We all need to move, and how we move influences our quality of life. Unfortunately, not all communities have the same access to safe, reliable and affordable transportation options such as public transit and biking and walking paths. That means some communities don't have access to the same quality of life just because of where they live.

Transportation justice is the equal access of all people to transportation options and in turn, an equal chance for a healthier life.

Here, a few of our community members define transportation justice in their own lives.

To get involved, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, come to our next community meeting and contact Monique López at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (619) 474-0220 ext. 130.

A clean-looking home doesn’t always mean a healthy home. Many store-bought cleaners are harmful and full of toxic chemicals that you and your family breathe in long after the cleaning is done. Even though they clean the dirt away, your home might even be less healthy than when you started. Luckily, our Healthy Home Experts have tips to keep your home both clean and healthy with non-toxic cleaning techniques that are often much cheaper than toxic products. Below are some tips from our Healthy Homes experts on toxic-free ways to keep your house clean.

All-Purpose Cleaner (for spots on linoleum, tile and woodwork)

Ingredient:

• Murphy’s Liquid Soap

1. Squeeze a drop of soap on a wet Easy-wipe
2. Rub the area to be cleaned briskly. An Easy-wipe will last longer and create less waste than a sponge or paper towels. 

Refrigerator

• Place a small open block or container of baking soda inside the refrigerator to eliminate bad odors

Air Freshener

• Place small containers of baking soda around your home to absorb bad odors.

Carpet Freshener

Ingredients:

1. Sprinkle small amounts of baking soda on the carpet.
2. Let it set for an hour
3. Vacuum the baking soda up – do not use on wet carpet!

Tub And Sink

Ingredients:

• Baking soda
• Murphy’s Liquid Soap

1. Sprinkle it on porcelain fixtures and rub with a wet rag.
2. Add a little soap to the rag for more cleaning power.
3. Rinse well to avoid leaving a hazy film

Drains

Ingredients:

• Baking Soda
• Boiling Water
• Vinegar
• Fresh Lemon

1. This recipe will free minor clogs. Treat your drains on a regular basis to prevent future clogs.
2. Pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain first.
3. Pour half a cup of vinegar into the drain.
4. Let it fizz for a few minutes.
5. Then pour one to two quarts of boiling water into the drain.
6. Repeat if needed. If the clog is stubborn, use a plunger. If very stubborn, use a mechanical snake. Avoid letting fats, oils or grease into the drain to prevent clogs.

To keep drains smelling good, grind thin lemon slices in the garbage disposal. If you do not have a garbage disposal, squeeze the lemon juice into each drain.

Ovens

Ingredients:

• Baking Soda
• Water
• Scrubbing pads

1. Mix one cup of baking soda with enough water to make a paste.
2. Apply to oven surfaces and let stand a little while.
3. Use the scouring pad for scrubbing most surfaces.
4. A spatula or bread knife is effective to scrape off large food deposits.

This recipe will require extra scrubbing. Clean up spills in the oven after each use or spot clean it regularly. Do not use this on self cleaning ovens. 

Other Helpful Tips

• Use the spray bottle to hold a mixture of vinegar and water for quick clean-ups in the kitchen and bathroom.
• Spray the bathtub, shower walls and curtain with vinegar and water to reduce or eliminate mold and soap scum.
• Keep different colored gloves in the kitchen and bathroom for use only in those areas to avoid spreading germs.

When the San Onofre power plant shut down, San Diego had an opportunity to power our city with clean energy that makes our communities healthier and builds thousands of local jobs. Instead the California Public Utilities Commission voted to meet two thirds of our new energy needs with a polluting natural-gas power plant in Carlsbad, and only one third of our energy with clean sources. 

This recent decision locks San Diego into at least 40 years of air pollution, high energy bills, climate change and a minimized opportunity to create thousands of local jobs. Of the five commissioners on the California Public Utilities Commission, only Commissioner Sandoval voted against the polluting power plant. Sandoval acknowledged that there is no legal basis to support a rushed approval of a dirty gas plant at the expense of clean energy solutions. 

