Faculty

Profile

Ana is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice in the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management graduate program at the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment. She also serves as the Co-Director of the Tishman Environment & Design Center  (TEDC) at The New School. 

Ana's research and professional practice focuses on environmental and climate justice. She works directly with EJ organizations and coalitions to support the advancement of environmental justice. Ana works on a range of related issues including environmental justice policies, climate justice and renewable energy policies, land use and zoning tools for environmental justice, zero waste systems, cumulative impacts, and goods movement. Ana's professional practice is based primarily in community engaged scholarship and critical participatory action research. Her ongoing work with environmental justice issues in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey was featured in the documentary film, Sacrifice Zones. 

Her most recent research focuses on climate justice policies and cumulative impacts policies in states and at the federal level. She led the development of a searchable tool for cumulative impacts policies, methodologies and definitions to support advocates and policy makers in the implementation of cumulative impacts policies. She released a report on the emerging threats of false solutions to climate mitigation with doctoral student Jennifer Ventrella. The report, "False Solutions for Just Climate Mitigation and Clean Energy Policies" examines the false climate solutions emerging in three states, New Jersey, Delaware and Minnesota in collaboration with environmental justice advocates in each state. In the Fall of 2023, the Tishman Center will release another white paper that critically examines the environmental justice implications of carbon capture and sequestration and hydrogen fuel mixing in the power sector. 

Ana currently serves as the PI for a national Environmental Justice Movement Fellowship: Ripe for Creative Disruptions program led by Angela Mahecha at the Tishman Environment and Design Center. This Fellowship program was informed by a national landscape assessment of the EJ movement entitled, Environmental Justice Movement: Priorities, Strategies and Just Transitions.  She also led a research team at the Tishman Center in partnership with the Building Equity and Alignment for Impact to explore the misalignment of funding and priorities between environmental grantmakers and grassroots environmental justice organizations in the Midwest and Gulf South regions. The report, Environmental Justice and Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities for Alignment, revealed that only 1% of environmental grants are directed to environmental justice organizations in the two regions.

Ana's research focuses on efforts to advance national, state and local environmental justice policies. She released a report, "Local Policies for Environmental Justice: A National Scan" with the Natural Resources Defense Council and several environmental justice organizations in Chicago that highlight local land use policies advocated by EJ activists. Ana helped to develop and pass a model Environmental Justice and Cumulative Impacts Ordinance in Newark, New Jersey and participated in a coalition of EJ advocates on the passage of a landmark Environmental Justice & Cumulative Impacts bill (S232) in the New Jersey legislature. Ana also helped to develop and served as an inaugural signatory to the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform and was recently appointed by Mayor DeBlasio to the fourth New York City Panel on Climate Change.

Ana's research extends to waste justice and anti-incineration policies.  She led research on the incinerator industry, in a paper released by the Tishman Environment and Design Center, called "U.S. Municipal Sold Waste Incinerators: A Failing Industry" which points to the economic and environmental justice implications of the incineration industry. The report found that the majority of US MSW incinerators are located in EJ communities and more than 4 million people are exposed to pollution emanating from these aging facilities. She also published a book chapter on best practices for organics diversion in New York City "Smarter New York City: How City Agencies Innovate" and an article related to the dangers of co-incineration in municipal zero waste or renewable energy policies. Her recent publication examines the environmental justice implications of the promotion of waste incineration and other biomass technologies in national climate mitigation strategies. Ana helped organize and host the Conference, Design, Justice and Zero Waste: Pathways to a Circular Economy with the Tishman Center and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) in 2018.

Prior to joining The New School, Ana served as the Environmental Justice and Planning Director for the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) in Newark, where she now serves on the Board of Trustees.  She completed her Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She received her Master’s degree from Brown University in Environmental Studies and has an undergraduate degree in Environmental & Evolutionary Biology as well as Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Passaic River Superfund Community Advisory Group, a steering committee member of the Coalition for Healthy Ports and the national Moving Forward Network. She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Victoria Foundation, Ironbound Community Corporation, the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).  Ana was appointed to the Fourth New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) and co-chairs the Equity Workgroup and was appointed to the Executive Advisory Council of the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH). 

Degrees Held

Ph.D., Urban Planning and Public Policy,
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunwsick, NJ

MA, Environmental Studies,
Brown University,
Providence, RI

BA, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and Environmental Studies
Dartmouth College,
Hanover, NH

Professional Affiliation

• Fourth New York City Panel on Climate Change, appointed, 2020-2023

• Executive Advisory Council of the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH)

• Equitable and Justice National Climate Platform, Inaugural signatory

• Associate Editor, Environmental Justice Journal

• Ironbound Community Corporation, Board of Trustee

• New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, Vice-Chair, Board of Trustee

• Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Co-Chair, Board of Trustee

• Victoria Foundation, Board of Trustee

• Passaic River Superfund Community Advisory Group, Co-Chair

• Coalition for Healthy Ports, member

• Moving Forward Network, member

Recent Publications

Book Chapters

• Baptista, A. (2024), Chapter 9: Environmental Justice Tours: Transformative Narratives of Struggle, Solidarity and Activism. In Toxic Heritage: Legacies, Futures, and Environmental Injustice. Ed. May, S. & Kryder-Reid, E. New York, NY: Routledge.

