Our Guiding Principles
Lead-contaminated paint, water, and soil, and other sources disproportionately affects young children, causing serious medical and behavioral issues into adulthood, and low-income communities and/or communities of color are most at risk, due to systemic inequities.
However, these issues can be prevented by targeting the sources of lead. Working together as Lead-Free NJ, an inclusive and equitable collaborative focused on removing lead from New Jersey’s environment, we can address this complex problem on a larger scale than any individual or organization can alone.
The time is now to demand action and organize for state-wide lead remediation in every home, childcare facility, school, and water system.
Our Purpose
To ensure that New Jersey’s children are free from lead poisoning and that our environment is lead-safe by advocating for changes to state and local policy. The collaborative seeks to eliminate racial and economic inequities by focusing on legacy lead hazards in low-income communities and/or communities of color, while also creating the conditions for children to be free from lead poisoning statewide.
Our Goals
Holistic Lead Remediation
Eliminate childhood lead hazards in New Jersey within 10 years.
Equitable Policy Change
Achieve adoption of proactive, equitable state and local policies that ensure that our environment is lead-safe and our children are unburdened by lead.
Empowered Communities
Build the capacity and power of grassroots groups and affected communities.
Our Policy Agenda
Lead-Free NJ strives to achieve lead-free policy wins through a solutions-oriented, collective-action approach that amplifies the voices of affected communities and individuals.
Our Model
Uniting communities with policy-oriented organizations to effect change
Lead-Free NJ unites community organizations, grassroots groups, community members, and decision-makers with policy-oriented organizations to effect change at the local and state levels. We envision neighbors, friends, families, faith leaders, professionals, and elected officials working together to make New Jersey lead-free. We recognize the importance of representation in every aspect of Lead-Free NJ – from membership to leadership.
All of Lead-Free NJ’s actions reflect the needs of community members.
Our Operating Procedures
The Operating Procedures explain how Lead-Free NJ, a collaborative initiative of many diverse organizations, will function. This is a living document that will adapt to the needs of its members and their shared purpose.