Tejada to Speak on Environmental Justice
(Washington, DC) – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) today announced that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director of the Office of Environmental Justice Matthew Tejada will be speaking during the ReMA 2021 Annual Convention and Exposition. Matthew will speak on the importance of environmental justice as it relates to the private sector.
About Matthew Tejada
Matthew S. Tejada joined the EPA in March of 2013 as Director of the Office of Environmental Justice. As Director, Matthew leads the Environmental Justice Program’s cross-cutting work throughout the EPA and federal government. This includes working with communities, other EPA divisions, federal agencies, academic partners, business and industry, and state, local and tribal partners to further the mission of the EPA and its efforts to advance environmental justice. Before his career at EPA, Matthew spent over five years in the non-profit world as executive director of the environmental advocacy Air Alliance Houston, where he focused his efforts on environmental justice issues affecting the many overburdened communities in the Houston and Texas Gulf Coast area, region-wide ozone reduction policies and alleviation of toxic and particulate matter hotspots. In this position, Matthew was also centrally involved in local, state and federal level legislative and policy formation as regards environmental and public health issues. Matthew received his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Oxford where he was a member of St. Antony’s College. His research and dissertations largely focused on environmental and energy policy, international relations, politics and the development and role of civil society. Matthew received a BA in English from the University of Texas at Austin, then served two years in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria as a high school teacher of English as a foreign language. Matthew is a native of Ft. Worth, Texas.
About the Session
Environmental Justice: What Is It and Why It Is So Important to the Long Term Growth & Success of the Recycling Industry
Thursday, April 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT.
Environmental justice is not a new concept, but it is one that has gained increased importance this year as the Biden Administration and many states have committed to improving the environment and public health in people of color, indigenous, and low-income communities across the country. But what exactly is Environmental Justice? And given that many recyclers are located within overburdened and vulnerable communities, how do recyclers appreciate the historic and contemporary EJ issues facing their industry? Join us for a discussion with Matthew Tejada, who is leading EPA’s efforts to advance EJ, working with communities, other EPA divisions, federal agencies, academic partners, business and industry, and state, local and tribal partners.
ISRI2021 will be held virtually April 20-22, and April 27-29. The most up-to-date speaker and event details can be found at ISRI2021.org.
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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry™." ReMA represents 1,300 companies in 20 chapters in the U.S. and more than 40 countries that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics, and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides education, advocacy, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. Generating nearly $110 billion annually in U.S. economic activity, the scrap recycling industry provides more than 500,000 Americans with good jobs.