According to Policy Advocate Kayla Race says, “The Commission says they’re moving us toward a clean energy future, but it’s hard to believe when so many of their decisions takes us three steps backwards. This power plant locks San Diegans into higher energy bills for more pollution, which doesn’t make sense when we have cleaner options available that create local jobs and make our communities healthier.”

We need programs and policies that invest in local communities to create career-track green jobs and create a new clean energy economy. Maximizing energy efficiency and conservation, rooftop solar and other forms of local renewable energy should be California’s first priority in meeting the state’s energy needs. Only after all clean resources are exhausted should new, polluting power plants and transmission infrastructure be allowed.

Join the fight for climate justice by:

• Urging our California Legislators to increase clean energy statewide
• Demanding the City of San Diego commit to 100% clean energy, help make our homes more efficient, and put our neighborhoods first in its Climate Action Plan
• Staying up to date on Facebook, Twitter and our newsletter (sign up in the right side bar). 

Old Town National City is making history. For decades, residents have struggled with pollution from local auto body shops operating too close to homes and schools. Children’s emergency room visits for asthma have become disproportionately high in the neighborhood, nearly doubling the county average in 2012. In 2010, the people of National City united to guide the Westside Specific Plan; Old Town National City’s plan for a future of healthy communities.

Auto body shops, while often too close to homes, parks and schools, provide well paying jobs for the neighborhood and stimulate the local economy. With an innovative approach and commitment to healthy neighborhoods,  a win-win situation was born.

The idea is a designated area, away from residential areas, where autobody shops can continue local operations while minimizing pollution in the neighborhood. This “small business incubator” is known as a Green Industrial Auto Park and it turns empty, unused land into sustainable areas for auto body shops to flourish.

With a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EHC worked with Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors to conduct a yearlong study analyzing whether a Green Industrial Auto Body Park in National City was possible. The study considered perspectives from landowners, business owners and residents as well as investigated brownfield sites and researched private and public funding sources.

What did the study show? It showed that a Green Industrial Auto Park was wholly feasible for National City.

Beaming with excitement, we presented the findings to the City Council in National City on May 19, 2015, where Council directed City staff to return with recommendations for next steps.

Policy advocate Carolina Martinez said, “Auto body shops are important to the local economy, but right now they’re too close to our homes and schools. This study shows we can group auto shops together in an environmentally conscious park to reduce harmful health impacts on residents. It shows National City can lead with bold solutions for both community health and local economic growth. It’s a creative win-win for everyone.”

Old Town National City residents continue to inspire us with their commitment to making their community a healthier place to live. This solution brings us one step closer to making history and fulfilling National City’s vision for both a healthy neighborhood and a thriving economy.

To read the study and learn more about Old Town National City, please click here. 

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and Caltrans have proposed a plan to expand the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway (SR 94) that benefits none of the communities that it damages. Children who live in adjacent communities will likely have more asthma episodes as a result of the increased car pollution and the plan offers very minimal improvements to make biking and walking safer for people who live and work in and visit these communities. The freeway will carry a new transit line without a single bus stop in the communities it runs through.

The irony of the plan is glaring. The freeway named after one of greatest champions of equality is being expanded at the expense of lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words could not be any truer today than they once were. He said,

“Urban transit systems in most American cities, for example, have become a genuine civil rights issue – and a valid one – because the layout of rapid-transit systems determines the accessibility of jobs to the black community [and other communities of color]. If transportation systems in American cities could be laid out so as to provide an opportunity for poor people to get meaningful employment, then they could begin to move into the mainstream of American life.”

This injustice may continue if the community’s voice is not heard by SANDAG.

Better plans exist that benefit all San Diegans.

We should apply innovative community-based solutions by turning existing freeway space into transit only lanes or convert an existing general purpose lane for carpool and transit-only use.

We should improve transit options for all by having bus stops in all communities.

We should adequately invest in adjacent communities to improve safety conditions for people walking, biking and transit use.

SANDAG and Caltrans will give an update on the plan and its impacts to surrounding communities on May 20th at 2 p.m. If you believe in transportation justice and clean air for all communities, sign our letter, contact Monique at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and attend the meeting.