scatterplot widget to customize or change your choices.

Questions to Ask:

  1. What are some best- and worst- case climate change scenarios for my state?
  2. Which states might be most affected by climate change?
  3. Are there states that might be more at risk for droughts or flooding in the future?

Tips

Consider using LASSO to identify different climate change scenarios that may need to be considered as an EJ challenge.

Integrated Climate and Land-Use Scenarios (ICLUS)

The Integrated Climate and Land-Use Scenarios (ICLUS) project produced spatially explicit projections of population and land-use that are based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) scenarios and pathways.

First, social, economic, and demographic storylines were adapted for the United States. These modified storylines were then used to create population projections that would reflect different assumptions about fertility, mortality, and immigration through the end of this century. Next, a spatial interaction model was used to simulate the annual movement of people within the United States. Then the results of these population projections are used to calculate the demand for new residential lands.

Questions to Ask:

  1. How will the U.S. housing density be expected to change?
  2. What are the vulnerabilities and adaption (mitigation) opportunities related to land use changes?
  3. What are the links between national housing and impervious surface scenarios for integrated climate impact assessments?

Tips

Consider using ICLUS to become more informed about how a community’s population may affect land-use.

Proctor Creek Watershed Story Map

The Proctor Creek Watershed Story Map is an easy- to-use interactive online tool that combines maps with narrative text, images, and multimedia content to convey information as a story and inform and connect with viewers. The Story Map explores community-identified concerns, such as flooding and water quality, urban heat islands, mosquitoes, and health, and considers the potential for green infrastructure to address those concerns.

Questions to Ask:

  1. What is a story map?
  2. Where is the Proctor Creek watershed located? Can you identify some of the challenges faced by the Proctor Creek community?
  3. What is green infrastructure? Can you name some example features of green infrastructure?
    How can green infrastructure affect your health?

Tips

Although the Story Map highlights the work done by the Proctor Creek community, it serves as a model approach to problem-solving that all communities can use to address environmental and public health concerns in a collaborative, innovative, and sustainable way.

CompTox Chemicals Dashboard

The CompTox Chemicals Dashboard is an easily searchable database of 883,000+ chemicals to learn about chemical properties, toxicity, exposure, and many other aspects of a particular chemical.

Questions to Ask:

  1. How can I learn more about a chemical in my community?
  2. Is a chemical potentially harmful to humans? If so, what adverse impacts may it have? How toxic is it?

Tips

Consider how to use information provided by the CompTox Chemical Database to inform local assessments or decisions concerning human health in EJ communities.

Ecotoxicology (ECOTOX) Knowledgebase

The Ecotoxicology (ECOTOX) Knowledgebase provides information on adverse effects of single chemical stressors to ecologically relevant aquatic and terrestrial species. ECOTOX includes more than a million test records covering 13,621 aquatic and terrestrial species and 13,621 chemicals.

Questions to Ask:

  1. How can I learn more about a chemical potentially affecting aquatic life, terrestrial plants or wildlife in my community?
  2. Is the chemical possibly harmful? If so, what adverse impacts may it have? How toxic is it?

Tips

Consider how to use information provided by ECOTOX to inform local assessments or decisions potentially impacting aquatic life, terrestrial plants or wildlife important to EJ communities.

EJSCREEN: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool

EJSCREEN is an environmental justice mapping and screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic indicators. EJSCREEN users choose a geographic area; the tool then provides demographic and environmental information for that area. All of the EJSCREEN indicators are publicly available data. EJSCREEN simply provides a way to display this information and includes a method for combining environmental and demographic indicators into EJ indexes.

Power Plants and Neighboring Communities

Burning fossil fuels at power plants creates emissions that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine PM, which can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular problems, among other issues. To help answer questions about environmental justice in the communities around power plants, the Power Plants and Neighboring Communities webpage features interactive maps and graphs that provide information on key demographics that can be used as a general indicator of a community’s potential susceptibility to these types of environmental exposures.

Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a resource for learning about toxic chemical releases and pollution prevention activities reported by industrial and federal facilities. TRI data support informed decision-making by communities, government agencies, companies, and others.

Freshwater Explorer 

Freshwater Explorer is an interactive web-based mapping tool that provides information about background and observed salt and mineral content for freshwater streams, lakes, and wells in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It can be used by anyone, including citizens and non-governmental organizations, to better understand national and local water quality issues and provides water quality information to help federal, state, territory, tribal, and local partners make decisions about freshwater resources.

EPA’s Report on the Environment (ROE)

EPA’s Report on the Environment shows how the condition of the U.S. environment and human health is changing over time. The purpose of the 80+ peer-reviewed ROE indicators is to help answer 23 questions critical to EPA's mission of protecting the environment and human health. The indicators are supported by data gathered from federal and state agencies and non- governmental organizations. Each indicator comprises: graphics, text describing what the indicator shows and its limitations, and technical documentation. For each indicator area, the ROE also provides suggestions for what you can do to protect the environment, contribute to a sustainable future, and protect your health from environmental hazards.

Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST)

The Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) enables communities and watershed organizations to determine the most cost-effective water resource management options to meet water quantity and quality goals within an integrated water management framework. WMOST considers options for stormwater (including green infrastructure), wastewater, drinking water, and land conservation practices. WMOST can be used to evaluate options to meet water quality criteria, total maximum daily loads, water supply or environmental flow requirements, combined sewer overflow reductions, and/or flood reduction goals.

Global Change Explorer (GCX)

EPA's Global Change Explorer (GCX) is a collection of web tools that visualize, compare, and provide access to spatial data that describe potential future environmental change. These data can serve as a starting point when assessing the vulnerability of air, water, ecosystems, and human health to climate change, land use change, and other large-scale environmental stressors. The data and tools in the Global Change Explorer are relevant across multiple scientific disciplines and environmental media, providing a foundation for integrated assessments of global change.

Non-EPA Tools and Data Resources

CDC Environmental Justice Dashboard

Use CDC’s Environmental Justice Dashboard to explore data on environmental exposures, community characteristics, and health burden — factors important to understanding and addressing environmental justice issues.

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index helps public health officials and emergency response planners meet the needs of socially vulnerable populations in emergency response and recovery efforts.

National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network

The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) brings together health data and environment data from national, state, and city sources and provides supporting information to make the data easier to understand. The Tracking Network has data and information on environments and hazards, health effects, and population health.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Air Tracker

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Air Tracker is an interactive web-based application (works best in Chrome) that allows community groups, local governments, public health officials, air quality experts, or citizens concerned for their health to see air pollution hotspots in real-time and trace them back to potential sources. Clicking on any location on the map reveals a footprint from that specific location at that specific time - the darker blue colors of the footprint indicate the area upwind of the clicked location (based on wind direction and speed) and therefore the places where a pollution source impacting that site is most likely to be found. This tool can be used to track pollution and make it visible in real-time. Questions to consider include: Is poor air quality from industrial facilities disproportionately affecting certain communities? Can locations known to have regularly higher air pollution be traced back to certain air pollution sources? How can community members advocate for cleaner air? Contact Tammy Thompson (tthompson@edf.org) or Anne Marie Borrego (aborrego@edf.org) for more info.

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Last updated on October 8, 2024