• Baptista, A., Matsuoka, M., & Raphael, C. (2023), Urban and Regional Planning. In C. Raphael & M. Matsuoka, Community-Engaged Research for Environmental Justice. Berkeley, CA: University of California - Luminos Press.

• Baptista, A. (2023) Solidarity. In Szeman, I. and Wenzel, J., “Energized: Keywords for a New Politics of Energy and Environment.” West Virginia, VA: West Virginia University Press.

• Baptista, Ana I. (2021) “Introduction: Radical Resistance and Future Imaginaries for Environmental Justice”  in The World We Need” Ed. Audrea Lim, New York: The New Press

• Baptista, Ana I. (2019) "The Evolution of the Environmental Justice Movement: Trans-Local Voices for Systemic Transformations" in Globalism and Localization in the Context of the Ecological and Social Crisis. Ed. Jeanine M. Canty. New York: Routledge

• Ramirez, I., Baptista, A., Lee, J., Traverso-Krejcarek, A. Santos, A. (2019) Fighting for Urban Environmental Health Justice in Southside (Los Sures) Williamsburg, Brooklyn: A Community Engaged Pilot Study. In Handbook of Global Urban Health. New York: Routledge

• Baptista, Ana I. (2018) "Innovations for Sustainability via New York City's Residential Curbside Organic Waste Collection Program: Pathways to Zero Waste" in Smarter New York City: How City Agencies Innovate. Ed. André Corrêa d'Almeida. New York: Columbia University Press

• Baptista, A. (2018), Chapter 20: Environmental Justice. In Complete Guide to Planning in New Jersey, 4th Edition. New Jersey Chapter, American Planning Association.

• Baptista, Ana I. (2017) "Finding Hope at the Margins: A Journey of Environmental Justice." Ecological and Social Healing: Multicultural Women's Voices. Ed. Jeanine M. Canty. New York: Routledge 

Journal Articles

• Baptista, A., Jesudason, S., Greenberg, M., and Perovich, A. (2022) Landscape Assessment of the US Environmental Justice Movement: Transformative Strategies for Climate Justice. Environmental Justice

• Santos-Ramirez, J., Baptista, A., Perovich, A., Greenberg, M, Lopez, A., and Rosenberg, A. (2022) Environmental Justice and Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities for Alignment. Foundation Review, 14(1), 7.

• Baptista, Ana I. March 2021.  Zoning, Land Use, and Local Policies for Environmental Justice, Zoning Practice, American Planning Association. 

• Ji, N., Fang, M., Baptista, A., Cepeda, C., Greenberg, M., Mincey, I. C., & Laumbach, R. J. (2021). Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and changes in exhaled nitric oxide and DNA methylation in arginase and nitric oxide synthase in children with asthma. Environmental Health, 20(1), 1-11.

• Baptista, Ana Isabel and Amarnath, Kumar.  Garbage, Power, and Environmental Justice: The Clean Power Plan Rule, Wm. & Mary Envtl. L. & Pol'y Rev, 2016, 41, 403 

• Chang Ho Yu, Zhi-Hua (Tina) Fan, Paul J. Lioy , Ana Baptista, Molly Greenberg, Robert Laumbach, A Mobile Monitoring Approach to Characterize Spatial and Temporal Variation in Traffic-Related Air Pollutants in an Urban Community. Atmospheric Environment, September  2016

• Laumbach, Robert J., Ana Baptista, Nancy Fiedler, Clarimel Cepeda, Zhi-Hua Fan, Brian Pavilonis, Pamela Ohman-Strickland, and Howard Kipen. Cumulative Impacts Of Traffic Pollutants And Psychosocial Stress On Childhood Asthma Exacerbation In An Urban Community. In C105. Pollution Effects, pp. A5098-A5098. American Thoracic Society, 2013.

Public Articles

• Coronavirus Crisis Demands Environmental Justice Response. Op Ed, May 19, 2020, New Jersey Spotlight. 

• Is Burning Trash a Good Way to Handle It? Waste Incineration in 5 Charts, The Conversation, June 20, 2019

• NJ’s Next Governor Should Champion Environmental Justice. Op-Ed New Jersey Spotlight, October 12, 2017. 

• Garbage In, Garbage Out: Incinerating Trash Is Not An Effective Way To Protect The Climate Or Reduce Waste. The Conversation, February 2018.

