Asian Pacific Environmental Network

The Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) holds the vision that all people have a right to a clean and healthy environment in which their communities can live, work, learn, play, and thrive. APEN was founded in 1993 and seeks to bring together a collective voice among the diverse Asian Pacific Islander communities in the US. Through a strategy which combines grassroots community organizing, civic engagement, and policy, APEN works to develop an alternative agenda for environmental, social, and economic justice.

APEN's policy frameworks seek to respond to the urgency of climate change and the growing economic divide. Examples of its policy planks include:

• Support local plans that ensure equity and sustainability, such as those developed in Oakland and Richmond
• Update existing policies to increase the penetration of distributed generation in low-income communities and communities of color
• Increase access to green jobs in the renewables industry for low-income immigrants and communities of color
• Pursue new financing tools and ensure community choice for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs
• Limit imports of heavier grade crude and “tar sands” oil into the state, which have significant potential impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental justice communities
• Equitable investment for disadvantaged communities to participate in and benefit from statewide efforts to reduce GHG emissions

Phone: (510) 834-8920

Sectors:

• Business
• Energy
• Public health
• Frontline Communities