Reports & White Papers

• False Solutions for Just Climate Mitigation and Clean Energy Policies. Baptista, A. and Ventrella, J. Tishman Environment & Design Center. (2022) 

• Understanding the Evolution of Cumulative Impacts: Definitions and Policies in the U.S.. Baptista, A., Perovich, A., Pulido-Velosa, M., Valencia, E., Valdez, M. Tishman Environment and Design Center (August 2022)

• Defining Environmental Justice Communities: Implications for State and Federal Environmental Justice Policies. Baptista, A., Sheats, N., Perovich, A. and Valdez, M., Tishman Environment and Design Center (January 2022)

• Environmental Justice and Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities for Alignment: Midwest and Gulf South Case Studies. March 2020, Tishman Environment and Design Center

• Environmental Justice Movement: Priorities, Strategies and Just Transitions. May 2019, Tishman Environment and Design Center

• U.S. Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators: An Industry in Decline, May 21, 2019, Tishman Environment & Design Center 

• Local Policies for Environmental Justice: A National Scan, February 2019, Tishman Environment & Design Center 

Performances and Appearances

Environmental Justice 

• How science could aid the US quest for environmental justice, Nature, June 2, 2022

•  What Does Environmental Justice Look Like? Indisposable Podcast, by Upstream, May 2022

• Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing, The New York Times, By Winston Choi-Schagrin and Hiroko Tabuchi, April 21, 2022

• Foundations Commit Billions to Fight Climate Change, Associated Press, By Alex Danield, November 11, 2021

• Maine Joins Debate Over How to Define Environmental Justice. Energy News Network, By David Thill, July 13, 2021

• Cumulative Impact Ordinances Address Environmental Justice. EHS Daily Advisor, by Lisa Whitley Coleman, June 3, 2021

• Repairing an Environmental ‘Legacy of Racism’: What the City’s Next Leaders Must Do. Urban Matters, The Center for New York City Affairs. February 17, 2021

• Covid-19 and Environmental Justice: An Agenda for New York’s Next Mayor. Urban Matters, The Center for New York City Affairs. February 10, 2021

• New Jersey Governor Signs Law Aimed at Protecting Poor from Pollution. September 18, 2020, Reuters, by, Maria Caspani

• Environmental Justice and Clean Energy in New Jersey. July 2, 2020, NJ Spotlight Roundtable

• Fighting for a Just Covid-19 Response. Derrick Jackson, Environmental Health News, April 3, 2020.

• Toxic Injustices: Priority for Abused Communities Must Pervade Every Aspect of a Green New Deal. Derrick Z. Jackson, The American Prospect, December 5, 2019

• Justice For All? American Planning Association, Adina Solomon, October 2019

• Which Cities Have Concrete Plans for Environmental Justice, CityLab, Nicole Javorsky, May 7, 2019

• Does Your City Employ Environmental Justice Best Practices  ColorLines, Ayana Byrd, May 14, 2019

Zero Waste and Anti-Incineration

• Five Things You Should Know About the Impact of Burning Trash, June 28, 2019, Green Biz Journal. 

• Is Burning Trash a Good Way to Dispose of It? Waste Incineration in Charts, PBS News House, June 23, 2019

• Revealed: 1.6 Million Americans Live Near the Most Polluting Incinerators, The Guardian, Oliver Milman, May 21, 2019

• Can We Stop Burning Garbage And Calling It Renewable, Food and Water Watch, July 24, 2018

• To Meet Waste Goals, NYC Needs to Scrap How it Thinks About Garbage, Cole Rosengren, City Limits, May 22, 2015

Passaic River Superfund

• Activists Eye a Superfund Reboot Under Biden With a Focus on Environmental Justice and Climate Change. Inside Climate News. December 28, 2020, by David Hademeyer and Lise Olsen.

• We've been forgotten: In Newark, N.J. a Toxic Superfund Site Faces Growing Climate Threats. October 1, 2020, NBC News, by Erik Ortiz

• The Swap-a-Fish Program That Traded Tilapia for Seafood Contaminated by Agent Orange, AtlasObscura, Reina Gattuso, March 15, 2019

Research Interests

Environmental justice, climate justice, land use & zoning and planning approaches to environmental justice, waste justice, air pollution monitoring and permitting, global goods movement, critical participatory action research, community based deliberative planning practices, cumulative impacts, superfund and brownfields policies

Awards And Honors

• New Jersey Governor’s Richard J. Sullivan Environmental Excellence Award, 2020

• US EPA, Environmental Champions Award, New York, May 2017. 

• Sister Carol Johnston Service Award, Ironbound Community Corporation, October 2016 

• US EPA, Citizen's Excellence in Community Involvement Award, Passaic River Superfund Community Advisory Group, May 2015